Making Necklaces and Learning French

Sometimes the best ideas for practicing French are the simplest. My 4 year old daughter's new obsession is to make necklaces, bracelets and rings out of stringing beads. It's an easy way to practice numbers and colors in French.

You can count together as your children string them. And you can even use this activity with your younger children who can't string them yet. Instead of stringing the beads with them, you can sort the beads together.

The great thing about making necklaces is that your children will have something to remember their lesson with later. You can use the necklaces and bracelets to continue to practice their numbers in French. Also, you can buy a huge container of beads for only $5 at walmart. So this isn't a big investment. But, loads of fun!

Helping Your Children Learn Numbers 11-20 in French

Teaching children numbers is one of the building blocks in learning a foreign language. Here's a great activity to help them learn their numbers from 11-20 in French.

Now that the weather is nice and warm outside. Take a little walk with your children or you can go into your backyard. Take a basket and have your children gather different things like blades of grass, flowers, leaves, etc. As they pick the blades of grass you can count in French with them to help them get used to counting up so high.

Afterwards, you can take your basket of treasures and sit down at the dining room table and do a little craft with them. Let your children make a masterpiece by gluing the grass and flowers on some paper. As they glue them on, have them count them again in French. Hang up their masterpieces so they will be reminded of the numbers they learned.

Here are some the number in French from 11-20:

11 onze

12 douze

13 treize

14 quatorze

15 quinze

16 seize

17 dix-sept

18 dix-huit

19 dix-neuf

20 vingt

Learning Facial Words in French and Spanish

I found a Wooly Willy the other day and decided to buy it and use it for our French and Spanish lessons. You know Wooly Willy, the face where you move the little magnetic pieces to make different faces.

It's a great tool to practice facial vocabulary for French or Spanish. You can give your children commands in French and then they can move the magnets around to do what you asked them. It's really fun. My kids love this game! Wondering where you can buy one? You can fine them on amazon for only a couple of bucks.

Small and Big Worksheet in Spanish!

Here's a simple, yet helpful worksheet for your kids to practice big (grande) and small (pequeño(a)) in Spanish. You can give them as much or as little guidance that you feel they need. Enjoy!

Petit(e) and Grand(e) French Worksheet

Here is another worksheet that I made for my children. It will help reinforce the words petit(e) small and grand(e) big. With a little introduction from you, they should be able to do the worksheet by themselves. I hope everyone has a great week!

International Visitors!

I know there are a lot of you out there who come from other countries other than the US or Canada. If you are interested in purchasing French for Little Boys, you can email me and I can send you an invoice including shipping which depends on where you live. Just let me know!

ybatot@yahoo.com

Thank you all for stopping by my blog! Let me know if there is anything you need or any lessons you want designed!

Eiffel Tower Craft

Okay this is really cool French craft. I know our preschoolers can't do it themselves, but it might work for older kids or for a family group craft. You make an Eiffel Tower out of of craft sticks:

http://crafts.kaboose.com/craft-stick-eiffel-tower.html

Even if you have to do most of the work, you can get your children to practice their numbers by counting the craft sticks as you use them.

Happy Birthday Song in French

Today is my birthday and I wanted to find a good French version of a Happy Birthday song on Youtube. After looking around I found this one. It's really good.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0G_6NRbvTo

Here are the lyrics:

Bon anniversaire, nos vœux les plus sincères

Que ces quelques fleurs vous apportent le bonheur

Que l'année entière vous soit douce et légère

Et que l'an fini, nous soyons tous réunis

Pour chanter en chœur : "Bon Anniversaire!"

Emotions Worksheet in Spanish

Here's a worksheet for your children to help them learn some emotion words in Spanish! All they have to do is draw little faces according to the emotion listed.

Here's a list of the Spanish emotion vocabulary:
sad - triste
happy - feliz
angry - enojado
crazy - loco

Emotion Words in French

Here is a worksheet I made to practice emotion words in French. Just print it out and have you child draw in the oval a face that represents the emotion underneath it. You can even add yarn and sparkles to make the faces look more realistic (or at least for your children to have more fun).

Useful Vocabulary:

sad - triste

happy - heureux

crazy - fou

angry - fâché

Simple and Easy Way to Practice Numbers

Okay this might seem like the easiest thing ever to do to help your children practice their numbers in French or Spanish, but I really never thought about it until today. My daughter wanted pretzels for her snack today. As she ate them, I asked her to count them in French. I know it sounds simple and easy, but it's practicing French and to me that is all that matters!

Homemade Memory cards featuring your children!

I had a fun idea today! I made memory cards featuring my children! It's very simple to do. You just have to take pictures of whatever you want to focus on. I took pictures of my daughter and my son in different clothes. Then, I used Word to size the pictures smaller. Finally, I printed 2 copies. My daughter loved it! She thought it was so funny to see herself on the different pictures.

Every time your child flips over a card make sure they say the name in Spanish or French and all of the sudden you have a very nice language lesson.

Memory Rhythm Game to Learn Body Parts in French or Spanish

Here's a fun memory game to help your children learn their body parts in French or Spanish.

Clap your hands and establish a rhythm together. Then, within your rhythm point to one body part and say the name. Next, start over with the same rhythm point to that first body part and say its name and then add another one. Start over and keep adding body parts to it.

Here are some body parts in French:

head -la tête

face – le visage

neck – le cou

eye – l’œil

eyes – les yeux

nose – le nez

ear – l’oreille

mouth – la bouche

hair – les cheveux

arm – le bras

hand – la main

fingers – les doigts

finger – le doigt

back – le dos

leg – la jambe

foot – le pied

Here are some body parts in Spanish:

head -el brazo
nose – la nariz
eye - el ojo
mouth – la boca

hair – el pelo
arm – el brazo
hand – la mano
finger – el dedo
back – la espalda
foot – el pie

Mini Spanish Number Book

Here is a mini Spanish number book you can use to help your children learn Spanish. Your kids can color the pictures and words and then cut apart the sections and staple the little pages together. Or they can use yarn to bind your book together. You can also have your children decorate the pages with stickers or glitter. Have fun with it!

Mini French Number Book

I'm in such a big worksheet mood lately. Today I made a little mini-number book that you can all print out and use with your kids as well. Just cut on the lines and staple and you are ready to go. Your children can color in the pictures and words. It's a great way to help your children practice their numbers in French.

Spanish calendar for your kids!

Teaching your kids Spanish, no problem. Here's a calendar for the month of May where you can help them learn the days of the weeks. You can give them a star or sticker for every day they practice their Spanish with you!

French calendar for May

Here's a basic French calendar that you can use to help teach your children the days of the week, while keeping up with what you need to do during the month of mai (May). You can also use it as a way to track when you and your children study French. You can give them a sticker or gold star to put on each day they practice their French.

Spanish Animal Worksheet

Here's a Spanish worksheet to help you your children/students learn a few animals' names in Spanish! Enjoy!

French Animal Worksheet

Here's an animal worksheet I made for my daughter and son. . I hope some of you will find it useful for your kids too. Let me know if there is a type of worksheet you'd like me to make for you!