Learning French With Kids: French Comics For Kids Review
Learning another language is a great way for kids to find out about other cultures around the world and French is a popular language spoken in many countries on different continents. Learning French, like any second language, can be intimidating, so it’s important to provide additional resources that they find enjoyable and engaging, that are separate from their traditional textbooks.
One way to help kids connect with another language in a casual way is comics. Comics are a universal form of literature that children are introduced to at a young age and tend to love immediately. Comics match dynamic and fun images with a small amount of words, usually in the form of colloquial dialogue. With so few words on a page and with picture cue’s to help with story comprehension, kids are not overwhelmed and encouraged to identify what the words mean.
Like most kids, French children love comics and you can find a great range of comics in the French language at sites on the Internet such as Amazon’s UK website, which is as easy to order from as their US site. Kids who speak English will be drawn to foreign language comics in the same way that they are drawn to comics in English. The pictures draw them in and then they are motivated to identify the words.
Some of the comics recommended for younger readers are Yakari (by Derib and Job), Garfield and Star Wars Adventures. All these comics are aimed at young French readers from ages 6+. There are colourful images and few words. The vocabulary is limited and at the level you would expect from a similar book aimed at young English readers.
To help with searching on Amazon’s UK site for French language comics try adding the following terms. The term for graphic novel or comic in French is BD, short for bande dessinée and the term for volume is tome. You may find that searching for BD comes up with more mature selections so start with the phrase “tome” and one of the titles suggested above.
So if you can’t seem to find a volume of Yakari in French (as it is also available in English) you can try a search for “Yakari tome”. Yakari is also available as a prose based book so make sure you choose a comic version.
Helping kids to love a language for life is helping them realise that people in countries share similar thoughts and feelings, and finding out we all love comics can help in that process.
French Children’s Books: 5 Tips every parent must know before teaching French to their kids
The following tips are generally accepted tips that have been shown in studies to be effective. Though every tip may not necessarily fit your situation, most people agree that the tips are extremely useful. The basic premise is that you must create an environment for exposure to the French language for the child.
Read French children’s books to your child. Reading the language is the number one way to get a good handle on the language. Since children are young and they enjoy children’s literature, French children’s books are a great resource to help parents and children begin the immersion process.
Buy comic books and large French children’s books with pictures. They are a good way to start. Several books that come in different languages are available in the comic book style and there are many entertaining picture books in French as well. Again, this assists with the cultural immersion to the language and matching words with their correlating pictures.
Buy music that is sung in French. Hearing the French language in song added onto the reading of French children’s books helps the listener interpret the words and connections to other French words.
Read websites and participate in newsgroups that use French. If you familiarize yourself with websites that are written in French, you will begin to recognize key words that are frequently used in the language and it will begin to become a part of your vocabulary.
Play French tapes in your car. If you have none, make some for yourself. If you have a cd player, use that. Again, a cd burner may be of assistance or even an mp3 player. You can actually read French children’s books aloud and tape yourself. Then listen to them in the car while you are driving. This technique helps maximize the time of exposure without a concerted effort on your part since the work has already been done.
Recently my homeschooled family decided to learn a foreign language together, rather than just instructing the kids on a language my partner and i knew a little of already we decided to simply all start at the same level and try something new.
After a little deliberation we decided on French, as we have some cultural interest in one day going to France. We decided we would study the language for two years and then travel to France after that time and put what we had learnt into practice.
We began with looking at resources to help in our study of the French language. Computer software for the PC was an ideal place to start as it allows an interactive approach and software to teach foreign languages has come a long way in the last few years.
After looking at the various approaches to learning a foreign language we finally decided on Fluenz, as they seems to have an interesting approach to teaching and are a smart, forward thinking new business.
We also adopted a number of traditional resources like a dictionary, reading and exercise books. There are an amazing array of resources for all ages when learning a new language and the internet has allowed us access to them all.
We bought a physical dictionary as well as a computer dictionary form Oxford Hachette. The cool thing about the latter is that it utilises the ability to speak the words you are looking up. Great for pronunciation practice.
Resources the kids enjoyed included the 1000 First Words in French language pack from Usborne. The pack includes a CD to help with pronunciation as well as Flash Cards and the book itself. There are also some CDs with music on it as well so we are learning some easy French children’s songs as well.
Learning a foreign language at the same time as your children is a true gift and with all the amazing resources out there you can really make the experience fun and educational for all.
French Camping Holidays – Six Steps to Planning the Perfect Family Holiday
You are advised to plan French camping holidays well in advance. The rise in popularity among British families for French camping holidays means booking early is essential to avoid disappointed. Substantial numbers of British families are choosing French camping holidays for their summer break.
Days consist of lying by the pool watching your children play with newly acquired friends. When evening approaches the aroma of barbecues drifts around the campsite, all this complemented with inexpensive quality French wine. Enjoying your summer break is easy, here are six steps to make planning French camping holidays easy also.
1. When is the best time to travel?
If your children are below school age or you’re traveling as a group of friends, then months May, June and September are cheapest. Additional benefits of those months include quieter roads, resorts and campsites. When booking French camping holidays in peak periods, book early to avoid disappointed as popular campsites become full very quickly.
2. Selecting your Campsite
From Normandy, Brittany and the Loire in the north to the Cote d’Azur and Languedoc in the south, it is possible to camp in most regions of France . Choose a region that matches your interests, maybe an inland retreat, beach holiday or culture and sightseeing. For campsites, checkout the facilities available, the official rating and the number of pitches match your preferences. The local amenities will give you a good idea whether a campsites region can satisfy your interests.
3. Choosing your Accommodation
French camping holidays offer a variety of accommodation. Tents, mobile home and chalet style cottages are available depending on your preference and budget. If your children are teenagers, go for the larger accommodation where possible it’s well worth while having a little extra space. At most campsites bed linen can be hired, otherwise don’t forget to take your own.
4. Getting there by Sea, Air or Rail
The English channel makes getting to France a little more awkward. Most holidaymakers drive to their campsite taking either the cross channel ferry or the Euro-star through the Channel Tunnel. The ferry is slower but general cheaper and for convenience the Channel Tunnel takes only 35 minutes. Fly-drive or Motorail are alternatively options to driving all the way from the UK . In peak season book your channel crossing, trains and flights early or you may end up with more expensive traveling arrangements or no traveling arrangements at all.
5. Stopping En Route
The Cote d’Azur and Languedoc regions of France may take 12 hours to drive non-stop from the UK . In that case many holidaymakers on French camping holidays choose to stop En Route. There are hotels chains across France including Novotel, Ibis, Kyriad and Campanile who offer good quality rooms at reasonable prices.
6. Visit Disneyland Paris and the way home
The route of many journeys across France is via Paris . For a little extra expense consider a two day stay at Disneyland Paris. It is possible to stay at the Disneyland hotels, but money can be saved by staying at one of the many hotels very close to Disneyland . And finally, leave enough time to visit CitiEurope in Calais , it’s a vast enclosed shopping center where French produce at bargain duty free prices can be purchased.
Discover the charm, enjoyment and relaxation of French camping holidays for yourself next year. Plan and book early and you will not be disappointed.
Esther Hicks is an American inspirational speaker and best-selling author. She has co-authored nine books with her husband Jerry Hicks, presents workshops on the Law of Attraction and appeared in the first release of the film The Secret.[1] The Hickses’ books, including the best-selling series The Law of Attraction, are — according to Esther Hicks — Channelled from a group of non-physical entities called Abraham (Hicks describes what she is doing as tapping into “infinite intelligence”). Hay House, Inc. published the Hickses’ best-selling book, Ask and It is Given, in September, 2004. Since that book they have also published four more New York Times Best-Sellers: The Amazing Power of Deliberate Intent (January, 2006), The Law of Attraction (October, 2006), The Astonishing Power of Emotions (September, 2008), and Money and the Law of Attraction: Learning to Attract Health, Wealth & Happiness which ranked #1 two weeks after its release in August 2008.[4] A series of fictional children’s books, Sara I, II, and III, is also available. Several of their books were translated into Spanish, French, Italian, German, Dutch and Russian. Esther Hicks was a narrator and star of the original version of the film The Secret. www.abraham-hicks.com Outline of AbrahamHicks’ teachings Esther Hicks claims that non-physical entities called Abraham speak through her, and that her teachings (referred to as AbrahamHicks teachings) are based on this experience. The basic tenets of the teachings … Video Rating: 4 / 5
Learn To Speak French Fluently? You Need To Hear French People
If you want to learn to speak French fluently there is only so much you can get from books. Books are great for the nitty-gritty of a language, and I wouldn’t be without a good English to French dictionary, but a language is a series of sounds so it makes sense that to learn it well you need to hear it.
Modern French language lessons on CD, MP3 or podcast are a huge step forward. They are much more entertaining and involving than your average French text book and it’s very likely you will enjoy them more. It stands to reason then, that if you’re having a good time you learn French quickly.
You can search for free French lessons online and you’ll find a variety of sound files. Some good, some not so good. Some have been around it seems for ever and it can be frustrating to find that they are in a format that isn’t compatible anymore. Don’t complain too much though, you’re looking for free so you’ve got to expect it to take a while to find the good stuff.
If you want to short-cut the process and learn to speak French fluently in the shortest possible time you will want to consider French CDs that you have to pay for. You will find you have a huge choice, from those that are a few dollars to those that are in the hundreds. Mostly it’s a question of getting what you pay for. The cheap ones tend to be OK for beginners and are often aimed at children. For more advanced learning you are going to have to pay more money.
When making your choice, try and make sure you get sound files that are spoken by French people. No matter how fluent you get, or the teacher is, if you’re not actually French your accent will be different. If you are English you must accept that you will never be mistaken for a French person – just like you would instantly recognize a French person by their accent even if their English was excellent. You just know. That’s not actually important. What’s important is that you try to learn the French accented language, not the accent that someone has if they come from another country.
If you find free French lessons online that are of an acceptable standard you don’t need to be so fussy – but if you are paying for lessons, it makes sense to pay for a French person to teach you!
You can’t learn to speak French fluently in an afternoon, or a week, but the more you practice the faster you get. Your ear gets accustomed to your new language. Luckily it’s no longer the chore it used to be, pouring over old text books. Modern language systems make learning French fun and you’ll be fluent in no time!
