How Do I Support My French Immersion Student When We Speak English At Home?

Written By Abena Sey

July 8, 2021

A common concern for parents who do not speak French is how they may help their child when instruction and homework are in French. This concern may also dissuade parents from choosing to enroll their child in the French immersion program. In my experience as a French immersion teacher and a mother of two children currently enrolled in a French immersion program, I have learned strategies that have helped my students and my own children succeed in the program.  Below, I share four strategies that English-speaking parents can apply right away to help their child attain success in French immersion.

1 - Encourage Daily Reading in English

Read to younger children and encourage older children to read each day.  It is important for your child to gain mastery in their first language.  Doing so helps your child build their vocabulary, understand how the English language works, develop a love for reading, and appreciate various genres of literature.  When you read to your child, you achieve these outcomes and more to set them up for success in the French immersion program.  The same thing applies to older students.  They will need as much practice reading complex books in English as possible, as their studies become more complex.  When students understand how English grammar works, it facilitates learning how French grammar works.  They have a frame of reference from their own language’s grammar that they can apply to understanding French grammar. 

2 - Encourage Daily Writing in English

Encourage your child to write and talk about their writing.  For younger learners, this may be writing expressed in the form of pictures and / or letters, such as their name or small words that they are familiar with.  As your child gets older, this may appear as lists, recipes, journals or letters.  This type of writing is referred to as functional writing, i.e., nonfiction writing that we commonly use in real life.  Your child may also express him or herself through narrative writing, e.g., short stories or comics, where writing and pictures are incorporated.  No matter the form, daily writing practice encourages an appreciation and understanding of the English language, which in turn will support learning French.

3 - Encourage Practice Of French Vocabulary

Encourage your child to share any songs, stories, writing or new French vocabulary learned in school.  Younger French immersion students, particularly those in pre-kindergarten to grade 1, may have French songs or rhymes that they have learned in school.  Ask them to share these with you.  You may also reach out to your child’s teacher for the lyrics to songs or rhymes learned in class.  This helps reinforce the French vocabulary learned from these songs and an appreciation of the French language.  Older students can be asked to share new vocabulary, sight words, or verbs learned in class. You can help your child prepare for assessments and build their French vocabulary by practicing the reading and spelling of these words at home.  Building French vocabulary is critical for increasing reading comprehension.  To illustrate, while a child may be able to decode words proficiently, i.e., read and pronounce French writing fluently, they may not fully understand what they have read if they lack the meaning of the words in English.  To support your French immersion student, encourage them to practice vocabulary learned daily.

4 - Use Your Resources

Technology has made getting extra support for parents easily accessible. There are a plethora of resources to support your child’s French learning efforts.  I highly recommend using apps to help with translation and pronunciation of French words.  In addition, consider using online French resources to engage your child in French.  Consider enlisting the help of a French tutor.  Ask your child’s teacher for any recommendations, or do a quick search online.  You may also consider enrolling your child in an after school or weekend French language program.  The exposure to French outside of school your child receives supports their success in the French immersion program.

Incorporating any of these four strategies is a positive step towards supporting your French immersion student’s progress in school. Daily reading & writing practice, French vocabulary building, and engagement in French outside of school will not only help your child in their academic progress, but will also help you feel empowered as a parent who desires to help their child have the best possible outcomes as a French immersion student.