French for the Whole Famille: 6 Lovely French Apps Designed with Kids in Mind
Mom! Dad! When is dinner going to be ready?
I’m hungry!
It’s one of the phrases that parents dread the most.
But what if your child wasn’t hungry for mac and cheese or hotdogs and instead was craving some appetizing French learning apps?!
And why shouldn’t they?
These days, kids grow up knowing how to work a tablet or a smartphone sometimes even before being able to spell or read. This is an unprecedented situation that has educators and app-makers scrambling to accommodate the generation of digital natives.
For families, that means it’s easy to give kids what they’re hungry for. There are tons of great kid-friendly French apps to choose from, teaching everything from basic words to reading skills to pronunciation.
So if you want your child to grow up fluent in French, language learning is only a click (or a tap! or a swipe!) away.
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
What Makes French Apps so Appetizing for Kids?
Like a good hors d’oeuvre to a delectable meal, apps are the perfect complement to any French learning program—even more so for our ultra-connected kids. No need to worry about letting your little one sit in front of the tablet or phone when you (secretly) know it’s helping them learn French!
Because apps are interactive, they force kids to apply new French language knowledge, which helps it stick in their brains.
They’re also designed to be attention-grabbing and exciting. They hide the science behind language learning and simply turn the process into a fun event that kids actually want to do.
Best of all, kids’ language apps are, by definition, age-appropriate. You won’t have to worry about them coming across any rude slang or adult themes.
6 App-etizing French Apps for Knowledge-hungry Kids
Check out this list of the top six French apps for kids, and get your child playing their way to French fluency in no time!
FluentU
Available on: any web browser, iOS and Android
FluentU is the best way to immerse kids in French language and culture from a young age, without having to shell out for a plane ticket!
FluentU takes authentic videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.
You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Click here to check out the website or download the iOS app or Android app.
Boukili
Boukili is an authentic French Canadian kids’ app developed by TFO, an Ontario-based French language and culture educational resource. It’s appropriate for kids around the age of six and older or those who have some basis in reading.
The app allows kids to access age-appropriate stories in French. Best of all, we’re not talking about a couple stories here or there in French. Boukili has 54 books, all of which include text and audio for kids to read along with.
Further, there are also games and other activities for kids to complete to test and reinforce their understanding of the stories.
Learn French by MindSnacks
Available on: iOS
MindSnacks’ French app transforms language lessons into games. There are 50 French lessons on the app so your child will have new challenges in French for a long while!
Topics in these games include everyday vocabulary such as numbers and common phrases for conversation. The app also uses native French speech recordings to help kids perfect their French listening and pronunciation skills.
With this app’s spaced repetition system, you can be sure that your kids will retain what they’ve learned through perfectly timed vocabulary revision. Spaced repetition uses an algorithm to show players the words they’ve had the most difficulty with at key moments to promote memory.
I recommend this app for kids aged six and older due to its reliance on primarily text-based activities.
Gus on the Go: French
“Gus on the Go” features a friendly owl named Gus as its main character. With Gus, kids can work through a map of France while playing games and puzzles that grow their vocabulary.
They’ll get familiar with common vocabulary topics such as animals and food. The interface itself is fun and colorful and the activities come complete with audio recordings for the French words as well as text.
Best of all, each lesson unlocks a special vocabulary review lesson so that all the new words and knowledge stay in your child’s brain.
StoryToys Red Riding Hood
This is a fantastic game for kids looking for an immersive French experience. While it wasn’t specifically designed for French learning, it’s great for a simple, interactive game where the language can be toggled into French for reading practice. And did I mention it’s fun?
Primarily, the app consists of the recitation of the story “Little Red Riding Hood.” In the settings menu, you can change the language into French and watch your child become enthralled in the story. The animations are complete with a big font and beautiful pictures.
Best of all, there are games built into the story at major moments that kids must complete in order to advance in the narrative. These games will help kids reinforce their understanding of the text and vocabulary they acquire.
I recommend this app for children aged eight and older because of the reading level of the story.
Who Is It?
Available on: iOS
This app is based on the classic board game Guess Who?. It’s great to teach kids how to describe people’s physical attributes in French with useful vocabulary and expressions.
While this app defaults to English, the language can be easily changed into French in the settings menu or when setting up the game.
While kids can play many versions of this game, the most basic, called Devine (Guess), allows kids to select pre-written questions in order to guess a character that the app has chosen. The game answers the questions in French to allow kids to guess.
The best part is that there are a few different versions of the game, and there’s a two-player option so you can grow your French skills alongside your child!
I recommend this app for children aged eight and older due to the complexity of some of the French expressions used.
Aren’t you feeling peckish? Don’t wait any longer! Make your kids app-ceptional in French today!
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
