Saturday French School

French at Home

Study outside of school

When learning any skill, but languages in particular, the key to success is practice. Below are some resources to help your child explore the French language outside of the classroom.

EFGH selection

Taking the opportunity while at home to listen to French stories or study French with the children is appealing. Many online resources exist, but where do you find the stories, podcasts, or videos for their age and level?
EFGH selected some based on the program (FLAM French as a native language and FLE French as a second language) and age.

Resources for FLAM students
Resources for FLE students

Books

Just because a book is labeled for a specific age range doesn’t necessarily suit your child’s skill level. Start your child off with easy books to help them build confidence. And don’t worry if they’re only reading comic books. Fun is an essential part of learning!

The French Ministry of National Education recommends books suitable for each grade level. The recommendations include a variety of genres, including short stories, novels, comic books, poetry, theater, and graphic novels. The lists will guide you toward well-known young adult authors and some quality books.

L’École des Loisirs is a well-known publisher of young adult books. You can obtain an annual subscription through EFGH.

Decitre has a substantial online catalog. Discover their collection of young adult books.

La Fnac focuses on books written in simple French. Their repetitive structure appeals to children just starting to read.

Ricochet is a leading website dedicated to young adult literature. It is a rich source of new releases. You can find a curated selection of award-winning books under the "Prix littéraires" tab.

Finally, if you are visiting France, Quebec, or Switzerland, take the opportunity to spend some time at a local library with your child. It’s free, and you might find some new favorites. Make sure to ask the librarians for recommendations. They love to help!

Multimedia

Audiobooks
Gallimard offers several major titles online.
The lesser known Librairie Sonore offers classics read by excellent actors—sometimes an entire troupe!

StoryPlayR
L’application StoryPlayR is an app that lets you read a book or comic page by page while you listen to the audio. Children can even record themselves reading. A free trial is available.

Songs
You’ll find many children’s nursery rhymes on Youtube.

Cartoons
Watching cartoons in a language you don’t understand well can be difficult. Here’s a tip: Watch the English version before the French version.

For beginners: Les Bizardos, the French version of Funny Bones.
For the more advanced, try Peppa Pig.

Typically French: Tales by Père Castor (Papa Beaver) and Les contes de la rue Broca, which contains stories by Pierre Gripari, from La Sorcière du placard à balai to Géant aux chaussettes rouges.

Grammar

The classic for the more ambitious who want to practice grammar and spelling at home is Le Bescherelle.