Languages can open the door to great travel and job opportunities, so it's beneficial to encourage your child to learn French.  For children aged 7-11, try introducing about 6-8 words when you start a new topic.  However, if your child finds that amount of words hard to recall, then focus their learning on less new words.  Learning is a process, so praise your child for their effort even if mistakes are made.  For children under 7 it is beneficial for them to learn either individual words as they come across things or to learn a few new words at a time (3-4 words is ideal).   And remember to keep revisiting what your child has learnt so they don't forget the French they learn.

Using a variety of materials will make learning French fun and more memorable.  In our French range we have:

• Activity books with fun activity sheets, word searches and colouring pages
• Story books with a translation, vocabulary list and a song / rap to sing 
• Word searches in fun shapes with pictures that accompany the list of words to find
• Colouring books with French vocabulary for the things to colour 
• Books containing games to help you learn French such as snakes and ladders, pairs card game, 3 in a row... 

With 6 great topics in each book, Cool Kids Speak French is a range of activity books which is ideal for children aged 7 to 11 learning French.  Each topic starts with a picture page showing all the words for that topic.  These words are then practised and sentences are built.  Each topic ends with a fun word search.  

These books are available on Amazon and bookstores worldwide.    You can search for a book on your favourite website by searching for either the book title or the ISBN.

Ideal for young children learning their first words in French. This enjoyable book introduces and practises key vocabulary for eight popular topics.  The French words are introduced a few words at a time, then practised in a fun way so as to help embed these words in your child's memory.   

At the back of the book is a French word game, a useful French - English word list and the answers.  

It is important to review the French your child learns to help them remember more in the long run, so try to look back from time to time at the introductory page for each topic once the book is completed.

Topics include:  numbers, teddy bear's picnic,  greetings and essential words, toys, colours, a trip to the beach, ice creams, zoo animals.  

Interested in this book? Amazon and bookstores worldwide sell this book.

The 100 French words in this brilliant book include a marvellous mix of favourite children’s characters (for example a fairy, a dragon, a mermaid, a dinosaur or a unicorn) and useful French words like some food, types of transport, animals, toys and clothes. The 30 delightful pictures all have borders and are single sided. On each page there are 3 or 4 French words, making a total of 100 French words throughout the whole book.  Ideal for children learning French.  Once completed, this will make a lovely book to refer back to.

Availability: This book may be purchased worldwide from Amazon and bookstores.

The colouring pages in this book are single sided, and have one French word per page so your little one can focus on learning just one new word at a time. The English word is also shown on each page in a smaller font size.  Once completed, try to look back at the French words from time to time to help your child remember them.

This book is available  worldwide, from Amazon and bookstores in many different countries.

40 word searches in French - Cool Kids Speak French

With 40 exciting topics, this book is ideal to help learn or revise useful French vocabulary. Throughout the book the word searches appear in fun shapes and pictures accompany the French words so that each word search can be a meaningful learning activity. At the back of the book there are French - English vocabulary lists for the 40 topics that are covered in this book, and an answer section.   Let's make learning French fun!

Interested in this book?  All our books are available from Amazon and bookstores worldwide

This fantastic book is a book in two parts:

Part 1:   French to learn before you go away

Part 2:  Challenges to speak French on holiday

The topics covered in this book are: greetings, numbers, drinks, the bakery, ordering food, pancakes, ice creams, souvenirs, post cards, hotels, campsites, around town.

Speaking French is fun, and this book is ideal to encourage your child to learn a little French before their holiday and to speak French whilst on holiday in France.

This book may be purchased from Amazon or from bookstores in many different countries.

Have fun learning French with this lovely collection of games!

Topics include the body, the farm, fruit, the park, little creatures, the beach, the picnic, the restaurant, sport, the supermarket, weather, transport, the universe, clothes, the town/city. At the front of the book is a dice with the numbers in French on it and this can be photocopied and made to use with the games.

The fun games are printed in colour and include snakes & ladders and other games in the style of a board game, dice games, guess the word game, pairs card game and 3 in a row. For each game the French words needed for the game are shown with a picture and with the English word in brackets. 

For details regarding the price of this book in your currency go to Amazon or check with your local bookstore.

Games are a great way to engage pupils so they have fun whilst they are learning in a meaningful context. To differentiate the learning activities for classes of different abilities, the games have been colour coded according to the amount of French words that appear in the games. “Vert” is for the lower ability group, “jaune” is for the middle ability group, and “rouge” is for the higher ability group.

At the front of the book you will find a detailed plan of which French words each ability group has for each topic. The 8 great topics in this fantastic book include pet animals, colours, numbers, fruit, drinks, food, clothes and sport. The differentiated games in this book include: Snakes and ladders, dominoes, board game style games, co-ordinates and 3 or 4 in a row. 

This book may be ordered from Amazon or bookstores worldwide.

This book is ideal for children aged 9 – 12 years who are learning French.  It may also interest older children, especially as it’s both useful and impressive to know all the numbers from 1 to 100 in French.

The first six sections of the book practise 10 – 20 new numbers at a time as well as recap on some of the numbers already introduced. Each section begins with a page practising some new numbers. This is followed by fun mathematical activities to help embed the numbers in the child’s learning. The seventh section of this book recaps on the numbers 10 to 100 and then there is a section on fractions using colours and pizzas.

On each of the activity sheets there is support in French for the numbers needed for completing that particular activity sheet. And at the back of the book, there is a lovely reference page for the numbers 1 to 100 in French and a fun game. The activity sheets can be photocopied for use by the purchasing institution or individual in their classes or at home. This book is a great cross curricular French and maths resource for teachers as each section could make a booklet for that number range. The activity pages would also make great extension activities for pupils who finish their class work first.

If you would like a copy of this book you will find it on Amazon or ask for it at your local bookstore

Learning French is fun with this delightful story about pets. In the story, a boy called Marc asks his friends if they have a pet. Marc discovers that all his friends have a pet.  Marc though doesn’t have a pet, but one day he finds a coin and he makes a wish. Will his wish for a pet come true? 

On each of the pages where Marc asks his friend if they have a pet, the pet can be seen hiding behind a bush. Parents/teachers could ask their little ones what the animal is called in French before turning over the page to see the animal in full and the name in French.  For each pet, there is a page giving details of the type of pet, the pet’s name, the size of the pet and the colour of the pet - If you like singing then sing each of these 4 lines twice to a made up tune - or you could try saying the words as rap.   Some children find that singing new French words can help make learning French more memorable.

In the story, an alien visits Earth and he meets a girl called Anne Marie. The alien is curious why on the planet Earth there are so many things that they do not have on his planet, so Anne Marie explains why we have various things. The storyline incorporates useful French words and phrases from the topics of
general conversation, clothes, weather and activities.  Reading these common, everyday words within the context of a fun story will help children learn French, especially if they read the story a few times and learn the vocabulary from the useful words and phrases page at the back of the book.

This delightful story is about a monkey that changes colour each time he eats something of a different colour.  What colours will he turn?  Will he ever return to his usual colour?  This story will help children learn French in a fun context as the topics of general conversation, colours, food and opinions are incorporated in the storyline.  After you have read the story with your child you can quiz them about what colour the monkey turns when he eats various things, prompting them to give you the colour in French.

In the first story in this book Daniel meets a French speaking robot, and he practises how to say various types of transport in French as the robot beams an image of this type of transport. In the second story in this book children learn how to say various food. The stories teach French to young children in a fun way by introducing only a few French words at a time as the French robot and Daniel talk together. The main parts of the stories are in English so that young children can understand the stories, but there are many French words and phrases throughout both stories. The stories are ideal to help young children learn their first words in French!

Daniel and his friends pretend to be in a lovely French café in the first story in this book.  They each order a drink in French, but will the French robot remember what they ordered?   

In the second story in this book Daniel and the French robot talk about the hobbies they have.  Will they like the same things?

In the first story in this book, the French robot wraps up some of Daniel’s toys, and Daniel has to guess what they are. But are they all his toys? In the second story, Daniel helps Père Noël by counting in French how many books and scarves there are, and by wrapping some presents. Père Noël lets Daniel choose something to take home, but what will he choose?

With two great stories in each book, learning French is fun with the French magician!  In the first story, the French magician asks everyone to clap and say three times various French words as he makes a coin vanish and some animals appear. In the second story, it’s Sophie’s birthday party and the French magician makes teddies of various colours appear, as everyone claps and says three times some colours in French.

In the first story, Jack meets a French speaking dinosaur (a French languasaurus) and he learns how to say some fruit in French. In the second story, Jack and the French languasaurus count in French the number of sheep on Jack’s farm. There are six sheep on Jack’s farm. However, one night the sheep start disappearing! Will the French languasaurus be able to solve the mystery of the missing sheep? Read to the end of the story to find out!

Jack learns how to say some farm animals in French in the first story in this book and they count how many there are. In the second story in this book, Jack and the French languasaurus set out to investigate what is growing on the farm. But will the Languasaurus like all the vegetables that are growing on the farm?

In the first story in this book the French languasaurus teaches Jack how to say some clothes in French as they dress some scarecrows for a competition. And in the second story, Jack learns how to say some places in French as they go on a treasure hunt. But will they find the hidden treasure?

Have fun learning French with this Christmas themed activity book. This book is ideal for children aged 7 - 11, but it may also interest children of other ages learning French.

The contents of this fantastic book includes:
● Christmas themed activity sheets covering Christmas words, Christmas presents and winter / Father Christmas’ clothes
● Colour by number Christmas pictures with the colours in French
● Fun word searches (The French words to find each have a small picture)
● Board game style games
● French Christmas cards and a Happy New Year card to colour

Interested in this book or any of our other books?  Amazon and bookstores all over the world sell our books. Learn more about where our books are sold.

Teach your kids French and make it fun

What is the best way to teach your Kids French?

1.  Group new words into topics

It would feel more rewarding and purposeful for a language learner to know they have learnt some words for various animals, drinks, clothes etc rather than just some random words, so it is beneficial to group new words into topics when you teach kids French. It can also be easier for your child to recall new French words if you group new words into topics. Start with some numbers and the topics you know they will enjoy. 

Make learning new French words fun!  You may find that your child has toys you could use to teach the French vocabulary for the following topics: colours, pet animals, farm animals, zoo animals, transport, food and drinks.  And the clothes your child has in their wardrobe would be perfect for using to teach the clothes topic!

2.  Practise new French words with actions

When you teach kids French vocabulary, have actions for the new words you are introducing.  Although it would be hard for a teacher to think of an action for every word in the French language, children can be great at thinking of their own actions to represent many words if you, as their French teacher, need any help!

Another good reason to have actions for the new words is that once you have actions for the words you can also play Jacques a dit (the French equivalent to Simon says) or do mimes to practise these words. While the French vocabulary is still fairly new it would be useful for your child to copy your actions as you play Jacques a dit.  However, once they are confident with the French words and the actions you can choose whether or not you join in with the actions. You could play Jacques a dit / do mimes to teach new topics or review words from various topics.

Another good reason to have actions when you teach kids French is that when you quiz them about what French words they can remember you can do some actions to help them recall what the French words mean in English, if they need any help. Your child could even quiz you on the French words, by doing an action for you for one of the words, and then you have to remember which French word the action went with! 

3.  Offer creative opportunities 

Many children enjoy being creative, so when you teach kids French, try to include some fun opportunities which encourage creativity.  You could, for example, ask them to design a poster, a menu, a house or castle, some clothes....  Whatever they design, it is important they copy carefully the French words for the pictures they draw.  Before your child starts their design, choose a topic and give them some French words to include.  If the words are fairly new to your child you may need to write both the French and English words down next to each other. Display their work when it is finished, and from time to time, look at the French words with your child. Once your child is familiar with the words you could see how many of the words your child can remember.  If your child designs various things over a period of time you could save the older designs you have already displayed in a folder so that you make room to display the newer things your child creates and yet still have the older designs to look back at sometimes. Language learners need to develop four skills: Speaking, listening, reading and writing. For this reason, when you teach kids French, if they have already learnt to read, it is important to include the written word  so they can get used to what the written words look like.

Creating a poster or menu on the computer: If your child doesn't like drawing you could always help your child arrange some black and white clip art in a Word document, then print the page and ask your child to colour in the images and write the words in French. 

How to add clip art in Microsoft Word. 

How to add clip art in Google docs.

4. Play games

Games are often very popular with children, and so it is worth noting that you can teach kids French vocabulary or sentence structures using games. You can design your own board game with your child and ask them to draw in the spaces some pictures for the French words you are teaching them. To play, you will need a dice and one counter per player. The counters could be anything from cubes to small toys to rubbers - they just have to fit in the spaces in the game! Remember to encourage your child to say the French words they are practising as you play the games.  French Word Games - Cool Kids Speak French and Photocopiable Games For Teaching French are two books which contain a good variety of games, many of which are in the style of a board game.  Both books are useful resources for either home schooling or classroom teaching.  You could either have a complete French lesson using a few games, or play just one game each time you teach your kids French.

5.  Keep revisiting French vocabulary 

To help your child remember French vocabulary in the long run, it is important to keep revisiting these words.  When you teach kids French don't forget they need to be able to recognise as well as say the French words they are learning, so quiz them on how to say in French what some English words are, and vice versa.  If your child can't remember what the answer is you could give your child some options to help them recall the correct words.  Another quick and easy activity to do is to quiz your child by asking them to say 3 or more animals, drinks, fruit, vegetables etc.  Or you could show them something, maybe one of their toys, and ask them what the French word is.  To review numbers you could play counting games and count various toys or other items you see. 

As your child gets more competent in French, it will become important for your child to be able to read and recognise French words as well as be able to write them, so familiarising them with the written word at an early age can be beneficial.  You could add labels to some things you have around the home.  Activity books can give your child the opportunity to both read and have a go at writing French, and once completed, your child could review their learning every now and then by having a look back through the contents of these books.  To practise the spelling of a new word your child could copy one word several times using some pretty coloured pencils or pens, then they could see if they can write the word from memory.

6.  Model simple sentences

Once you have taught some nouns, gradually teach your kids simple sentence structures in French.

Colours - You could introduce sentences which describe the colours of some of your child's toys or clothes.  For example, "Le chien est noir." (The dog is black.); "Le pull est gris." (The jumper is grey.)  Choose singular masculin nouns as they won't require any adjectival agreement.  After a few examples, ask your child to help you finish the sentences you say by eliciting the colour the object is, then get your child to repeat the whole sentence.   You could also show an object and ask your child to identify the correct sentence to say from a choice of two options.

Asking for things - You could also encourage your child to ask for some things in French.  In French there are two ways of saying please.  In informal situations, for example a French child speaking to a parent at home, the French child would use s'il te plaît.  In a formal situation, for example, a French child asking for something in a restaurant, the French child would use s'il vous plaît.  If you teach your child both ways of saying please, they will familiarize themselves with both.  Once your child is familiar with both phrases you could introduce Je voudrais (I would like) and ask them to make a long sentence, for example "Je voudrais un jus d'orange, s'il te plaît."(I would like an orange juice, please.)

Giving opinions - Three useful phrases to teach your child: J'aime (I like); Je n'aime pas (I don't like); Tu aimes ....? (Do you like...?).  Once your child is familiar with these phrases you can build lots of different dialogues.   Some nouns need to be in the plural when they follow these phrases, so for example with animals, teach the plural of animals before you talk about which animals you both like.

Many children love puppets and soft toys so use the ones you have at home to teach your kids French. The puppets and soft toys could either have a little conversation with your child, yourself or both of you!

7.  Read stories together

Children enjoy stories, and short stories in French can help to teach kids French vocabulary and phrases within a fun context. It's useful to read a story in a foreign language several times. First of all, when you read a story with your child, just aim for your child to have a general idea about what the story is about. Then move on to look for useful words or phrases that you may want to teach your child. At the end of the story books by Joanne Leyland, to help teach kids French, there is a French vocabulary page with pictures for the words that are incorporated in the story. After your child is familiar with some words they will see in the story, it would be beneficial to read the story another time.  And there is a French-English translation at the end of the stories in French by Joanne Leyland, so readers can refer to this if they want to check what something means.  To teach kids French, as a follow on activity you could try singing a song or creating a rap using some of the words from the story you have just read. The stories by Joanne Leyland all have lyrics at the back of the book that can be sung or made into a rap.  You could even try singing these words with different tunes or saying the words in different styles.

8. When you teach kids French, make it fun!

Using a mixture of learning activities will help make French words and phrases more memorable and the French lessons fun!  From activity books, colouring books, games and stories there are certainly lots of excellent books available to help you teach your child French.  And if you incorporate choices into your French lessons your child has the opportunity to choose what happens next and this encourages engagement.  Remember to praise your child regularly and encourage them so they feel they are making progress.

Joanne has lived abroad for two years of her life and has always enjoyed going on holiday and exploring new places. As part of her University course she lived in Lyon in France where she studied marketing along with native French speakers. Lyon is a beautiful city and is well worth a visit if you have never been there before. Joanne also loves the South of France where she has many fond memories of lovely holidays there.

Which was the first book Joanne wrote for children learning French?

Cool Kids Speak French - Book 1 was the first book Joanne wrote in her range of books for children learning French. Since writing this great activity book she has gone on to write 22 other books for children learning French! One of Joanne's favourite French foods is pancakes, so in Cool Kids Speak French - Book 2 there is a section about ordering savoury or sweet pancakes! The drawings that appear in her books were all created by Joanne as she wanted to develop her own unique style for her books. Children remember more when they are enjoying themselves as they learn and the principal behind all her books in the French range is "Let's make learning French fun!"

Why should my child learn French?

Learning a second language at an early age is often easier than as an adult as young leaners are more receptive to language learning and acquire new vocabulary naturally rather than having to study hard to remember it.  Young children are also more likely to be enthusiastic about learning French.

How should you correct mistakes in French?

When someone is learning French it's only natural to make mistakes from time to time.   However, rather than tell the young learner they are wrong many people believe it is better to say "yes" or "oui" and then repeat the correct version for them to hear as with time the child should self correct, just like they have when they learnt their native language.  As adults we don't like to get things wrong as it can be demotivating and children feel the same way.  So praise your child / children as much as you can to encourage them.

Speaking French abroad

If you have the opportunity take your child on a trip to France or another French speaking country so they can experience hearing French spoken in a natural environment and maybe even pick up some new words!