Supporting your child learning foreign languages

[Greenleave]

Anyone has any succesful experience and/or good tips/recommendations on tutors/classes/summer camps anything you did and/or are doing to help your child learning foreign languages that you would share. My year 4 has been learning French in school and going to a weekend 30mins class for a year and still cant be able to say much(or any). It could be because we are particularly bad at languagues as the household and/or(I try to reassure myself) that we havent got the right approach yet. I am not aiming for any particular language, any additional is good, better that she can speak the language when its needed, reading and writting isnt as important.

Hi, I am actually hoping to start a French afterschool club soon in the Headingley area of Leeds (LS6). Just spreading the word to see how much interest there is! 😊

Is anyone with toddlers interested in joining a play group in Swiss Cottage for Spanish and French lessons? I am short of 3 toddlers in order to have 8 in the playgroup and have the classes at £8.50 per child per session.
Thank you!

Op

I have a child in year 4 who is studying Mandarin and French at school. I have a lot of experience in teaching MFLs.

First of all I would not be concerned at all that your child can say hardly anything so far. Learning MFLs is a marathon and not a sprint.

My DC has two half hour 1-2-1 Skype lessons in Mandarin per week (which DC enjoys). In addition to this I play DC Mandarin cartoons for about 20 minutes most days, whilst DC is brushing teeth, showering, getting dressed and sometimes in the car. DC has been doing the above for nearly 2 years now and is progressing well.

With French DC has just been watching cartoons and listening to songs for about 6 months now. DC can say very little, but is still in the top few in his class at French. As DC is only in year 4 and I suspect DC will have at least another 6 years of French at school I am happy that DC is enjoying his out of school French "learning" and am not concerned about his level for now. I believe that as long as DC keeps his interest in French DC will be able to speak French pretty well by DC's mid to late teens.

For listening in French I often use the following:

m.youtube.com/watch?v=jC5sgHllQnU

agreenmouse.com/french-for-children/ks2-ks3-french/

m.youtube.com/watch?list=RDUsEz58BblMY&params=OALAAQE%253D&v=UsEz58BblMY

At a later date, when DC has a higher knowledge of French and has matured a little, I shall ask DC if DC wants on line French lessons (Mandarin has much easier grammar, and pronunciation is much more difficult, so in my opinion is more suitable to learn 1-2-1 on line at this age) and or use Memrise and Duolingo, but not yet.