38 ways for parents to HELP their children

succeed in French
1.

Let your children know you value the learning of French for many reasons: it is a prominent world
language; develops cognitive growth; and offers better understanding of first languages; offers cultural
richness; increases job and travel opportunities; and offers opportunities to meet new friends.

2. Let your children know that you care about their progress in school and that you are proud of their
ability to speak French.

3. Create open, regular lines of communication with your children's teachers and share your
enthusiasm about the teaching and learning of French.

4. Celebrate success! Hang up artwork and projects. Celebrate great test results!
5. Ask your children what they learned in French class and what they liked the most.
6. Offer to help your children study for dictes and French tests.
7. Encourage good study habits. Organize a time and a place to do homework - have a box of pencils,
markers and a dictionary on hand and designate a specific spot where your children put their homework
as soon as they come home from school.

8. Volunteer in the classroom. Parents can listen to students count, read, sing, or tell stories in
French. Parents can also help with bulletin boards, fund-raising for the French programs, help with
luncheons, chaperone excursions or talk about experiences and trips to Francophone countries.

9. Buy the book French Immersion, Yes, You Can Help! Revised Edition, 2002.

Alberta Education.

This is an inexpensive ($6.90) but very informative book

for parents with children in French programs. Visit www.lrc.learning.gov.ab.ca
or phone 780-427-2767.

10. Learn some French songs. Sing with your children! Play French CDs at home or

listen to French
music in the car. There are many excellent artists around the world who create music especially for
second language learners. One of the best for elementary children is Jacquot. Visit www.jacquot.net.

11. If your school funds a Francophone entertainer for the students, be sure to invite the local
newspaper and highlight the event.

12. Motivate your child and promote French in the home by organizing with your child's French
teacher a group purchase of the CD of music created by Sound Language Solutions. Each song targets
one of the most frequent errors made by students learning French. Memorization of these songs could
help increase proficiency in French. The CD Veux-tu Jouer? Error Prevention and Correction in French
is sold at a fraction of the price of other educational CDs. See www.soundlanguagesolutions.com.

13. If you have French relatives, have your children communicate with them or make greeting cards
in French.

14. Consider pen pals from French-speaking countries. Good websites are www.iys.fi and
www.franceworld.com.

15. Take your children to francophone or bilingual concerts, theatre performances, story-telling
events, puppet shows, or folk dancing concerts.

16. Play games in French. Check your local stores for French board games such as

scrabble,
Speak'n'Spell, Taboo and Monopolief or order them from online stores or mail order venues.

17. Donate prizes such as dictionaries, French books and monetary prizes to present to deserving
students at the end of the year or at graduations.

18. Purchase French computer software for your home computer.

19. Make use of the computer. Use a French search engine. Google in French can be found at
www.google.com/int/frl

20. If your children take instrumental lessons, encourage them to learn French music and play for
their friends in French class.

21. Help teachers organize visits for exchanges to Quebec, France or a French-speaking country.
Volunteer to be a chaperone.

22. Check out summer camps, day camps, residential camps and even family camps where French
is the language of communication!

23. Encourage your child to participate in French public speaking contests.

24. Dine out in a French restaurant. Ask your children to help you order in French.
25. Introduce your children to the works of francophone artists. Libraries are good resources leave
art books on the coffee table.

26. Rent French videos and watch a movie with your children. See if you can rent a video by the
award winning Canadian cinematographer Frederic Bach. Cracl is appropriate for all age
groups. Le fleuve aux grandes eaux and L'homme qui plantait des arbres are great for older students.

27. Visit educational websites that are grade appropriate and have interesting activities in French. In
Canada, for example, check a) CPF: www.cpf.ca b) Department of Canadian Heritage:
www.canadianheritage.gc.ca c) National Library of Callada: www.nlc-bnc.ca/kids/index -e.html
28. Use the Internet and do a search to find the music of popular Francophone singers.

29. Visit the library to find French books, CDs and videos or use their Inter-library loan service to get
French materials.

30. Discuss with teachers the opportunities for summer jobs, exchanges, bursaries and scholarships
available for your child in countries around the world.

31. Take your children and friends to sing French Christmas carols in your neighbourhood or in a
senior's home.

32. Encourage your children to

start a scrapbook or collection of "something French" - French CDs,

stamps, money, postcards, pictures, fashion ideas, cards of French hockey or soccer players, French
recipes, Eiffel Tower, etc.

33 . Encourage family members to talk about and show pictures of their experiences

or travels to

Francophone communities and countries around the world.

34. Take advantage of free resources available throughout the world from francophone embassies,
tourism offices or governmental organizations.

35. If your community organizes a fall fair, a winter festival for a Christmas walk, suggest your child's
class sing or perform in French.

36. Encourage students to explore career options for bilingual students.

37. Discuss with your child the possibility of becoming a French teacher. It is an exciting and rewarding career!
38. Be a member of organizations like Canadian Parents for French (CPF) that promote the teaching and
learning of French.
Dr. Cher Harvey, Nipissing University, North Bay, Ontario, Canada. This article is an adaptation of "44 ways

for parents to motivate their children to succeed in French" published by Canadian Parents for French,
2003.