Here at VoulezVouloz we understand how difficult it can be to teach small children French.
We have a four year old croissant of our own who studiously refuses to speak French, even though his Dad (Monsieur Croissant) has spoken French to him every day since he was born!
As his mum (with an okay level of French), I do my best to speak it when I can, but it’s a struggle.
After a lot of trial and error, we’ve realised the best way to teach kids French is to make it fun and like a game.
Here’s one fun activity we tried the other day with our mini Frenchie – all about parts of the body.
Don’t worry too much about the article (the le, la, les),just focus on getting the vocab into their little brains.
He was enjoying it, honestly!
Step 1: Get your child to lie down on a large piece of paper (old wall paper is perfect).
Step 2: Draw around your child.
Step 3: Encourage your small human to draw different body parts on the body. As they draw ask them if they know the French name for the body part.
Then say the French word and have them repeat it.
Step 4: Write the name of the body part in French on the paper.
(Our son can’t read yet, but it’s helpful for me to have it there so I remember the word and repeat it.)
Here are some body part names to get you started.
- Oeil Eye
- Bouche Mouth
- Dents Teeth
- Oreille Ear
- Tete Head
- Menton Chin
- Cheveux Hair
- Nez Nose
- Bras Arm
- Main Hand
- Doigt Finger
- Pouce Thumb
- Torse Chest
- Mamelons Nipples
- Coude Elbow
- Jambe Leg
- Genou Knee
- Pied Foot
- Orteils Toes
- Fesses Bottom
- Ventre Tummy
Step 5: Stick your body to the back of a door.
Step 6: In the days following the activity, ask your child to name body parts, remind them of the name in French.
Step 7: Write the body part names in French on to sticky post-it notes and ask your child to place them on the correct part of the body.
Step 8: Try to use the words during everyday situations, here are some phrases to get you started:
- Lave tes mains Wash your hands
- Brosse tes dents Brush your teeth
- Ferme tes yeux Close your eyes
- Peigne tes cheveux Comb you hair
- Mets tes chaussettes Put your socks on your feet
- Combien de doigts as-tu? How many fingers do you have?
- Ou est ton ventre? Where is your tummy?
- Voici mon coude This is my elbow
Just by repeating these phrases again and again, your child will slowly start to remember them.
We’ll be posting more fun French activities for kids soon!
Over to you
What French activities have you tried with your kids?
A vous
Quelles activites avez-vous essaye en Francais?
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