French for younger kids: ways to accumulate as much of it as possible in three months

[madteaparty]

So far I’m trying Duolingo which we do together (I’d say 5 out of 7 days a week), DS is teaching her via the Skodo little books, we read one simple book (really we are Petit Ours Brun level but we do sometimes pick up harder books that we know in English like Paddington or Madeline) and she watches a show (these are usually 7 min long—Petit Ours Brun or T’choupi). Oh she’s also learning french cursive from a french workbook but very few actual words in there. I need to step up the time on this task but am trying to do this in an efficient manner, and split up across the day. I am thinking of adding some flash cards (like 5 a day) for word accumulation. Most of what she sees on TV she does not understand yet bc of the words, I throw translations in. I do have that j’aime lire ap for the books, which is a lifesaver bc the ones I get have audio—my own french accent is atrocious. 

What have you found works best for fast language acquisition?

[mumto2]

Not sure if you are watching in French with English subtitles.   Dd used to do that and thought she learned quicker that way.

[madteaparty]

42 minutes ago, mumto2 said:

Not sure if you are watching in French with English subtitles.   Dd used to do that and thought she learned quicker that way.

Not available on youtube but will have to do some digging around for appropriate content on Netflix. Thank you 

[beaners]

Why does it have to be fast, within 3 months? Is there a reason for that goal and deadline? How old?

[Miss Tick]

I think you are right, the key is increased time in the target language. Since you are shooting for practical, hit-the-ground-running results, perhaps try to focus on phrases/sentences/conversations that she will use frequently. I'm thinking of the, "what are you doing? Can I play?" things, but maybe even more focused. In Spanish I came across some workbooks that assumed fluency and we spent a few days learning commands like, "turn to page qq. Cross out the one that doesn't belong." Similarly for math class vocabulary, art class vocabulary, etc.

One thing we did recently for German was watch an "Easy German" video asking a bunch of different people what they would do with €20. Here is something similar from Easy French:

It is nice to hear the same question answered by different people. At real-life pacing I had trouble even reading the captions, so be careful about getting overwhelmed, and plan to watch it more than once.

[madteaparty]

32 minutes ago, beaners said:

Why does it have to be fast, within 3 months? Is there a reason for that goal and deadline? How old?

There are reasons. She’s 8.

[HomeAgain]

French In Action, maybe?  Or Muzzy?  I tend to use a combination of knowitall.org videos and Nallenart, but I don't have such a quick deadline.

[beaners]

I would focus on the vocabulary you need. Like workbooks mentioned above, we used the académie en ligne site for on grade level materials in French. That helped a lot with those expected school related words, and it was more natural than English resources geared toward learning French. 

Will you need household vocabulary? Typical kid vocabulary, scientific words, etc? The first 1000 words in French has a lot of little kid words, but not as much vocabulary you will hear if you are watching the news. At that age she might already be past it. 

For duolingo I will say that their model wastes a lot of time if you don't understand a concept. It's a helpful review if you know how to do it already. Otherwise they expect you to understand a concept by guessing on it over and over until you figure out the pattern, when the pattern is very simple if you explain it first. Their guides available on the browser are somewhat helpful but not well organized. To get the most out of that I would pre-teach and use the duolingo material to reinforce it. As you have noticed, their vocabulary is very limited. 

I agree with the Netflix recommendation above. They have a ton of options in French. I would do more than a short show. The longer you watch the more your ear picks up, even if you don't know the vocabulary. I don't love screentime, but if this was my goal for the summer we would watch at least a couple hours a day in French and not count it as work.

[Slache]

Getting Started With French for grammar, Rapid French (CDs by Earworms) for phrases and Memrise or ANKI for vocab.

[wendyroo]

1 hour ago, madteaparty said:

Not available on youtube but will have to do some digging around for appropriate content on Netflix. Thank you 

Netflix has lots of kids' shows in other languages.

This is a list of some in French.

[madteaparty]

1 hour ago, HomeAgain said:

French In Action, maybe?  Or Muzzy?  I tend to use a combination of knowitall.org videos and Nallenart, but I don't have such a quick deadline.

She used to love Muzzy and it’s something she can do indipendently. I’m going to get another subscription, thanks!

[madteaparty]

1 hour ago, beaners said:

I would focus on the vocabulary you need. Like workbooks mentioned above, we used the académie en ligne site for on grade level materials in French. That helped a lot with those expected school related words, and it was more natural than English resources geared toward learning French. 

Will you need household vocabulary? Typical kid vocabulary, scientific words, etc? The first 1000 words in French has a lot of little kid words, but not as much vocabulary you will hear if you are watching the news. At that age she might already be past it. 

For duolingo I will say that their model wastes a lot of time if you don't understand a concept. It's a helpful review if you know how to do it already. Otherwise they expect you to understand a concept by guessing on it over and over until you figure out the pattern, when the pattern is very simple if you explain it first. Their guides available on the browser are somewhat helpful but not well organized. To get the most out of that I would pre-teach and use the duolingo material to reinforce it. As you have noticed, their vocabulary is very limited. 

I agree with the Netflix recommendation above. They have a ton of options in French. I would do more than a short show. The longer you watch the more your ear picks up, even if you don't know the vocabulary. I don't love screentime, but if this was my goal for the summer we would watch at least a couple hours a day in French and not count it as work.

I don’t mind screentime and I can attest to it as amazing for gaining a language but she really doesn’t understand much more above a petit ours brun. Like I said, she currently has maybe 100 words. I will try Netflix with subtitles and see how long before she fades. Any entry level shows you may recommend?

i like the idea of workbooks for a grade below or something so she can get some of the school vocabulary. Which is what she needs. Thanks again.

[madteaparty]

38 minutes ago, wendyroo said:

Netflix has lots of kids' shows in other languages.

This is a list of some in French.

That’s an amazing list. Stuff like King Julien she is familiar with in English so should be able to watch in french 

[beaners]

21 minutes ago, madteaparty said:

I don’t mind screentime and I can attest to it as amazing for gaining a language but she really doesn’t understand much more above a petit ours brun. Like I said, she currently has maybe 100 words. I will try Netflix with subtitles and see how long before she fades. Any entry level shows you may recommend?

i like the idea of workbooks for a grade below or something so she can get some of the school vocabulary. Which is what she needs. Thanks again.

 

I completely missed the 100 words part! I would watch things she already knows in English, if that's an option too. Magic school bus rides again is more advanced but hits a lot of elementary science topics. Word party might work well. Llama llama, super wings, these are just the first that pulled up on our Netflix page. If you go on Netflix shows for toddlers and preschoolers there are so many options.

[mumto2]

Wasn’t sure if I could access the BBC stuff from the US.  Here is Key Stage 2 https://www.bbc.com/bitesize/subjects/z39d7ty.  Easy content but aimed at roughly the 11 to 13 yo group.   FYI,  KS3 is the next level, then GCSE.

I think there are games etc for younger but perhaps they have paired that with the Muzzy subscriptions.  You might want to explore a bit more. 

[madteaparty]

13 minutes ago, mumto2 said:

Wasn’t sure if I could access the BBC stuff from the US.  Here is Key Stage 2 https://www.bbc.com/bitesize/subjects/z39d7ty.  Easy content but aimed at roughly the 11 to 13 yo group.   FYI,  KS3 is the next level, then GCSE.

I think there are games etc for younger but perhaps they have paired that with the Muzzy subscriptions.  You might want to explore a bit more. 

When I go to the videos, it says not available in my location...

[mumto2]

5 minutes ago, madteaparty said:

When I go to the videos, it says not available in my location...

Oops, sorry.  I didn’t click.  I could see them and thought it was good.  

[maize]

She needs to speak not just listen, different parts of the brain are activated. I wouldn't worry too much about your own accent--if she is going to be hearing a native accent from others hearing an imperfect accent from you won't hurt. Talk with her. This book can help https://smile.amazon.com/52-Weeks-Family-French-Designed/dp/1481202383/ref=smi_www_rco2_go_smi_g4497631610?_encoding=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0&ie=UTF8

[madteaparty]

26 minutes ago, maize said:

She needs to speak not just listen, different parts of the brain are activated. I wouldn't worry too much about your own accent--if she is going to be hearing a native accent from others hearing an imperfect accent from you won't hurt. Talk with her. This book can help https://smile.amazon.com/52-Weeks-Family-French-Designed/dp/1481202383/ref=smi_www_rco2_go_smi_g4497631610?_encoding=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0&ie=UTF8

DS makes her speak, it's very cute 😉 ETA that that book looks good.

I can't help speaking because even for the books with attendant audio, before we turn the page i re-read, point and translate the salient new words

Edited June 2, 2019 by madteaparty

[maize]

Peppa Pig is I think on Netflix in French and quite accessible.

[madteaparty]

43 minutes ago, mumto2 said:

Oops, sorry.  I didn’t click.  I could see them and thought it was good.  

They did look good Maybe even worth getting a VPN again 😉 Anything that can be video with little involvement from me is a bonus, I feel like this is a job already 😉

[cosmoem18]

Nice insights. I will take note of this. 

[Lawyer&Mom]

Most Disney DVDs have a French dub.  Pick one she’s familiar with and go. 

[HomeAgain]

This is probably not useful to the OP now, but I'm throwing it here because the thread is full of great resources.  Someone in another thread mentioned Telefrancais episodes on Youtube.  We've been adding them in this year and ds9 was at first a bit put off by the muppet-like characters, but quickly warmed up.  We're 10 episodes in and it's something he really looks forward to each week.  🙂  The variety and pace is just right for him, especially in conjunction with his written program.