For a child to succeed at school, the support of his or her family is essential. But when learning in a language other than the family’s, parents can face greater difficulties in supporting their child’s education. Find out why and how to bring French language and culture into your home.
Many elements come into play for optimal school support: family-school communication, exchanges between parents and children on daily school life and feelings… Not forgetting the help for homework, which can be a “real nightmare”.
A parent: “Myself I am not good at math, so I can’t even imagine how can I help my son with math in French”.
As a parent, it is not necessary to speak French in order to help your child with his learning. However, it is essential for the family to give meaning to the school project by integrating the French language and culture into the home in a playful way.
A teacher: “Being educated in a French school requires not only the child to make an effort to learn the language, but also a commitment by the whole family to think and build his/her future.”
In addition to the exchange between parents and educational teams, here is a list of activities to do as a family that can enhance the child and his or her school project:
- Improving French with the free Duolingo application: this activity can be turned into a game, where the child becomes a teacher and the parent a learner.
Ask the extra-curricular center (periscolaire) and school life (vie scolaire) for help with homework: this can be arranged according to the pupils’ timetable. - Take private lessons: it is possible to call on the services of teachers who are specialists in a particular subject. Ask the secretary’s office or the school management for information.
- Take a trip to France: as well as being an opportunity to speak French and discover the culture, the child would become the family’s best tourist guide.
- Organize a French-themed evening: film, music, food to share with the family, give yourself the opportunity to live the French way for an evening or a weekend at home.