How to Raise a Child Bilingual in French: Three Tips to Help You

French families living overseas often struggle to foster French at home.
Let’s face it: young kids often go to daycare or preschools where they are taught in local languages or in English. Young kids are surrounded by the local language and if you are a bilingual family, there is often only one parent speaking in French at home.

Can you relate? Being a French family living in Australia, our son is exposed to English ALL-THE-TIME every day! So, we can definitely relate!
Whether you want to raise your kids as bilingual, simply help them reconnect with their French roots, or teach them French at home, these tips should help in your journey.

Read, Storytelling and Singing

Reading, storytelling and singing every day can benefit your child in lots of ways:

• Helping with the development of early literacy skills by listening to French sounds, French words and French language;
• Reconnecting your child to its French roots;
• Sparking your child’s imagination;
• Helping with the development of early reading skills by looking at French words while you read;
• Bonding with your child and promoting relationships;
• Helping your child easily switch from one language to another;
• Helping your child broaden its vocabulary in French.

Your child can learn that words are made up of different sounds, syllables and letters and that words usually link to the pictures on the page of a bookmaking them easier to grasp.

You can start by “reading” to your baby while looking at picture books (start with black and white pictures from birth, then move to primary colours picture book around 2-3 months, and then full colours picture books from 3-4 months onwards): say the name of the shapes or objects, describe the objects, explain how and when these objects can be used at home, outside, in the car etc. The more familiar the objects are, the easier it will be to incorporate the words later in daily life.

Between 6 and 12 months, you can start reading very short story books which incorporate actions (for example, a book where the characters are playing peekaboo, a book to play hide and seek, etc). When reading those books, try to bring them to life by playing with your child while reading in French.

From 12months old, you can start reading storybooks which explain day-to-day activities to which kids can relate to. For example, the French collection “Timoté”, “Le Loup”, “Tchoupi” or “Petit Ours Brun” are French kids’ classics which all tell familiar situations children can relate to. Try to then incorporate the words from the story into your daily life so that your child can relate back and connect the story to real situations. For example, if you read a book about going to the zoo, incorporate some of the words and phrases when going to the zoo with your child.

From 2 years old, you can start with short imaginative stories which will encourage the development of their imagination. We personally read to our son every day in the morning because it is when his brain is the most receptive to new words, and before bedtime to allow his brain to process during the night what he has learnt during the day and just before going to sleep. There is no right or wrong here. This is just what we do. The more you read in French, the better!

Fortunately, reading isn’t the only way to help with the development of your child’s language and literacy skills.

Storytelling is great as you can foster your child’s imagination and curiosity, and help your child learn the difference between “real” and “pretend”. You can also use this opportunity to talk about your child’s strong emotions that happen depending on different situations.

Why not try out funny noises and sounds to have fun, or plan ‘beyond the book’ activities following a read through (for example, you can prepare a craft activity or special outing related to the book you just read).

Learning a song or rhythm, and singing it together often helps with pronunciation in French in a fun way!

These are important steps to help the development of your child’s brain, his/her social skills and his/her communication skills in French.

You might also want to make up your own stories (using story rocks, photos, or items you have at home for example).

Dual-language books are a great resource for bilingual families. Another option is to listen to an audiobook in French and then discuss with your child in French to encourage the use of new French words, talk about the pictures, and repeat familiar words and phrases.  Repetition is great for language development so enjoy reading the same French books over and over!

Involve your child, take turns to tell the story, asking questions and listening to the answers from one another are important pre-reading skills that will help your child further down the track when starting to read.

Try incorporating reading, storytelling and/or singing everyday for at least 20 minutes. This creates a nice little routine where your child will know he or she is expected to speak in French. A reading chair or nook where you are both comfortable can help setting up this daily routine. Also, to increase your child’s concentration, ensure that TV and radio are turned off while you read, tell a story or sing.

02

The exercises of practical life daily in another language contribute to the development of concentration, and self-confidence with that other language.
So, how does it work in real life? It is very simple! Think of activities you would do in daily living around the house such as meal preparation, baking, pouring, cleaning a spill, sewing, gardening, animal feeding, bath time, etc.

All of these can be done while practising French. For example, you could prepare breakfast and encourage your child to talk about what you are doing together in French. This helps repeating familiar words and phrases in familiar situations. Many bilingual families dedicate a timeslot of “French-only language” in the house during which daily living is happening in French. Start with 15-20 minutes and then gradually increase the time spent in French. This is great for bonding too!

Now is your turn!

French families living overseas often struggle to foster French at home.

Let’s face it: young kids often go to day care or preschools where they are taught in local languages or in English. Young kids are surrounded by the local language and if you are a bilingual family, there is often only one parent speaking in French at home.

Can you relate? Being a French family living in Australia, our son is exposed to English ALL-THE-TIME every day!

So, we can definitely relate!
Whether you want to raise your kids as bilingual, simply help them reconnect with their French roots, or teach them French at home, these tips should help in your journey.

Read, Storytelling and Singing

Reading, storytelling and singing every day can benefit your child in lots of ways:

• Helping with the development of early literacy skills by listening to French sounds, French words and French language;
• Reconnecting your child to its French roots;
• Sparking your child’s imagination;
• Helping with the development of early reading skills by looking at French words while you read;
• Bonding with your child and promoting relationships;
• Helping your child easily switch from one language to another;
• Helping your child broaden its vocabulary in French.

Your child can learn that words are made up of different sounds, syllables and letters and that words usually link to the pictures on the page of a bookmaking them easier to grasp.

You can start by “reading” to your baby while looking at picture books (start with black and white pictures from birth, then move to primary colours picture book around 2-3 months,

and then full colours picture books from 3-4 months onwards): say the name of the shapes or objects, describe the objects, explain how and when these objects can be used at home, outside, in the car etc.

The more familiar the objects are, the easier it will be to incorporate the words later in daily life.

Between 6 and 12 months, you can start reading very short story books which incorporate actions (for example, a book where the characters are playing peekaboo, a book to play hide and seek, etc). When reading those books, try to bring them to life by playing with your child while reading in French.

From 12months old, you can start reading storybooks which explain day-to-day activities to which kids can relate to. For example, the French collection “Timoté”, “Le Loup”, “Tchoupi” or “Petit Ours Brun” are French kids’ classic which all tell familiar situations children can relate to.

Try to then incorporate the words from the story into your daily life so that your child can relate back and connect the story to real situations. For example, if you read a book about going to the zoo, incorporate some of the words and phrases when going to the zoo with your child.

From 2 years old, you can start with short imaginative stories which will encourage the development of their imagination.

We personally read to our son every day in the morning because it is when his brain is the most receptive to new words, and before bedtime to allow his brain to process during the night what he has learnt during the day and just before going to sleep.

There is no right or wrong here. This is just what we do. The more you read in French, the better!

Fortunately, reading isn’t the only way to help with the development of your child’s language and literacy skills.

Storytelling is great as you can foster your child’s imagination and curiosity, and help your child learn the difference between “real” and “pretend”. You can also use this opportunity to talk about your child’s strong emotions that happen depending on different situations.

Why not try out funny noises and sounds to have fun, or plan ‘beyond the book’ activities following a read through (for example, you can prepare a craft activity or special outing related to the book you just read).

Learning a song or rhythm, and singing it together often helps with pronunciation in French in a fun way!

These are important steps to help the development of your child’s brain, his/her social skills and his/her communication skills in French.

You might also want to make up your own stories (using story rocks, photos, or items you have at home for example).

Dual-language books are a great resource for bilingual families. Another option is to listen to an audiobook in French and then discuss with your child in French to encourage the use of new French words, talk about the pictures, and repeat familiar words and phrases.

Repetition is great for language development so enjoy reading the same French books over and over!

Involve your child, take turns to tell the story, asking questions and listening to the answers from one another are important pre-reading skills that will help your child further down the track when starting to read.

Try incorporating reading, storytelling and/or singing everyday for at least 20 minutes. This creates a nice little routine where your child will know he or she is expected to speak in French. A reading chair or nook where you are both comfortable can help setting up this daily routine. Also, to increase your child’s concentration, ensure that TV and radio are turned off while you read, tell a story or sing.

The exercises of practical life daily in another language contribute to the development of concentration, and self-confidence with that other language.
So, how does it work in real life? It is very simple! Think of activities you would do in daily living around the house such as meal preparation, baking, pouring, cleaning a spill, sewing, gardening, animal feeding, bath time, etc.

All of these can be done while practicing French. For example, you could prepare breakfast and encourage your child to talk about what you are doing together in French. This helps repeating familiar words and phrases in familiar situations. Many bilingual families dedicate a timeslot of “French-only language” in the house during which daily living is happening in French. Start with 15-20 minutes and then gradually increase the time spent in French. This is great for bonding too!

Now is your turn!