Le Club Junior (Primary)
It is a constant joy for me to introduce children to French when they are most receptive, totally uninhibited, and constantly giving me ideas for new lessons. My classes give them a genuine head start and it is heartening to hear, years on, parents attributing the success of their children in GCSE and A level to their early years with me.
The number of scenes we can work on is limitless: buying a pain au chocolat, choosing between different types of ice-cream, ordering food and drink, having lost a glove, going to the doctor’s, not wanting to get up, being scared of a spider, etc, etc as well as adaptations of well-known stories such as Goldilocks. The younger the children, the shorter the scenes but in time we can build on them. It is the intonation used when acting which makes the sentences easier to remember just as we learn the lyrics of foreign songs thanks to the tunes.
The optimum number in a group is 6-8 as repetition is key to learning, so watching several pairs acting out a scene means the whole class will remember it. A larger group will sing with more gusto too…
For more detailed information, contact me at paty.daniels@gmail.com for our Le Club Junior Brochure.
What I offer is quite out of the ordinary as I design my own courses, based entirely on songs, games and acting, using many props to make the lessons come to life and adapting to the personalities in the group. We make full use of the covered patio when the weather allows as though the classroom is quite big, it is nice to have access to more room and be able to set up complicated scenes.
Why Start Early?
There is no doubt that the earlier your child starts learning French, the more likely it is that they will sound like a native. By associating French with fun, the children develop confidence and learn to communicate naturally whilst acquiring a great deal of vocabulary.
Grammar is introduced without the word “grammar” ever being mentioned with young children. In a group with boys and girls, it is very easy to introduce the concept of feminine and masculine adjectives without using the jargon and many aspects of grammar will be learned instinctively and explained only when the children are old enough to handle it.
