Tips for maintaining French

[internationalbeeboo]

Hello there, I'm looking for tips and advice from any French speakers/bilingual families in the UK...After 12 years living in France, I'm moving back to Scotland with my French partner and our 4 year old daughter. She's started maternelle this year, loves it, her French is great and she is happy to switch between French and English depending on who she's talking to (never ceases to amaze me!). I have been very strict about speaking only English to her, getting lots of books and CD's in English, joining an English speaking mothers' group, but now I'm wondering how it'll be when French becomes the minority language. English speaking culture is relatively easy to get hold of (cartoons on Youtube, etc), second hand books are plentiful so it's been pretty easy. Can anyone tell me how they (try to)maintain their child's exposure and interest in French when in the UK? My partner will continue to speak only French to her...
Thanks!

I have the opposite situation where I live in France with my English-speaking husband, and I was worried that my children's English wouldn't be great as I have read that when the minority language is the father's language it becomes even weaker.
So I speak mostly English to my DCs even though I am not a native English speaker.
This has worked for us and DD who is 4 is fluent in both languages. I even think her English is stronger.

Amazon - DVDs like Bali, Mila raconte ..., 5 Rue Sesame, Peppa Pig (VF), and so forth. Or buy them in France before you leave.

Books - ecloe des loisirs run several book clubs that deliver to Britain.

Magazines - Bayard jeunesse.

If you are in Edinburgh or near enough then there is the mediatheque of the Institut Francais too.

At 4, your child will still be blissfully uncool re music, I expect, so you can make up CDs or tapes, not just of nursery rhymes, but "classics" like Claude Francois, Johnny, Jo Dassin, Sacha, Les Surfs, Aznavour, and newer stuff like Zebda, Tete etc - my 3 year old loves "dancing" (her conception of dancing, not mine) to this sort of stuff.

If you get Sky or Virgin then, on weekend mornings, TV5 (Virgin channel 825) has a couple of hours a day of kid friendly viewing in French, from Le Petit Nicolas to C'est Pas Sorcier and a sort of Canadian Byker Grove (Taktik).

In London there are a few French language playgroups and Saturday schools for native speakers - perhaps there's the same thing in Scotland?

And, of course, visits whenever you can.

It can get dear and it's far from fuss-free - but it can be done!

And, of course, the main deciding factor will be whether your partner continues to speak pretty much exclusively French to her in the home, as nothing can replace an actual need to use the language for communication.

Thanks for this feedback. Yes, Maternelle, it was the father-being-the-minority-language switch that was concerning me. Miflaw, thank you so much for your ideas, not sure how DH will react to compiling Johnny CD's, but it's all for a good cause . He's absolutely committed to speaking only French to her, but it's more the kid-stuff I'm concerned about; she's had this year at maternelle, she's already learnt so many songs, coming home shouting "Caca boudin" at the top of her voice and that sort of thing.

I was thinking once we get settled in Scotland, we could get a "French pet", an animal that only understands French, so everyone has to talk to it in that language...It's going to be creative, but I think it'll be fun too!

I started speaking to our cats in French so that she would hear another "person" being addressed in French ...

Oh, the shame.

Doesn't have to be Johnny, of course - Maxime LeForestier and Francis Cabrel also do adult songs that are child-friendly.

My daughter's current fave is Nana Miskouri singing "Soleil, soleil".

Again, oh, the shame.

Re kids stuff, I think that's what is so good about Bali - not only is it aimed at kids but the main character is a kid (well, an anthropomorphic dog) in a "realistic" kids' setting, so you witness the interaction. Same with le Petit Nicolas animation and, when she's older (think 10+), stuff like Taktik.

Stuff with dorothee is available and that also has some of those advantages, albeit from a different angle.

We have Disney films in French, Bali, Tchoupi, etc. There are lots of clips of these and others on You Tube. We have loads of books which we buy every summer when we visit, and a large number of Cd's of nursery rhymes and children's songs. We particularly like Henri Des and Steve Waring. DD is completely bilingual although we live in the South of England.

This is great thank you! Unserpentquicourt, any book recommendations for a 4 year old girl who doesn't like crocodiles, wolves or anybody getting eaten?!

Although the question wasn't to me, re books, how advanced a reader is your daughter, international? How many words per page (approx)? And are you looking for books to read to her or for her to read to you?

Give me a bit more guidance and I may be able to suggest a couple to, if you'd like.

In the first instance, the "Lili Bobo" series might go down well.

Serpent

Where in SE England (approximately) are you?

Miflaw, we're looking for books for hubby to read to her; she's very keen on stories, having them read to her and "reading the pictures" herself! I want to keep that enjoyment going in French...I'll have a look at the Lili Bobo title that you mentioned.

It's really interesting to get your feedback, it's made me realise that we have to start preparing now rather than waiting until we're no longer in France (duh). It's also highlighted that I have been fighting to keep the English level up, whereas hubby has known she'll get language input here without having to do anything active to seek it out. We have to anticipate the change in minority language and do something now. I remember the process of trying to dredge up song words and actions from my earliest memories, not easy when you're far from home and family and friends who can help you remember them...

The mixed tape idea is brilliant, we've been talking to people about it and now have loads of suggestions of songs we'd never have thought of. I ordered some CD's from the Eveil et Decouverte range that I saw on Amazon, including 80 Comptines a mimer et jeux de doigts. This is great, it has a booklet showing all the jeux de doigts, so has been a good reminder for my husband, and the songs are really catchy - we're now all humming Petit Escargot.

So thanks again for all your ideas!

I haven't read any yet but apparently the "Le Roi/La reine" series (Alex Sanders?) is very popular; I bought one for a birthday present the other day in South Kensington. And my daughter likes the shorter stories in one of the compendiums by Pere Castor, "histoires pour faire rever les petits" but there are others (again I bought mine in South Ken.)

For children's songs, there is also "mon [...]imagier des amusettes" which comes with a CD; I think I got mine on Amazon.

In general, I would also say that, if it's in any way accessible, you can't beat membership of an Institut Francais for access to the mediatheque.