French Lessons for Kids on Sydney’s North Shore
Find the right place for your child
All our centres are located in Brookvale, near Manly, and offer easy carpark.
Early Learning Centre
Age: 0 to 5
For: Children of all backgrounds
Taught in: English + French
Sessions: Monday-Friday, 7.30am-6pm
Global Explorers Early Learning is an independently-owned long day care centre that offers a high-quality multicultural learning environment as well as a safe and nurturing place for children to grow.
The educational program is the core focus of the centre, as Educators seek to nourish inquisitive minds and expose young children to other cultures and the French language.
All children benefit from French lessons twice a week and interact with French assistants on a daily basis. Should you wish to expose your child to diversity and foreign languages in their early years, Global Explorers provides the perfect environment.
Playgroup
Age: 0 to 5
For: Children and carers with a French-speaking background
Taught in: French
Sessions: Fridays 9.30am-11.30am (free)
Our playgroup promotes children’s development as well as French language through play. Les Petits Amis also provides an opportunity for parents/carers to build a supportive network of like-minded people with bilingual children.
Sessions are run exclusively in French and the coordinator organises various activities including songs, craft and morning tea. Sessions conclude with story reading.
Parents/carers are required to stay during sessions and need to understand at least a little French.
French Classes
Age: 3 to 18
For: Children with a French-speaking background
Taught in: French
Sessions: 1-2 times a week, depending on age
Thanks to a strong collaborative approach between children, their parents and teachers, Les Petites Classes offer the best possible option on Sydney’s Northern Beaches to develop French language and learn about French culture and history.
From Preschool to Year 12, classes are based on the French curriculum. Children improve their speaking skills, develop reading and writing skills, and learn about French grammar.
Our goal is to support bilingualism, allowing children to enrol in French school at any time. We also assist children in exam preparation (DELF, HSC and IB).
FAQs
School in Australia
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Children usually start school around 5 years of age. In NSW, you can enrol your child in Kindergarten at the beginning of the school year if they turn 5 on or before the 31st of July that year. They must be enrolled by their sixth birthday.
Public schools are free to attend for Australian citizens and permanent residents.
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In Australia, primary school starts earlier and lasts longer.
It is easy to remember that the French ‘6ème’ matches with Year 6 in Australia.
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Before the age of five, school is not mandatory.
Children usually attend an Early Learning Centre:
Most common centres are Long Day Cares. They provide care for at least 10 hours a day.
Preschools offer shorter hours for children aged 3 to 5.
Family daycares offer care for 4 children at a time. Children are looked after in a home environment.
All centres must abide by strict ratios at all times: 1 educator to 4 children aged 0 – 2, 1 educator to 5 children aged 2 - 3 and 1 educator to 10 children aged 3 - 5.Early Education usually comes at a personal cost. Parents can receive partial government funding if they are Australian citizens and permanent residents. Most centres are privately owned; however, a few centres are run by local councils.
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It is essential to expose your child to interactions with other children in order for them to develop emotional and social skills, especially during the two years before school. Language skills also create a foundation for further literacy learning in Kindergarten. Your child must speak English before starting school.
Most Early Education centres provide a school readiness program to prepare children for the next step. When considering centres for your child, you can ask questions about the centre’s philosophy and their school readiness program.
Languages
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Bilingualism is the ability to express the same idea fluently in two languages using correct vocabulary and syntax. Bilingualism also involves developing a complex cultural identity and this is often aided by travelling around the globe and developing friendships with other bilingual children.
Raising a bilingual child is a natural process that requires consistency and rigour. However, it is ultimately very rewarding and opens up future opportunities.
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As well as being able to express themselves in two or more languages, research has shown that bilingual/multilingual children develop other important soft skills.
They are more empathetic and tolerant towards others. They understand that diversity is a strength. They also adapt quicker to new situations as they develop stronger problem-solving skills.
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Children can easily be multilingual in the right environment (for example, if mum speaks Mandarin, dad speaks French, and the child is exposed to English on a daily basis).
Neuroscience has shown that the brain of a bilingual/multilingual child is wired differently to a monolingual child. For example, a bilingual child will develop two separate networks in his brain for the two languages.
As most neuronal connections occur before the age of 6, it is crucial to develop bilingualism during the child’s early years. It is particularly essential to do so between 2.5 and 4.5 years of age since language develop massively at that time. If a child is exposed to French later in his life, French is most likely to become a second language instead of a mother tongue.
Bilingual/multilingual children need to be exposed to the two/three languages daily. The most effective method is to apply the ‘one person, one language’ rule.
We observe that bilingual/multilingual children usually begin speaking 3 to 6 months later than their peers because they have to learn 2 or 3 sets of vocabulary and syntax. This is not considered as a delay in speech development, since children just need to process more information.
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Exposing your child to a second language will develop his curiosity towards others and open up on a new world. Early exposure also allows children to develop their phonemic awareness as sounds can be different in different languages.
Young children learn foreign languages more easily than adults as their brain is very plastic and they do not rely on writing. The best way to learn for them is through songs and games.
Should you wish to expose your child to French in his primary school years, we highly recommend La French Academy’s program in Sydney’s North Shore.
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You can get in touch with the Alliance Française de Sydney or a private tutor. Should you wish to take exams to showcase your level of French, you can sit DELF exams as well.
We highly recommend selecting a tutor who is trained to teach French as Second Language and owns at least a DAEFLE diploma. This qualification guarantees a real French as a Second Language teaching approach.