How to Prepare Your Child for French Immersion

Teachers on Call's French tutors share strategies and tips for parents transitioning to French Immersion.

Starting school can be a challenging transition for any family.   For students going into French Immersion, it can be even more challenging learning a second language.

Fortunately, we asked our Toronto French tutors for their advice on strategies and tips for parents transitioning to French Immersion in September.

1) Engage Your Child: Talk with your child that they will be learning a new language and that it can be fun.  Having a positive attitude about French Immersion is critical to support your child.  If your child has any concerns, try to go through them in advance and mention that the teacher will assist them with the transition.

2) Make French Part of Everyday Life:  Incorporating French into everyday life will help smooth the transition for your child.   For example, during meal time, pick a couple of food items and learn them in French.  If there is a number, colour, letter they see, work to try to say it in French. For each morning, ask what day of the week it is in French.

3) Sing Along: Singing French at home or in the car can make it fun. Check out singers including Charlotte Diamond for great songs.  Here is an example of one to learn about pizza in French.

4) Watch French TV:  Did you know that many of your child's favourite shows are also in French?  Try your channel guide, but also look on YouTube or the Netflix French option.  There are also tons of fun and popular shows created in French like Caillou, which your child will love.

5) Learn in Advance: There are a ton of French Apps for students to get ahead of school and learn words, counting and eventually areas like verb conjugation.