Let’s face it, one of the best parts about learning a new language are the cultural activities, like the exposure to completely new food, music and entertainment. In this post, I talk about WHY and HOW, on Fridays, we make our homeschool French class our French Club. NOTE: Many of these ideas can be tweaked for other languages, so keep reading, even if French is not your target language!
Why Start a Homeschool French Club?
Learning a new language is difficult. It takes a lot of work. A lot of what most people consider “extra” work. From memorising vocabulary and tuning your ear to different sounds to learning how to break down verbs and conjugate them. It can be overwhelming for both you, the teacher, and your student. In my previous posts about language learning, I wrote about why I believe it’s crucial to make note of your Why for learning your chosen foreign language and to keep it front and centre. Write it down. Put it on a post-it and put it up somewhere where you’ll see it any time you’re tempted to skip a day.
So what’s one way to tackle this? Make your foreign language class as fun and engaging as possible. Of course, verbs must still be conjugated and vocabulary must still be memorised, but… some classes can be very fun. Back in another life when I was in undergrad studying French, I belonged to my university’s French club. And when I was a high school teacher, I sponsored my school’s first French Club. I have fond memories of both – the food, the movies, the projects, etc. The more time spent delving into the culture associated with the language we were working so hard to study, the more motivated we were to keep improving. When it comes to motivation, I think travelling somewhere your target language is spoken is the ideal. But we can’t all afford to do this. At least, not often. The next best option? Start a French Club. Even if it’s just you and your kid(s).
French Club Activities
The purpose of a language club is simple: broaden your cultural understanding and stay motivated to learn the language. So here are several ideas for French Club activities for your homeschool. I have used most of these with my 6-year-old and my 2.5-year-old also loves to participate. They are mostly very beginner friendly, but the level of challenge can easily be adjusted. Some are great to do weekly, others make more sense for once a month or once a semester. Above all, use this as a jumping off point to get creative!
- Food
- Cooking / baking using a recipe in French (chocolate mousse is incredibly easy, not unhealthy and only has 2 ingredients!).
- Field trip to a restaurant or even just a French bakery (patisserie) in your city.
- Watch a video of how something is made (like pastries).
- Serve a baguette and Brie or some other French cheese whilst working on French homework.
- Music
- If not already a regular part of your class, learn a new French song. For younger kids, the more hand motions and movement you incorporate, the better.
- Art Projects
- Replicate cultural landmarks with things like legos or even food.
- Draw/colour famous landmarks or people in French history. These are great for presenting to grandparents (in English or French) or just showing off to dad.
- Art history: get library books about people like Monet and Renoir. Have students copy the art styles they like.
- Field trip to a museum that has French artists.
- Native Speaker
- Bring in a native speaker, whether it’s a friend or family member. Or consider hiring a native-speaking tutor.
- Watch Something (the shorter the better)
- Try street interviews like Easy French on YouTube or a French news story about something fun like Paris fashion week. (Full-length films are only good for more advanced students.)
- History Lesson
- Costume party! Jeanne d’Arc? Marie Antoinette? Madame Curie? For your advanced student, learn a little monologue or something to recite in French about that person.
- Make a timeline and add pictures as you continue to learn the history of France.
- Celebrate Bastille Day this summer with fireworks and
champagnefizzy juice for the kids!
- Story Time
- Introduce a new French book. Read it dramatically and have the kids try to figure out what the story is about before telling them. Don’t forget fairy tales!
- Buy a magazine in French, like a fashion or architecture magazine, and go through it together. If your local bookstore doesn’t have these, try Amazon.
- Games
- You can go for something very French like pétanque (and order pétanque balls off Amazon).
- Or you can go the more familiar route like football / soccer and just learn about the French teams.
- Smell test: learn about the French perfume industry and put together an activity to see how well kids can identify different smells.
- Etiquette / Food Culture
- Turn lunch into French Club and practice table manners in French with a nice French meal. This is a great time to introduce how important food culture and table manners are in French culture.
- Crafts
- Make soap with lavender and learn about Provence.
- Geography
- Learn the French regions or departments and what each one is known for (like cheeses!). Or simply deep dive into the unique nautilus shape of Paris.
Grow Your Club
If you enjoy doing French Club with your student(s), consider growing your club and inviting other homeschoolers. They may not be learning the same language, but they still might enjoy learning about another culture. Especially when games and food are involved on a weekly or monthly basis. If you can find other students who are learning the language, even better! This is when it’s more fun to play immersion games. Students must speak the target language to each other in order to play the game. Whatever it takes to keep you and your student working towards your language goals!
Related Posts
Teaching a Foreign Language in Your Homeschool – Getting Started
Teaching a Foreign Language in Your Homeschool – A Practical Guide
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