I qualified as a EFL teacher 15 years ago and for the past ten years I have been applying those fun and effective techniques to teaching French in the UK!
I create fun and active French learning resources for preschool and primary ages. Visually stimulating lessons with puppets mimic authentic conversational patterns that children can use in their daily lives. They develop strong listening and speaking skills through spontaneous and creative interaction with the teacher, classmates and puppets!
I qualified as a EFL teacher 15 years ago and for the past ten years I have been applying those fun and effective techniques to teaching French in the UK!
I create fun and active French learning resources for preschool and primary ages. Visually stimulating lessons with puppets mimic authentic conversational patterns that children can use in their daily lives. They develop strong listening and speaking skills through spontaneous and creative interaction with the teacher, classmates and puppets!
EYFS/KS1/KS2 (Years 3/4) Group speaking lesson plans for teaching French weather. Students will learn how to ask ‘What is the weather like?’ and how to say eight different types of weather.
These activities are for children who are learning French for the first time. The lessons are also extremely active and very fun!
This package is the sixth topic in a ten part series of resources called ‘A Year of French Fun’, designed to last an academic year but it can also be used on its own.
Students can also enjoy a fun video with the vocabulary from the topic being modeled by Tonton the Tortoise!
I have provided the script of the video too.
The language covered is…
What is the weather like?
It is nice
It is bad
It is hot
It is windy
It is cold
It is snowing
It is raining
It is sunny
There are three lessons plans in this package and it is recommended that you use one per week.
The activities are very short and easy to set up, this is to enable you to drip feed French into your weekly routine when you find the time.
In the lesson plans it doesn’t mention using puppets, however the majority of my lessons use puppets to introduce the new vocabulary to the children and to talk about it with them. This lesson is also perfect for using puppets to introduce the weather vocabulary to the children.
The first lesson introduces the weather through a weather chant and has a corresponding sheet of small flashcards to cut out and play with as a visual aid.
I have added black and white versions of the weather cards to be used as a colouring extension activity.
The second lesson practises children’s listening. It is a very active game requiring flashcards to be stuck around the classroom and for children to race to touch the correct pictures.
The third lesson is a very simple game of ‘Pairs’ that children can play in pairs or groups of four. Multiple copies of the flashcards will need to be cut out to play with.
If you enjoy these materials please leave a review. It is much appreciated!
EYFS/KS1/KS2 (Years 3/4) Group speaking lesson plans for teaching French food and drink. Students will also learn how to ask 'What are you eating/drinking?’ and 'I am eating/drinking…’
These activities are for children who are learning French for the first time. The lessons are also extremely active and very fun!
This package is the fifth topic in a ten part series of resources called ‘A Year of French Fun’, designed to last an academic year but it can also be used on its own.
Students can also enjoy a fun video with the vocabulary from the topic being modeled by Tonton the Tortoise!
I have provided the script of the video too.
The language covered is…
What are you eating?
I am eating…
A baguette
Salad
Yoghurt
Pain au chocolat
Croissant
Fromage
Jambon
Frites
What are you drinking?
I am drinking
Coke
Hot chocolate
Milk
Tea
Coffee
Orange juice
Apple juice
Water
There are three lessons plans in this package and it is recommended that you use one per week. You will also find lots of creative ideas for extension activities.
The activities are very short and easy to set up, this is to enable you to drip feed French into your weekly routine when you find the time.
The use of puppets or toys to help you model the language is also very important in the lessons in order to add fun to the lessons and you will find guidance on how to do this.
The first lesson introduces food and how to ask ‘What are you eating?’. It has a corresponding sheet of small flashcards to cut out to play a game of ‘What are you eating Mr Wolf?’ which is just like the game ‘What’s the time Mr Wolf?’
I have added black and white versions of the food and drink cards for a colouring extension activity.
The second lesson is exactly the same as the first except it introduces drinks and how to ask ‘What are you drinking?’ You will also play ‘What are you drinking Mr Wolf?’
You will need lots of space for the first two lessons!
The third lesson has several sheets to print out for a game of Food and Drink Bingo! Students will practise listening to the food and drink vocabulary and they will also practise saying ‘I am drinking / I am eating…’
If you enjoy these resources please leave a review. It is much appreciated!
EYFS/KS1/KS2 (years 3/4) Group speaking activity lesson plans for teaching simple French introductions.
These lessons are for children who are learning French for the first time. The lessons are also extremely active and very fun!
This package is the first topic in a ten part series of resources called ‘A Year of French Fun’, designed to last an academic year but it can be used on its own too.
You will receive three lesson plans plus a writing/ drawing activity worksheet for the third one. It is recommended to use one lesson per week, but you will also find multiple speaking games ideas that you can use to drip feed French throughout many more language sessions.
The lesson plans focus on group speaking activities using puppets or toys as the main teaching tool and each activity is very short, around 10 - 20 minutes.
The lessons take minutes to prepare and are jam packed full of creative ideas for how you can create funny conversations with your children based around the topic of introducing oneself.
Here is the language you will learn…
Hello
What is your name?
My name is…
What is his /her name?
His/ her name is…
A girl / boy
What is it?
(Please check out the accompanying video for help with pronunciation and to entertain your students too!)
Children will learn how to ask and answer questions related to their names using puppets and toys at first and then they will interact with each other. The puppets give the children context for the language and the humour in the lessons give them the confidence to speak up and have a go at speaking French too, with fewer inhibitions.
The aim is for all of the activities to be lively and fun and to enourage lots of spontaneous conversation in French. When they have their first introduction of French with you they will definitely want to learn more!
I have more lessons in this series that follow on from this topic and expand vocabulary and understanding naturally with the same teaching style. Please check them out.
I would be very grateful if you could find the time to leave a review if you have enjoyed this lesson and the video!
EYFS/KS1/KS2 (Years 3/4) Group speaking lesson plans for teaching the question ‘How are you?’ in French and various simple responses, for children who are learning French for the first time. The lessons are also extremely active and very fun!
This is Topic 2 in a series of ten lessons called ‘A Year of French Fun’, designed to follow on one from the other, but this package can also be used on its own.
There are three lesson plans and it is recommended that you use one a week. They also contain extension activity ideas if you find the time to do more.
The lessons are extremely simple and humourous and also very short, so you will be able to drip feed French throughout your week whilst keeping the children engaged.
There is also a short video for the children to watch which will help them with their listening and pronunciation.
The first two lesson plans practise asking ‘How are you?’ and three responses…
I am good
I am not good
I am great!
The third lesson focuses on eight more detailed responses…
I am tired
I am happy
I am sad
I am shy
I am ill
I am angry
I am excited
I am bored
All three of the lessons use only the vocabulary above. You will find lots of creative ideas to create funny and engaging conversations with your children so that they learn the vocabulary well and enjoy using it.
The first lesson focuses on the children asking puppets or toys how they are with the puppets modeling the responses.
I have supplied two sets of ‘comment ca va’ cards with the three different responses as a visual reference to aid comprehension during your conversations. Cut out the cards to use in the first and second lessons.
I have added the cards in black and white too for an opportunity to do a colouring extension activity if desired. The children could cut out and colour their own cards and talk about them with their classmates.
The second lesson is a chance for the children to practise the vocabulary in pairs during a hide and seek game. They use the ‘How is teddy feeling’ sheet to tick the correct box for how all the toys are feeling and then everyone comes back as a group to discuss what they have found.
The third lesson is in two parts and requires lots of sets of the ‘Je suis’ cards to be cut out so that the children can play a game of ‘Pairs’, either in pairs or groups of four.
Again I have added a black and white set of cards for a colouring extension activity. The children could prepare for the game of ‘Pairs’ by colouring and cutting out their own cards.
Please leave a review if you find these lesson plans helpful. It is much appreciated!
EYFS/KS1/KS2 (Years 3/4) Group speaking lesson plans for teaching some fun and simple French vocabulary.
Children will learn eight new words. Through games and activities they will also learn how to ask ‘Where is the…?’ and to respond with ‘It is in the…’
These activities are for children who are learning French for the first time. The lessons are also extremely active and very fun!
This package is the tenth topic in a ten part series of resources called ‘A Year of French Fun’ designed to last an academic year but it can be used on its own too.
Students can also enjoy a fun video with the vocabulary from the topic being modeled by Tonton the Tortoise!
I have provided the script of the video too.
The language covered is…
Where is the…?
It is in the…
Cupboard
Oven
Bin
Suitcase
Bag
Bag of sweets
Baby
Dog
Horse
Cake
Cheese
Bird
Fish
Cat
There are three lessons plans in this package and it is recommended that you use one per week.
The activities are very short and easy to set up, this is to enable you to drip feed French into your weekly routine when you find the time.
The use of puppets is a key part of the lessons as it gives the children a fun context in which they can hear the language spoken and it encourages them to use French to respond.
The first lesson uses a language puppet and lots of other toys to play a hide and seek style game. Children will learn how to ask ‘where is the…?’ and they will have to remember whether things are in a box or a bag.
The second lesson is a much more active version of the hide and seek game. This time children hide objects around the room and ask each other questions to find them.
In the third lesson children will play a card game in either pairs or groups of four. Younger children will need a lot of support for this one.
I have provided cards to cut out for the game. You will also find them in black and white to be used as a colouring extension activity.
If you enjoy these materials please leave a review. It is much appreciated!
EYFS/KS1/KS2 (Years 3/4) Group speaking lesson plans for teaching how to ask ‘Where are you going?’ in French. Students will learn how to say 'I am going to the…’ and eight different places.
These activities are for children who are learning French for the first time. The lessons are also extremely active and very fun!
This package is the eighth topic in a ten part series of resources called ‘A Year of French Fun’, designed to last an academic year but it can be used on its own too.
Students can also enjoy a fun video with the vocabulary from the topic being modeled by Tonton the Tortoise!
I have provided the script of the video too.
The language covered is…
Where are you going?
I am going to…
The beach
Café
Mountain
Park
Supermarket
Swimming pool
Toilet
Bed
There are three lessons plans in this package and it is recommended that you use one per week.
The activities are very short and easy to set up, this is to enable you to drip feed French into your weekly routine when you find the time.
The use of puppets is a key part of the lessons as it gives the children a fun context in which they can hear the language spoken and it encourages them to use French to respond.
The first lesson uses a language puppet and the locations cards I have provided that can be cut out to play a simple game as a group.
I have provided the cards in black and white too to be used as a colouring extension activity.
The second lesson is a very active game that practises the children’s listening skills. The flashcards are stuck around the room and they have to listen to which place the puppet is going so that they can go and touch the correct one.
The third lesson is a board game and is chance for children to practise the vocabulary from this topic in small groups. EYFS students will need a lot of support with this.
If you enjoy these materials please leave a review. It is much appreciated!
EYFS/KS1/KS2 (Years 3/4) Group speaking lesson plans for teaching French colours. Students will also learn how to say ‘I like’ and 'I don’t like’
These activities are for children who are learning French for the first time. The lessons are also extremely active and very fun!
This package is the fourth topic in a ten part series of resources called ‘A Year of French Fun’, designed to last an academic year but it can also be used on its own.
Students can also enjoy a fun video with the vocabulary from the topic being modeled by Tonton the Tortoise!
I have provided the script of the video too.
The language covered is…
I like…
Do you like…?
I don’t like…
What colour is it?
Red
Yellow
Green
Pink
Blue
Purple
Orange
White
Black
Brown
There are three lessons plans in this package and it is recommended that you use one per week. You will also find lots of creative ideas for extension activities.
The activities are very short and easy to set up, this is to enable you to drip feed French into your weekly routine when you find the time.
The first lesson introduces colours and has a corresponding sheet of small flashcards to cut out to play a competitive game against the teacher.
I have provided blank colour flashcards for the children to colour in as an extension activity.
The second lesson uses the coloured flashcards again with a puppet or toy to introduce how to say ‘I like’ and ‘I don’t like’. There are lots of tips for how to make this a funny conversation with the puppet and for children to join in too.
The third lesson is a card game with one set of cards to be cut out for each pair or group of four children playing.
It practises all of the vocabulary from this topic and is a chance for them to converse with each other and experiment with the language.
(Younger children will need a lot of support for this activity)
If you enjoy these resources please leave a review. It is much appreciated!
EYFS/KS1/KS2 (Years 3/4) Group speaking lesson plans for teaching how to ask ‘What are you doing?’ in French and how to reply with ‘I am…ing’ for eight verbs.
These activities are for children who are learning French for the first time. The lessons are also extremely active and very fun!
This package is the seventh topic in a ten part series of resources called ‘A Year of French Fun’, designed to last an academic year but it can also be used on its own.
Students can also enjoy a fun video with the vocabulary from the topic being modeled by Tonton the Tortoise!
I have provided the script of the video too.
The language covered is…
What are you doing?
I am going out
I am drinking
I am eating
I am dancing
I am singing
I am swimming
I am speaking
I am playing
There are three lessons plans in this package and it is recommended that you use one per week.
The activities are very short and easy to set up, this is to enable you to drip feed French into your weekly routine when you find the time.
The first lesson plan uses a puppet or a language toy to introduce the question and verbs to the children. Children will engage with the puppet and play a game of charades one by one in front of the class.
I have added black and white versions of the actions cards to be used as a colouring extension activity.
The second lesson is a game for children to play in pairs. It tests their listening and speaking skills as they work together to guess what the other one is doing.
The third lesson is a straight forward game of ‘Pairs’ which can be played in twos or fours.
If you enjoy these materials please leave a review. It is much appreciated!
EYFS/KS1/KS2 (Years 3/4) Group speaking lesson plans for teaching numbers 1-10 in French in the context of counting their stationery.
Students will also learn a few basic questions and responses.
These activities are for children who are learning French for the first time.
There are five lesson plans in this package and it is recommended to use one a week.
The activities are very short and easy to set up, this is to enable you to drip feed French into your weekly routine when you find the time. The lessons are also extremely active and very fun!
The use of puppets is a key part of the lessons as it gives the children a fun context in which they can hear the language spoken and it encourages them to use French to respond.
This package is the ninth topic in a ten part series of resources called ‘A Year of French Fun’ designed to last an academic year, but it can be used on its own too.
Students can also enjoy a fun video with the vocabulary from the topic being modeled by Tonton the Tortoise!
I have provided the script of the video too.
The language covered is…
What is in the bag?
How many are there?
There are…
Numbers 1- 10
Felt-tip pen
Eraser
Book
Notebook
Pen
Pencil
Ruler
Pencil case
The first lesson teaches the children a chant to help them learn how to ask ‘What’s in the bag?’ and they will also be introduced to the stationery items.
The second lesson is a drawing activity to help them revise the stationery vocabulary. They will also count the things that they draw.
The third lesson practises how to ask ‘How many are there?’ and the children play a memory game to practise using the vocabulary.
The fourth lesson is a straight forward game of ‘What’s missing?’ where you show children a few objects, cover them up and then take one away. The children have to name the missing item.
The fifth lesson is a game of Bingo that is designed to help the children practise the stationery vocabulary and to count how many. The sheets are provided for this game.
If you enjoy these materials please leave a review. It is much appreciated!
EYFS/KS1/KS2 (Years 3/4) Group speaking lesson plans for teaching the question ‘How old are you?’ in French and various simple responses, for children who are learning French for the first time. The lessons are also extremely active and very fun!
This package is the third topic in a ten part series of resources called ‘A Year of French Fun’, designed to last an academic year but it can also be used on its own.
Students can also enjoy a fun video with the vocabulary from the topic being modeled by Tonton the Tortoise!
The language covered is…
Numbers 1-10
It’s my birthday!
Happy birthday!
How old are you?
I am … years old
I have … presents
There are four lessons plans in this package and it is recommended that you use one per week. You will also find lots of creative ideas for extension activities.
The activities are very short and easy to set up, this is to enable you to drip feed French into your weekly routine when you find the time.
The first lesson is a parachute game to introduce counting to ten. As a group children will bounce a teddy ten times up in the air and count each time in French.
The second lesson is a group speaking activity that introduces children to how to say ‘Happy birthday!’, It’s my birthday. how old are you?’ and 'I am … years old’
The lesson is based around children talking to a puppet or class toy and taking turns asking and answering the questions. There are guidelines on how to make this engaging for the children so that they can practise saying the target language many times in different contexts.
The third lesson guides you through a chanting activity where the whole class learns how to count presents and how to say how many they have.
This lesson focuses on saying ‘It’s my birthday!’ and ‘Happy birthday!’.
There is a sheet of cards with presents to cut out to use for this activity.
(The chant may be challenging for the EYFS learners, they may like to colour in the presents sheets instead and talk about how many they have that way.)
The fourth lesson is a card game which I recommend using with KS2 learners as it requires lots of concentration.
There are cards to cut out for each pair or four children playing the game.
The game practises all of the vocabulary learnt in this package and is based around a birthday party and who can collect the most presents to win.
If you enjoy these resources please leave a review. It is much appreciated!
EYFS/KS1/KS2 (Years 3/4) This is a simple picture book style story to be read to children out loud.
The story is about brother and sister sharks who go into an art gallery and make a big mess with their colouring pencils!
They paint the different paintings lots of colours and they find out which characters in the paintings like the colours and which ones don’t like them!
The story is on a powerpoint presentation without any text. I have provided the story for the teacher to read on a pdf plus some tips for before and after reading the story and some activity ideas.
The story is very simple and teaches how to say some colours, some animals plus how to talk about ‘I like’ and ‘I don’t like’.
It is also funny and students will be engaged in the silly antics of the two sharks!
There is no text on the pages so that children will not be distracted and can focus on listening to the words that the teacher reads out.
There is lots of repetition in the text to help with comprehension.
Hopefully your students will enjoy the story enough that they will want to read it more than once, and everyone will feel immense satisfaction that they can understand and enjoy an entire story in French!
If you enjoy reading the story together I would be so grateful if you could leave a review.
Apologies that the story is not in colour, this is just a tester at the moment.
If you would like to explore the vocabulary in this story more, I have a big 3 lesson resource bundle full of energetic games to practise this topic
This communicative activity, based around a classic pairs game, is created as a fun activity to practice students’ French speaking and listening skills around the subject of weather. It is a simple and short activity that encourages students to communicate in French in a natural and conversational way. There are two sheets attached. One colour version of the game, and one black and white, which can be used for younger students as an extended colouring activity.
Kids will practice how to say
Quel temps fait-il?
Il fait froid
Il fait chaud
Il fait beau
Il fait mauvais
Il pleut
Il neige
Il y a du vent
Il y a du soleil
You will need to print and cut out two copies of one of the weather sheets per game, and the game is played as follows.
Students can play in pairs, but for larger classes you could double the students up to have two kids per team.
Player1 asks player 2 the question 'Quel temps fait-il?'
Player two responds with one of the weather phrases at random, eg. Il pleut
Player 1 must turn over two of the il pleut cards. She must try and say the weather phrases on the cards that she picks up. If Player 1 picks the correct two matching cards, she keeps them and has another go. If she picks the wrong cards she puts them back and it is the turn of player 2 to ask ‘Quel temps fait-il?’ and for player 1 to suggest a weather expression to find.
The player with the most amount of pairs at the end is the winner.
EYFS/KS1/KS2 (Years 3/4) This is a simple picture book style story to be read to children out loud.
The story is about brother and sister sharks who play a game of hide and seek.
They go into different rooms in the house and find each other hidden in funny places, until one of them hides somewhere very unexpected at the end!
The story is on a powerpoint presentation without any text. I have provided the story for the teacher to read on a pdf plus some tips for before and after reading the story and some activity ideas.
The story is very simple and teaches how to say some rooms in the house, plus how to talk about the characters being ‘in’ things, such as 'she is in the bin’
It is also funny and students will be engaged in the silly antics of the two sharks!
The language in the story is as follows:
Rooms in the house:
Le salon (living room)
La cuisine (kitchen)
La salle de bain (bathroom)
La chambre (bedroom)
Le jardin (garden)
Nouns:
Le cache-cache (Hide and seeK)
Le vase (vase)
La poubelle (bin)
Les toilettes (toilet)
La montgolfière (hot air balloon)
Le colis (parcel)
There is no text on the pages so that children will not be distracted and can focus on listening to the words that the teacher reads out.
There is lots of repetition in the text to help with comprehension.
Hopefully your students will enjoy the story enough that they will want to read it more than once, and everyone will feel immense satisfaction that they can understand and enjoy an entire story in French!
If you enjoy reading the story together I would be so grateful if you could leave a review.
Apologies that the story is not in colour, this is just a tester at the moment.
If you would like to explore the topic of the preposition ‘dans’ further I have lots of games ideas in my big vocabulary games resource bundle.