subject: Learning to Speak French as a Family [print this page] Learning to speak French as a family can be a very fun activity. If you've ever considered taking a family vacation, it may provide you with some additional options. There are over 80 nations where you'll find this language spoken. In many nations, it's used as a lingua franca, even though it may not be the official language of the nation. French is deeply connected with the English language, as well, and this may lead to some fun activities learning about history, American, European or the history of the world, as any second language always provides a new vantage point.
A family can learn to speak French together in many different ways, but using materials that allow you to study at home is usually the best move. This eliminates the costs associated with taking classes and makes it much more affordable. With the right materials, it also makes it a lot more fun. The most innovative materials on the market employ stories and songs to teach the language. These materials are great for beginners and usually have plenty of material within them that will be of use to even more fluent speakers of the language.
The reason that songs and stories make it easier to learn to speak French has to do primarily with retention. Listening to stories is fun, it provides a context and it's memorable. This means that learning the language benefits from all of these aspects of this form of education. It also means that it's a great way to bring the family together, as there will invariably be parts of the story that some family members understand more readily than others. This presents an opportunity to help the other family members along, which can be a rich experience for anyone.
There are numerous different reasons you may want to learn to speak French. When your younger children get older, they may find themselves impressing their friends with their fluency or even acting as a translator at some restaurants and art exhibits. These skills are not to be taken lightly. Even the older members of the family will likely find some benefit to learning a new language, even if it's just the personal satisfaction of being able to speak French, which does merit a bit of back-patting. The fact that these methods are fun makes them even more attractive.
