I wasn’t sure how teaching our kids 3 languages would go since we wanted them to learn English, French (the language of wider communication here in West Africa) and the local language. But our eldest, Jubilee, easily picked up the local language from her African nanny and friends so I decided to focus on French at home (French also has a more global audience and more resources available).
The early years were the hardest because I didn’t want to give up speaking English, my heart language. Instead I tried to speak some French and play lots of French music. Once Jubilee turned 3 we allowed her limited screen time, with the caveat that it be in French (not just cartoons in French that she would not yet understand but actual language learning programs like Little Pim or Whistlefritz).
We also did simple French read-alouds (T’Choupi is our favorite!) and lots of French songs (full disclosure: being Type-A I tried to organize everything by theme but quickly found that wasn’t necessary yet; so I just focused on broad exposure without worrying about domains.) With this foundation she soon knew some basics like numbers and colors. Although she wasn’t consistently speaking French, she was enjoying it.
I had Eden, my second daughter, when Jubilee turned 3 and I decided to speak mostly in French with them. I didn’t want my desire to sometimes use English to hold me back from providing the consistent input they needed. Because I realized that even if I wasn’t speaking ONLY French that by being intentional I would end up speaking MORE French.
And somewhere along the way, after a year of French shows, books, and songs, and several months of speaking mostly French, it happened: my eldest started speaking French! Jubilee could say full sentences, sing simple songs, and was still enjoying it.
My plan is to homeschool in both English and French, including reading/phonics in both languages. My goal is to get as much French in my girls as I can while they are young so that when they are older we can make the best use of native resources.
Teaching French to my daughter also had an unexpected benefit for me. I struggle with the fact that as a mom of littles I’m can’t be as productive as I would like. And though I don’t want to view raising my girls as a task, honestly, having an important purpose for my interactions with them has been extremely helpful.
So if you didn’t start speaking to your kids exclusively in French from birth, that doesn’t mean you missed the boat! The early years are still a great time to make language learning a priority. And while I don’t have experience with starting French with older kids, I’d still say give it a try as a family, it will probably be a wild ride!
Very cool and interesting approach to teaching your kids French! Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThanks Rick!
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