4 Great Ways to Beat the Summer Slide – En Français

If you don’t speak a word of French at home, the idea of keeping your child practicing over the summer might seem daunting, and perhaps even more so this year, with school being out early, and September being a giant question mark at this stage.

Fortunately, we’ve got some great tips here to keep a little French practice in for the quarantine and limited-gathering Summer season.

Listening in French

We’ve mentioned before that Netflix is a great way to practice French listening comprehension, and we’ve given a few shows to get you started at that blog. TFO is another great free option, particularly for younger viewers. And many other streaming services you may already be subscribed to have similar language choice options.

Speaking in French

If your child is keeping in touch with any of his friends, suggest that they talk to one another in French to keep practicing speaking it. For older children, you can suggest (or use a little reverse psychology!) to encourage use amongst themselves by suggesting to them it’s a secret language that only they can understand – this makes it a lot more fun for them to use!

Writing in French

Writing needs practice, too. In our blog about bringing learning into your backyard, we suggested impromptu spelling bees and nature journals… these can also be done in French! If your child enjoys keeping a diary, suggest they write it en Français at least a couple of times a week.

Reading in French

There’s lots of great choices for reading! Magazines in French can be a great summer way to get a little extra reading practice in without a big book. Of course, there are plenty of wonderful books to be reading, too…  

Mixing it up: There’s some great French app options too for all ages that will encourage practicing in all the skills… Edululu.org is a great resource. And Idello.org has videos, experiments, and activities for children that range from preschool all the way to post-secondary!

Need a little something extra? We have tutors who can speak French with your child and give them practice work, which will give them a great jump start for the fall. And you never know… With a long slow summer ahead, you might be surprised at how receptive your child may be to working with a tutor!