Learning French can be difficult for children who do not have support outside of the program in which they are enrolled. I was one of those children, and it led to me being very disinterested in the language- even though I was a good student. Full disclosure: I am not bilingual.
As a non-native french speaker, I find it very challenging at times to get the children excited (beyond circle time) to "keep going" aka learning in french. I've also noticed that the highs are very high, and the lows are really blah, which can make it difficult to pick up where we left off.
My aim to immerse the children in french throughout the day has its ups and downs. Issues have little to do with the language, as opposed to other factors such as temperaments, illnesses, and time.
Over the years I've used some techniques that have made our french language learning a little more fun, and practical too.
USING VISUALS
ACTIVITY 1: Colour the Days
Learning the days of the week and our colours can be fun with visuals.
At this stage the children know all the days of the week. At circle time, they are asked "...quel jour nous-sommes?"
The children identify and associate the day of the week by the colour of the scarf that we have in our circle...waiting to be hung.
Lundi - orange (orange)
Mardi - jaune (yellow)
Mercredi - vert (green)
Jeudi - Bleu (blue)
Vendredi - purple (violet)
I purposely left out rouge (red) since it is so popular that the children already know this colour.
To help them retain all the days of the week, we always sing the Days of the Week song. Why? Because while we are in school only 5 days of the week, il y a sept jours dans la semaine (there are 7 days in a week).
MANDING
As a parent with a child on the spectrum, I often find ways to communicate with my child - even though he is a very verbal bilingual learner. I have found that manding is a great way to teach any child, and I use it widely with all the children.
*Manding loosely defined - A mand is essentially a request. A child mands when the motivation is high for an item, activity or information.
ACTIVITY 2: Communication Temptation ~ je voudrais...
*Manding loosely defined - A mand is essentially a request. A child mands when the motivation is high for an item, activity or information.
ACTIVITY 2: Communication Temptation ~ je voudrais...
A communication temptation is an activity or situation that is set up to “tempt” your child to use language. In all honesty, most of the communication temptation that has been happening lately is the result of unstructured play.
I am often guilty of providing a toy, but hiding a key component to a particular activity, leading the child to ask for the "hidden" item. For example, leaving a stroller out, but hiding the doll(s); or leaving train tracks but no trains.
As a facilitator of play, I WAIT for the child to communicate and then respond/reward with the item. If the child is too shy, or defiant (gasp*), then I model the language that I would like the child to use.
At this stage the child simply has to ask for the item by saying "may I have...).
In a situation, the child says '...je voudrais' or 'puis-j'avoir' (insert item name here). That's it! If the child knows the word for the item, it is expected that (s)he will use the word as well.
Meal time is also an awesome time to use communication temptation. Eating without a fork? Water or milk on the table but no cup? *wink*
YOU CAN DO IT!
Many of the techniques that I use to help the children in their french language development, were developed through my training as a Behavioural Therapist. Working with children on the autism spectrum (some non-verbal), I began to see the importance of language, and that without language children are often isolated, relegated to the margins, and left to figure things out on their own.
Learning a language is difficult. Remember that you child may need lots and lots of modeling, not just in the beginning, but consistently. Please be patient, and know that your child is always listening, and (s) he genuinely wants to learn.
One more thing...ALWAYS reinforce a child for trying. The process matters. In addition, words of praise is also one of the best reinforcer.
Stay tuned for a more in depth post on Manding, ABA, and how my autism training has propelled my desire to become an even better facilitator of play. In the mean time you can also check out this book ( the exercises are fun).
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“A hundred years from now, it will not matter what kind of car I drove, what kind of house I lived in, how much money I had in the bank…but the world may be a better place because I made a difference in the life of a child.”
~ Forest Witcraft