“J’ aimerais des fraises, s’il vous plait,” our no-fear six-year-old daughter rattled off to the woman behind a table blanketed with juicy red strawberries. These were our new favorites – the tiny Galveston variety grown in the south of France that melted in your mouth with just a hint of acid. They were delicate, meant to be consumed as soon as you got home – if they made it that far.
The energy of the French market buzzed about them, shoppers weaving amid vendors toting Provence-style baskets overflowing with fresh produce. I stood off to the side, keeping a watchful eye on our little dynamo as she handed over a 5 Euro bill. She had wanted to do this on her own, thank you very much.
The woman showered her with a warm smile as she placed a brimming carton into a brown paper bag. Handing it over to her, I heard them exchange a “Merci,” as our daughter turned to me, beaming. She rushed over, her long hair bouncing with each excited step, and exclaimed, “I did it myself!”
This moment – and others like it with all three of our children – made taking the time to learn French as a family before our trip more than worth it.
The Goal
Learning a new language as a family is an educational adventure, especially when followed by an opportunity to use it.
Our opportunity was born when a friend’s mother, who lives in the south of France, offered us a small apartment above her home for a month.
Um, yes! Where do we sign?
There’s nothing quite like having an inspirational goal (and I think ‘international trip’ definitely qualifies) to motivate learning. With only a few months to prepare (and a tiny budget), it was time for a crash course in French. One that would fit the needs of kindergarten through adult learners. No simple endeavor.
Much Googling left me with ideas, but no comprehensive solution. So, I dusted off my high school French and cobbled together our own home-grown French program from the best budget and family-friendly resources I could find.
When we arrived in France the kids (then aged 6, 10 and 12) understood enough elementary French to play with French children, comfortably order food at a restaurant, and even go off by themselves in our little French town to the boulangerie or patisserie to buy a ‘pain au chocolat.’ The experience ignited in them a desire to further their knowledge of French, so much so that when we returned home they enthusiastically began a more formal French program with a tutor.
Point is, success!
Below are tips based on what worked best for us. Bonne chance! (Good luck!)
Tips and Tools
- Keep it fun! This is not your high school foreign language class. Get out of a ‘textbook’ mindset and instead focus on using the language in everyday life. Treat learning a new language like the joyful adventure that it is, and you will have much more willing participants.
- Use programs like Duolingo, but as supplements: Apps like Duolingo, Babble and Pimsleur are valuable tools, but not silver bullets. Use them to introduce or reinforce concepts, but not as the foundation of your study. (Budget Tip: Use Duolingo for free if you set up your children as students in a classroom.)
- Talk Box Mom: This was our splurge. Talk Box Mom is a subscription-based service that introduces a new language through monthly boxes packed with resources. The best part? It teaches with a family approach. The idea is that if Mom and Dad start using the language, so too will the kids. After all, this is how we learn our native tongue – from our parents. Each box explores a different theme – snacks, weather, clothing, actions, etc. There are vocabulary charts to hang around the house (we loved these), flash cards, games, activities, and even an app that has pronunciation for every word and phrase referenced in the box. We actively used our Talk Box Mom subscription as a launch point for learning, helping us focus on a language theme each month. To this day I notice how much vocabulary my kids learned using the program. (Budget Tip: If you are a homeschooling family like ours and and use charter school funds, Talk Box Mom is a vendor for many charters. The average price is about $80 per box.)
- Usborne Beginner Language Series: OK, I know I said no textbooks, but these don’t technically qualify. These old-school picture books have fun, silly illustrations that walk you through the basics of a language (introductions, body parts, ordering food, etc.). Search for them in the used section of online retailers. We went through these page by page, tackling a new topic every week or two.
- Flash Cards: Flash cards are great to store in the car, your purse, or any other place where you know you can whip them out when hanging with the kids and killing time. Turn such moments into opportunities to learn. (Budget Tip: Check out your local library’s catalog for flash card collections.)
- Prayers: If your family prays together, learn the French versions of your devotions. Our family learned the Hail Mary, Our Father and grace before meals in French. This is a beautiful way to bring richness to both your language study and faith tradition.
- Children’s Books: Search your local library book sale for French children’s books (Budget Tip: This is also a great place to find pocket and full-sized French dictionaries). Our favorites? The Asterix and Obelix series. These classic French comics are hilarious and provide both a cultural touchpoint (Asterix and Obelix are HUGE in France) and a fun language comprehension challenge. (TinTin is another wonderful French comic series.)
- TV shows that teach French: Search for kids’ TV programs that teach French basics. We found ours through Hoopla, provided free by our library. Muzzy, a BCC cartoon featuring a fuzzy green monster, was a hit with our kids.
- French Movies and TV: There is no better excuse to veg out in front of the tube than practicing language comprehension. Search streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime for French TV movies and programs. Our favorites? Drum roll please…the Asterix and Obelix movies with Gérard Depardieu! (Yes, there’s a theme here. Anything Asterix and Obelix is a hit in our house…and in most French homes too.) You can also subscribe to TV5Monde, an international French streaming service, through SlingTV for about $17 a month. They offer quite a few kids’ programs – and of course numerous adult shows too.
- Dining time: Meal times provide the perfect time to practice French as a family with phrases like “Passe-moi le beurre” (pass me the butter) or “Je voudrais une serviette” (I would like a napkin). If you have kids that like play-acting as much as mine do, turn meals into roll playing at a French restaurant. One child plays the waiter, the others the patrons: “Je prend un café and un sandwich du jambon, s’il vous plait” (I’ll take a coffee and ham sandwich, thank you). Let the kids run with this, making menus in French and acting out the parts (here’s a script that might be helpful.). It doesn’t need to be perfect – just have fun!
Learning a language together has been one of the joys of our family life. Even after our trip, we use our French daily – over breakfast, while we pray, when searching for each other in the house (Oú est Benjamin? Il est dans le garage.), and countless other moments that keep the language fresh in our minds. My favorite is that our kids theatrically say “J’espère” (I hope) at random moments throughout the day, and then double over with laughter. It’s their own little inside joke…and I love that it’s in French.
So, in like mind: J’espère que vous avez trouvé de nouvelles idées pour apprendre le français en famille (I hope you’ve found some new ideas for learning French as a family).
Amuzez-vous! (Have fun!)
