More French helps

In Home Education, Charlotte Mason says of learning French:

The child should never see French words in print until he has learned to say them with as much ease and readiness as if they were English. The desire togive printed combinations of letters the sounds they would bear in English words is the real cause of our national difficulty in pronouncing French.

She also says this:

But it is very important that he should acquire a pure accent from the first.

I feel sure that Miss Mason would have approved of French CD's as an aid to learning French in the early years.

We sing every day. Twice a week we learn French children's songs and Psalms in French, as well as French rhymes from this excellent book:

Opal Dunn is a well known British specialist in early first language and first foreign language development, and her book contains traditional French rhymes known to generations of French- speaking children.

Each rhyme is selected for its special qualities in helping a child learn French - a difficult sound for example, and teaches useful vocabulary and simple phrases, all spoken by real French children!

It is a lot of fun!

Some of our favourites are the 'starting' games used for selecting a leader. We especially love Pêche, Pomme, Poire Abricot, where the child on whom the last syllable of the rhyme falls is eliminated. The rhyme is repeated until only one child remains.

Jemimah uses these games the same way as she uses the English version - a great way of making French come alive!!

Am Stram Gram, a nonsense rhyme like Eeny Meeny Miny Mo, and used the same way, is also fun:

Am stram gram
Pic et pic et colégram
Bourre et bourre et ratatam
Am stram gram.