Take back your coffee time (and help your child improve their French)

It’s been a week since we were all involuntarily thrown into the world of online learning...again. More than anything, dear parents, I know that what you really want right now is to sit down for 15 minutes and enjoy a cup of coffee. Preferably in silence. So, for this week’s blog, I’ve decided to focus on Educational french games and activities that your child can participate in, while you take the time that you need to recharge.  

Before you scroll through the links below, however, allow me to give you 3 tips on how to increase the likelihood that your child won’t need your help for the next 15-20 minutes. 

1.  If you’re going to have your child review multiple videos, have several of them set up and ready to go so that your child can click through as each one finishes. This will help avoid the “Mom!! It’s over!!” three minutes into your pike roast.  
2. Help your child set a goal for the activity. For example, “It would be fun to learn 5 fruit in French. Can you draw your 5 favorite fruit before clicking that video?” If the student is older, they can also label them. A little motivation may be helpful here. “If you can name 5 fruit in French when I get back, you’ll earn ________”
3. Link the activity or video to your child’s homework, when possible. If your child is supposed to spend 10 minutes speaking or listening to French, for example, the read alouds in the Listening Comprehension section below would be perfect. Most of them have images too, providing your child with clues if they’re unable to understand every single word. 

Here are some suggestions of sites that I use with my students: 

Working on identifying the initial sound (Grades K-1):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_R4SMkb6c0&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR1YRvUKT7vItCFSFkQbIpxU_ndJms0yxiXgNtgmovhrxj-0mHfCMP-Zynw

Review of basic French vocab with fun videos (K-3 FI or K-6 core French):

La famille (family) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFk9YmJv-jc&app=desktop

Les fruits (fruit):

http://www.lalunedeninou.com/jeux-pour-enfants/jeux-educatifs-gratuits/jeux-coloriage-compter-lire-logique/jardin_de_ninou/les_fruits/les_fruits.html?fbclid=IwAR2Ucw0dIIXGVzL6vTd68SC_Y20FI1JTd5stIM15PPYfgCuPFkDhs2lxCEY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJ03KjwiIVM

Les mois de l'année (months of the year): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_u2SigckNQ

Les parties du corps (parts of the body) :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bChrAwLzoSo

Les jours de la semaine (days of the week): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QF9lUh5XPxo

Les phrases/les couleurs/ les formes etc. (expressions, colors, shapes etc.): https://www.digitaldialects.com/French.htm

Working on listening comprehension (K-6 FI):

https://www.thefablecottage.com/french

https://www.mondedestitounis.fr/histoire.php

https://mapleleafmommy.com/fun/watch-french-cartoons-netflix/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=social-pug

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL11CBE1CF06754974

https://enclasse.telequebec.tv/contenu/1514?fbclid=IwAR13pyXfir0Zv10A8RZHLknYesdv1po1rFjKBkaDpStct1Mp4kI8r81I1Vw

https://www.ednet.ns.ca/ensemblecheznous/?fbclid=IwAR02JjzuOCwDndHtxF-dt2-zLwOa75_oPkaywMdw79p9aUGGLwHtvpbl6OU 

Hang in there, parents! 

Mme Michelle is an Instructional Resource Teacher in St. John’s, Newfoundland and is passionate about helping students with diverse needs thrive at school and in the real world. She started French For Life in 2012 with the goal of helping French Immersion students get the support they need to become bilingual, despite academic challenges. Interested in learning more about French For Life virtual or in-person tutoring? Contact info@frenchforlife.com.