Bonjour Madame Amy, could you tell our readers a little more about yourself ?
I am 32 years old and I started my Instagram account @123petitspas 5 years ago in order to support ANYONE with the desire to introduce French to their children. I love to share tips, tricks, and fun activities. I use my Instagram account as a way to connect with families, educators, and other business owners who share the common interest of French language learning.
Interesting fact! I am actually a French learner who began learning French through French Immersion at the age of 5. I was so passionate about becoming bilingual that I spent several years fully immersing myself in the language in order to improve as a young adult. I have since gone on to speak only French with my children, and so although I am not a native French speaker, my children are!
Great, that’s awesome, how are things going at home now with your children ? I hear you actually succeeded in creating a 100% bilingual environment at home…What’s your secret ?
I have spoken French to my children since their birth and continue to do so despite English being the majority language in our community. Although perhaps at first it felt a little strange, after a few months, it became normal for me to do so, and funny enough, now it feels very unnatural for me to speak English to them. My children speak French with me and English with their father (and every other family member!). However, they attend French school and so they also speak French with the educators there as well as with some of their French-speaking friends.
French has become my “love language” with them. 🙂
Ok ok ok…hold on :), is it possible to introduce French at home even if the parents don’t speak French themselves ? This is a great question I get everyday from parents that want to shop on our website.
Absolutely! I teach French to parents and children together with 123 Petits Pas. Having children can be a great motivation to learn another language since parents get to start from zero and add onto their learning little by little. It is also more fun to learn through music and play and so it’s a very laid-back opportunity for parents to learn a new language.
You’re absolutely right Madame Amy, and how is it possible to read to your children in French if you don’t speak it yourself ?
There are several ways to read in French with your child even if you don’t speak it yourself. For one, there are several French books that come with options to listen to the audio. Another great way is to search on YouTube, find recordings of French speakers reading books, then head to your local library and see if you can find the same book to read alongside the video. The google translate app is also very handy for helping with pronunciation. You can take a photo of a page, and it can read it back to you!
All right, thank you for sharing these tips ! How do you ensure French use at home with your family?
The majority of our books, toys, and games in our home are French. Also, my children almost exclusively only watch TV and movies in French! I find that these tools really help make our home a French environment, making it easy and natural for us to speak French together.
What tips do you have to help families include French throughout their daily routines ?
I teach my participants to learn a few key words that can be used throughout their daily routines, and then once they become accustomed to doing so, they add on to their vocabulary from there. Starting with something as simple as “On va manger” (we’re going to eat), “On va prendre un bain.” (We’re going to take a bath) etc. is a great way to start! The key is to start smart, get comfortable with that, and add on from there.
Absolutely, that’s a great way to start, so at what age would you recommend to start learning French ? If I want to start teaching my children, when should I start ?
As soon as possible! Ages 0-3 is the “sweet spot” in brain development where the brain is learning languages at its fastest rate. I recommend introducing the language ASAP in order to take advantage of as much time as possible!
As you know, there are many bilingual families in North America. For families who already speak two other languages at home, is it a good idea to add French as a third language ?
Your children would be so lucky to introduce a third language! Children who have prior experience with a second language are often really fast language learners and take to new languages quickly compared to their monolingual peers!
As a French speaker myself, I have many French Canadian friends and I’d like to know how you adapt the differences between French Canadian and French from France ? How do you handle it with your students and your children ? How do you manage the accent between French Canadian and French from France ?
Whenever there is a term that is specific to a location, for example, the word “slide” (at a park) in Canada is “glissoire” or “glissade” but in France, they say “toboggan”, I teach all the terms to my students and let them choose the one that is most relevant to them. As a teacher, I do my best to speak French slowly and with an accent that is as “neutral” as possible. I understand that strong accents can be difficult for learners to understand and/or copy, and so by staying more neutral, I can support learners from all areas of the world!
My children speak with a similar accent to me at this time, and, though we are in Canada, they tend to use more France-French terms, that said, it will be interesting to see how this changes overtime as they attend a Francophone school here in Canada.
I find accents and differences in language terms absolutely fascinating! I teach my participants to be “proud” of their accents- they tell a story. 🙂
That’s absolutely true ! We all have a background and need to be proud of it ! I was wondering if you meet your students in person sometimes ? Where are they located in general ? What are the main reasons that parents want their children to learn French ? And do you teach a specific age range ?
123 Petits Pas actually started as an in-person program in Ottawa (Canada’s capital city), and switched to virtual during the pandemic. Since the pandemic, I have continued to teach virtually because I am now the “French teacher” for many families across the globe. They rely on me for their French learning and I’m not about to leave them without French support!
I teach parents and children (ages 0-9yrs) together, and I believe it is an incredible gift for a parent to be able to introduce another language to their child! The brain benefits so much from exposure to multiple languages – the children and the parents both!
That’s so cool ! Do you have any suggestions for parents in the future to keep the French language at home ? Especially when kids become teenagers and they have their own “priorities” in their life…like hanging out with friends…
If they have a great base knowledge, I recommend families continue to provide French speaking opportunities for their older children. Find an activity in French, travel to French speaking areas, find a local neighbour who speaks French, etc. the more opportunities they have to use it, the more likely they will keep their French! Technology can really help with this too (movies, TV, and video games).
Absolutely ! And if my kids and I are not familiar with French characters, can I also use translated American books to French ?
Yes! If your child has a favourite book character, see if they have French translations available. If you can cater to your child’s interests, they may be more eager to try reading in French.
Merci Madame Amy for sharing this today, would you like to add something to our readers ?
Thanks to much for interviewing me! If anyone would like any support with introducing French to their 0-9year old from home, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me:
info@123petitspas.com
There are 10 different programming options and the goal at 123 Petits Pas Inc. is to make French learning as fun and as accessible as possible for families anywhere! www.123petitspas.com