10 Interesting French Games And Activities For Kids 

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French is a beautiful language. However, learning the language is not as easy as you may think. In this post, we bring you some fun French activities for kids that will help them learn the language fast while providing entertainment. Learning becomes easy and fun when you blend it with interesting games. Your kid may like baseball, bike riding, or rugby. Besides these physical activities, the French also believe that any form of performing art is beneficial to a great extent. These include singing, dancing, or acting. So if you have been looking for ways to keep your kids engrossed during their free time and help them master French fast, go through this list of interactive activities and choose what’s best for them.

10 Fun French Games And Activities For Kids

If you’re interested in learning French while immersing yourself in French culture, here are some French games and activities for kids.

1. 1-2-3 Game

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You Will Need:

• Chairs

How To:

1. Here’s a fun French game for children to teach French numbers and strategies.

2. Arrange the chairs in a room and tell each player to stand behind it. Select one child to start the game. The kid has to start with 1 and can say up to 3. He can say 1, 2 or 1, 2, 3.

3. The next kid has to follow with three numbers. For example, if he has said 1, 2, 3, then the second kid has to say 3, 4, and 5.

4. The kid, who gets 11, will be out of the game. The next kid again has to start from 1. The last kid standing will be the winner. This is a fun and easy french activity for kids to explore the language.

2. Family Reunion

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You Will Need:

• Pen
• Cards
• Genealogy chartⁱA chart that demonstrates relationships between family members in a conventional tree-like structure .

How To:

1. Create name tags using the players’ name and their family.

2. Using the name tags, tell the kids to imagine that they are at a large French family reunion.

3. Now give the children a Genealogy Chart and tell them to introduce themselves to each other.

4. Alternatively, you can remove the chart and indicate a single relationship on the name tag. After the kids mingle and meet each other, they can arrange themselves accordingly. Family Reunion is a fun french activity for children that will keep them active and entertained.

Quick tip

Use a Genealogy chart with pictures of family members instead of names. This will make the game more interesting for children.

3. Dix Points

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You Will Need:

• A list of vocabulary to review.
• Tennis ball
• Short, sturdy plastic cup, which should be large enough to hold the tennis ball.
• Box or milk crate
• Chalk or colored tape.
• Tape or gum

How To:

1. Place the crate or box against the wall and attach the cup to the bottom using glue or tape.

2. Make a throw line using a chalk or colored tape, around 10 to 15 feet in front of the box.

3. Divide the kids into four groups and tell each group to select a game. Write the group names on top of the chalkboard.

4. Now begin the French quiz. Pick one player from each team to be the ‘answerer’. Each player will get just 5 seconds to respond. The other teammates can help, but only the answerer can reply.

5. If the student cannot answer, pass it to its teammate until you get the correct answer. One correct answer will get one point and an attempt to score bonus points by throwing the ball into the cup from the throw line. If the ball goes into the cup, the team will get « dix points! »

Playing this french game for kids is an excellent way to review a child’s vocabulary.

4. Jeopardy

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You Will Need:

• Chalkboard laminated grid or whiteboard
• List of categories (5-6)
• Paper or white boards for each team
• List of questions

How To:

1. Draw a 6*5 grid on the board, (depending on how many categories you have) and write the categories in the top row of squares.

2. Next, write the point values, 100 in the first row, right under the categories, 200 in the second, up to 500.

3. Now prepare a list of French vocabulary questions and assign points for each.

4. Divide the kids into 4 or 5 gives and give each team a paper and pen.

5. One member of the first team has to select a category and point value. Now you have to call out the question, and the teams have to answer. Give the point value to each group that answers correctly.

6. A teammate from one of the teams with the correct answer will get to choose the next category. It is a traditional French game for kids that helps them to learn French in a fun way.

Mrs. Wheeler, a first-grade teacher, shares that her students love playing Jeopardy. Writing about what makes the game more enjoyable for them, she explains, “We break into teams and use our dry-erase boards. I like to use the boards so that everyone is actively participating throughout the game. I place my cards on a pocket chart and have the kids divide into teams… They get to say a value and a skill card. I read the clue aloud, and the kids talk among their teams. Everyone must write the word down… Once the students have their words written, I reveal the answer card, and they, of course, cheer wildly because they are usually correct! I use a scoreboard that I made to keep track of the points. This is great additional practice! The kids love seeing the big numbers! The game continues, alternating teams (i).”

5. Who Can Answer The Fastest?

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You Will Need:

• Flashcards
• Pen

How To:

1. Make flash cards of anything that you want to practice, for example, French grammar, vocabulary or simple phrases.

2. Divide the kids into two teams and tell them to come up with a French name.

3. Hold up the flash card and the player who raises his hand first will get the chance to answer, but in French. The player will earn a point for his team if he answers correctly. If he gives an incorrect answer, then the other player to raise the hand will get to answer. This activity poses some challenges as players will need to think quickly and recall their French vocabulary, but still simple and fun for them to explore language.

6. How Many Words Do U Know?

You Will Need:

• French book

How To:

1. 1. When you are teaching alphabets to your kid, give your child at least three words for each of the 26 letters. You must include at least one French name for each word. For example:

• A a — amiⁱA French word that means ‘friend’ , AbsolonⁱA French word that means 'father of peace’ , alligator
• B b — bateauⁱA French word that means ‘boat’ , Brice, bébé
• C c — chat, CasimiⁱA French word that means ‘Proclaimer of peace’ , chocolat

2. Test your kid’s vocabulary and track their progress by asking “How many words do you know?” Give your child one minute to write down two words for each letter in French. This is the best French vocabulary game for kids that helps them to learn French very easily.

7. French Bingo

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You Will Need:

• Bingo sheets

How To:

1. Tell the kids to select the French numbers that they have learned.

2. Now tell them to write their chosen numbers on a grid paper.

3. Now you have to call out the numbers, and the kids have to strike it off.

4. Tell the kids to exchange papers after each game so that they get a new paper to complete. It is a brilliant french number game for kids that helps them to practice numbers in a fun and challenging way.

8. French Hangman

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You Will Need:

• Pen
• Paper
• Chalkboard

How To:

1. Make a list of questions of sentences related to anything that you want to practice with the kids.

2. Divide the kids into two teams and tell each team to come up with a French name.

3. Select one player to become the hangman. Tell him to draw two empty gallows side by side and write the name of each team above the gallows.

4. Have the first player from each team stand in the middle of the chalkboard, between the gallows and the hangman.

5. When you ask the question, the player has to step forward and write his or her answer on the board. A wrong answer will get a part of the hanging man added to the gallows. If you are playing a short game, you can include a torso, arms, legs and a head. If you want to play a long game, then you can also add hair, neck, fingers, feet, torso, and other parts. The first team with a complete player hanging from the gallows will lose.

Trivia

The French name for the Hangman game is Le Pendu.

9. Number Game

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You Will Need:

• Nothing

How To:

1. Tell the kids to stand in a circle and count the numbers from one to ten in French.

2. When the kids count up to ‘cinq’, any of the players and even you can shout ‘zero.’ Now the kids have to continue counting clockwise.

3. When the kids have learned to count 1 to 10, modify the game by counting up to 20, then 30, 40 and 50. You can even tell the kids to count the number 1 to 50 in reverse.

This fun game can be played anywhere, anytime, no materials required.

10. French Nursery Rhymes

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You Will Need:

• Copies of French Nursery Rhymes

How To:

1. The best way to promote learning French in kids is by using music. “Alouette” and “Frere Jacques’ are two of the most popular French songs that kids learn in primary school.

2. Help your kids read the song and then sing along with them.

3. You can even take help of French movies and songs on DVD for teaching your kid French with greater ease and efficiency.

Infographic: Fun French Games To Play With Children

To make learning French enjoyable for children, introduce them to the language through games that encourage interaction and learning while having fun. So, scroll through the infographic below for interesting games you can play with your children. Start with the game of your child’s choice!

Illustration: Momjunction Design Team

Illustration: Interesting French Games And Activities For Kids

Image: Dall·E/MomJunction Design Team

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