With The Kids

Since Babylangues is all about the relationship between an instructor and the children, we thought it would only be fitting to have this month’s toolkit be all about kid-related vocabulary!

If you’ve ever heard French children speaking, their vocabulary is much simpler but not vastly different from that of an adult’s. However there are still certain words that kids (especially younger kids) use that are quite unique.

You’ll certainly see a pattern in the words presented in this toolkit because many of the words use repeated parts or similar sounds. This is because repetition of sounds is easier for the child to make before their speech capacity fully develops. Once this evolves, they are able to make more complex sound combinations. But it is remarkable how early children pick up more vocabulary and sentence structures. By the age of 2 or 3 (perhaps even younger) children are perfectly capable of expressing their emotions and thoughts to you.

Children in France also often start school much earlier with the large majority of 3 year-olds already in full-time schooling. For a 3 year old, a 8:30 – 16:00 day could be quite a lot! Luckily primary school students usually have all or part of Wednesday off to give them a mid-week break. However this stops being the case for middle and high school students.

According to some, French kids are also more well-behaved in certain respects. For example, they aren’t too picky with their food and may eat what is traditionally seen as “adult” food. This really depends on the child in question. Perhaps in general French kids throw less tantrums or are more obedient, but each child is unique! At Babylangues we treasure this uniqueness. Our instructors have a special relationship with each child they work with and that is based on getting to know them and forming a bond.

Click HERE for more handy language toolkits to help you with life in France.