Why you need to introduce French at KS1

Is it really true that teaching French at KS1 benefits children in all areas of education?

Learning a foreign language, perhaps more than anything else, shines a very bright light on the issue of communication – and not just communication through the written word.

Learning a foreign language in the early years focuses primarily on conversation, story telling, role play etc – all of which are part of the essence of learning not just about oneself, but also about oneself in relation to those around us.

What’s more, because (as much research has shown) the early years at school is by far the best time to start a foreign language, the progress one then sees at Key Stage 2 is much faster.  For the basics of the language are already established in the brains of the children.

It is also the case that because younger children have far fewer inhibitions than older children they are much more willing to try to speak French, not just in the class but also at home, to demonstrate to adults what they know.

As for the school itself, many schools teaching French at Key Stage 1 have reported informally that this development has proved attractive with parents, many of whom may have very modest (if any) skills in the language.

What is perhaps even more surprising however is that the learning of French at Key Stage 1 appears to have quite an impact both on creativity and critical thinking skills, and thus the lessons in French can be seen to boost learning in other subject areas as well.

French is Fun at KS1 offers a game-based approach to language learning which involves constant repetition of the vocabulary that is taught through the use of the games, songs, rhymes and so on.

As a further benefit the course can be used by non-specialist teachers as the PowerPoints and other resources not only ensure that the learning is more readily retained, but they also dramatically reduce the amount of time taken up by lesson preparation.

Enjoy working through this PowerPoint about body parts with your pupils. (Don’t worry, it has embedded audio so you can learn together).

Here is a lesson plan to introduce body parts. And you will need these flashcards!

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