French Learning Books for Kids
Want to teach kids French? Here are 10 helpful French learning books for kids to use on your language learning journey. We have included a range of different work books, text books, and other French learning books to choose from.
Teach Kids French
Ah, French. The beautiful language of love is also an official language in 29 countries.
From Belgium to Senegal, roughly 300 million people speak French (including non-native speakers or French learners) making French the 6th most widely spoken language in the world.
Due to population growth in Africa, demographers estimate that total French speakers will balloon to 700 million by 2050.
French is a romance language like its sisters; Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, and Romanian. Romance languages are descended from Vulgar (Common) Latin, which was the everyday language of the Romans.
One of the benefits of learning French is its similarity to other romance languages that the speaker can then learn usually with a degree of ease.
Recommended post>>> 5 stages of language acquisition
10 French Learning Books for Kids
Here are our top French learning books for kids to help teach French!
1. Children’s Visual Dictionary: French-English
Author: Oxford University Press
Age Range: 5-10
Description: This fully illustrated bilingual dictionary in French and English makes learning a second language fun. It defines over 1000 words in ten different categories that cover people, food, animals, entertainment, and more.
Each word is presented in French and English, and includes a full-color picture, lively scene, or labeled diagram that makes its definition clear. A fun and easy way for young language students to expand their vocabulary and broaden knowledge in French.
1000 is a great amount of words for elementary learners.
Find this book HERE or for older children THIS VERSION.
2. Whistle Fritz: French Lesson Plans for Kids
Author: Krista Hope Lambert
Age Range: 3-7
Description: “French Lesson Plans for Kids” is a curriculum of 40 lessons that engages children in fun and interactive activities such as creating puppets, following recipes, conducting experiments, and playing board games.
In addition to French, the curriculum includes cross-curricular lessons in math, science, and physical education.
Find this collection of books HERE. They also have a set of French learning DVD’s too you can find HERE.
3. Ma méthode d’écriture and Mon cahier d’écriture
Author: Danièle Dumont
Age Range: 5-7
Description: Did you know that in France (as well as several other countries), children learn how to write in cursive before they print? That’s why when teaching your learner the alphabet in French, it’s important to introduce cursive as well.
These French learning workbooks are a great introduction to cursive en francais for your learners!
Find this book HERE.
4. French I, Grades K – 5 (Skill Builders)
Author: Carson-Dellosa Publishing
Age Range: 5-10
Description: Skill Builders offers a variety of fun and challenging activities that provides students with practice and helps introduce basic skills to new learners. This full-color workbook contains appropriate passages and exercises for elementary French language age students.
The great thing about this French learning book is there are straight-forward copy work- easy to make multiple copies for a quick French learning activity. They particularly say that this is a great book for kids to use over the summer so they don’t forget what they’ve learned.
Find this book HERE.
5. French: Elementary – 100 Reproducible Activities
Author: Danielle Degregory
Age Range: 5-10
Description: This book has more than 100 reproducible activity pages from which to choose to guide your learners through the basics of the French language. Begin with letters of the alphabet and numbers, then progress through functional vocabulary. Use the activities to teach your students about colors, weather, food, clothing, animals, the city, and other everyday topics.
Find this book HERE.
6. Cahier de peinture pour apprendre les couleurs (French Edition)
Author: Pascale Estellon
Age Range: 3-12
Description: Depending on the age of the learner, this book is a great intro to colors, shapes and art vocabulary. Music and art are one of the best ways to process and truly learn information. This book would be excellent alongside several art projects.
Find this book HERE.
7. Je Joue et J’apprends
Author: Cécile Zamorano
Age Range: 5-6
Description: This series is so fun! There are five books and activity sets in this series: les syllables et les mots, les bases de la grammaire, les lettres et les sons, l’orthographe, and les nombres. Kids have a blast reading these and playing the card games that go with them!
The bright colors and illustration style engage learners and help them learn the basics like the alphabet and it’s sounds, phonics, numbers and even some grammar in a fun, playful way. Children learn best through play, and these books and accompanying activities hit the nail on the head!
Find this book HERE or CHECK OUT THE WHOLE SERIES HERE.
8. Je lis mes mots-outils
Author: Scholastic Canada Limited
Age Range: 4-6
Description: These easy readers are great for kids who have previous French exposure and are learning to read and they also make great little books for new learners with their short, simple sentences!
“Mots-outils” are the equivalent of sight words/basic words in French, so take some time to check out all the “mots-outils” book options. They’re great for early French learners who are young children.
Find this book HERE.
9. Bed-Time Stories in French and English with audio download: French for Kids: Learn French with Parallel -French English Text
Author: Frederic Bibard
Age Range: 7-10
Learning through reading is one of the best tools available to teach a child a language. A side by side bilingual story helps facilitate that learning. These engaging bedtime stories are a great way for older elementary students to learn the language. The downloadable audio helps improve listening skills as well as gives children ample opportunity to hear native speaking pronunciation and accents- a must when learning a language. This book has 10 short stories with 60 minutes of audio in French and 60 minutes in English.
Find this book HERE.
10. 52 Weeks of Family French: Bite Sized Weekly Lessons Designed to Get You and Your Family Speaking French Today
Author: Eileen Mc Aree
Ages: All Ages
52 Weeks of Family French contains small, weekly lessons that will get you and your family speaking and understanding basic French more quickly than starting with grammar. No flashcards or grammar practice required!
Here is the perfect French learning book to help you finally learn to speak French and teach your children as you learn. All weekly activities are integrated into modern family life. Games and fun activities are included to help you on your language learning journey. This is a great way to get your family started before you move on to grammar!
Find this book HERE.
Other French Resources
Make sure to check out the following:
French books for kids
French nursery rhymes for kids
French cartoons
Apps for learning French
Why Learn French?
There are many different reasons people choose to learn French. To communicate more easily with family members who speak it, work, a love of Francophone culture, art, cinema or music or they just like how it sounds!
Why are you learning and/or teaching French? Motivation and reasoning are very helpful when looking for and selecting the correct resources.
If one was learning before going on a trip to a francophone country, you might look for dictionaries and workbooks that focus on geography, transportation or basic greeting vocabulary. If you’re learning to communicate more smoothly with extended family members, you may focus on learning materials and workbooks that contain family member, food, and general conversational vocabulary.
Whatever the reason at home or in the classroom, activity books, workbooks and curricula can help you as a teacher to guide your learner with more ease through their French learning.
Are you raising a bilingual child? Have you used any of these books to teach kids French? What are your favorite workbooks or other resources? We’d love to hear!
Author: Alexandria is a writer, educator and community advocate. She is a native English speaker who also speaks French and Mandarin Chinese.
Leave a Reply