At Camp Tournesol, we are passionate about bringing French learning to kids outside of the classroom.
The most effective way to keep a child’s French strong is to incorporate the language into all aspects of their lives, especially the positive ones!
We love sharing our favourite French learning resources with all families looking to boost their children’s French learning!
Here, we’ve compiled an ultimate list of the best apps, songs, books, and more, that will facilitate French learning for your child while they’re at home, on vacation, or beyond. It’s sure to help parents pick up some French too!
So check out these resources and let us know what you think in the comments below! Did we miss anything?
Enjoy!
Apps
Phones and tablets have become the prime source of entertainment for almost any modern-day kid, but that doesn’t have to be a bad thing! Why not turn it into an educational opportunity? In as little as 10 minutes a day, some of these apps can work wonders in improving your child’s French (and helping their grades along the way!)
Read our post on The Best Apps to Learn French.
Books
What’s better than snuggling up with a good bedtime story? Answer: reading a bedtime story in French! This is the perfect way to not only instil a love of reading in your child, but also a love of classic French children’s’ books.
Get our list of top French Bedtime Stories here.
Too old for bedtime stories? We’ve consulted with French Immersion teachers to create the ultimate list: 40 Books to Help Your French Immersion Child.
Films
Students can’t wait for movie days in French class. With this list of Top 35 French Films for every member of the family, there’s no reason to wait!
Watching classic French movies at home can be quite a fun and immersive experience! This is a great way to get a glimpse into French and/or Québécois culture, all while improving your kid’s French language skills.
Quick Tip: It can be difficult to fully understand a film in a second language, so subtitles are perfect! If your child would like to improve their French reading skills, use French subtitles along with the movie. If your child would like to improve their French pronunciation or speaking skills, use English subtitles along with the movie to help them understand the dialogue.
TV shows
TV shows are a tried and true way to get kids excited about learning a language. Finding a TV show in French that they love will truly allow them to feel immersed in the storyline, the characters, and of course in the language!
There are plenty of great French TV shows that we’ve included in our “Top 35 Films” post (which we also referenced above).
Board Games
At our day camps, we often use French board games to teach the campers new vocabulary (through instructions, communicating with other players, etc). This is something that can easily be brought into the home to continue your child’s French learning while they are unable to attend school.
Our list of board games in French is perfect for a weekend at the cottage or for a fun family night that limits screen time.
Workbooks
We’ve created over a dozen great French workbooks centred around different themes such as the house, the weather, the seasons, and more so that your child can practice their French all year round, whether in school or at home!
They’re all completely free to download and come with vocabulary words linked to the theme as well as some fun activities – and it’s all in French! Our full French workbook page can be found here.
Other tips
Last but not least, some extra tips for the parents of French students. We know how difficult it can be to help your child in their venture to learn a language that you may not know, so here are 5 Tips on How to Support Your French Immersion Child (even if you don’t speak French!).
Do you have other resources to suggest?
Let us know what you think in the comments below, and feel free to link any French learning resources that have helped you or your child!
