Teach Me French takes kids on a musical journey through the
day, from waking up in the morning all they way to bedtime. This audio program features
fun songs in English and French, rhythms that teach important vocabulary words, all
interspersed with short conversations of native children, and is designed for children
aged 2-12..
The songs include the following:
- The More We Get Together/Plus nous sommes ensemble
- the traditional Frêre Jacques and Alouette
- Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes/Têtes, épaules, genoux, et pieds
- Mary Had a Little Lamb/Marie avait un p'tit agneau
- One Elephant/Un éléphant
- The Wheels on the Car/Les roues de la voiture
- Hush Little Baby/Dodo gentil bébé
- Sur le pont d'Avignon
- Six Little Ducks/Six petits canards
- Rain, Rain Go Away/Pluie, pluie va-t-en
These are just some of the many lively songs. Additionally, groups of native children
recite the days of the week, numbers, the alphabet, Jack and Jill (Jean et Jeanne), etc.
The enthusiasm of the children is catchy, and the clarity of speech is superb both
factors contributing to a highly appealing program.
Children speak about their day in between these pleasant songs. They talk about their
house, waking up in the morning, getting dressed, eating breakfast, going to school,
driving in the car, eating lunch, going to the park, suppertime, and bedtime. The album
ends with the appropriate "Fais dodo, Colas" lullaby.
The accompanying booklet contains the lyrics to the songs and spoken excerpts with
pictures that illustrate the songs and phrases. It provides an excellent way for both
parents and children to follow along. Younger children can color the pictures too. There
are also translations of the French-only phrases.
This program is certainly a favorite of my own children. We owned the tape version
without the booklet when my youngest was a baby, and I know the songs inside and out. This
was the preferred car tape to any other whether foreign language or regular song tapes.
Considering that the program is bilingual, it could conceivably be used for
French-speaking children to expose them to English as a second language. However, the
conversation tidbits are all French.
The songs are very well done and vary from the very upbeat Head Shoulders Knees &
Toes to the relaxing Fais dodo Colas. You'll find that children really enjoy the tape and
because of this, they will more readily and automatically accept the everyday phrases
presented. Use of song to acquire a foreign language is a powerful way to learn, and this
program does an excellent job of combining a variety of styles of songs and everyday
speech clips.
Note: Other languages are also available Chinese, Spanish, German,
English, Hebrew, Japanese, Russian, and Italian.
An auditory
sample is available from the Teach Me Tapes website. This sample
features the more quiet song, Rain Rain Go Away.
Teach Me More French is also available (see our review). Teach Me Even More
French is the third in the series.
Also available is a Teacher's Guide the program is not only
appropriate for home use, but would also make a wonderful supplement to French language
instruction school programs. This guide contains extra activities, vocabulary words, and
cultural tidbits.