From the moment they were born, I spoke to my daughters in French, waiting in expectation for their first words, wondering if they would speak my language and feel a bit French when they grow up. It is absolutely amazing to witness the language acquisition, when they mix their words up and when they don't, when they play together in either language (I try to kick-start them in French and generally it works). And now I watch in wonder as my 5 year old daughter
From Paris to Beckenham
Anne-Françoise tells us about her
experience of raising bilingual children
Our family language is English when Daddy is home; however, I have consistently been talking in French with them. If I have to speak in English with them, like when we are with friends, I then repeat what I have said in my language. We read a lot of books and magazines and sing nursery rhymes. We also watch some cartoons from France, which not only helps a bit with the language but also culturally.
We are following some fun French traditions, such as the "Galette des Rois" (wise men cake for the Epiphany), or extra pancake days for Candlemas and mid-lent.
We live in an area where there are a lot of multilingual families and, over the years, I have made friends with whom we meet up regularly. Also, we are very lucky to have a Saturday morning French school, part of the FLAM association supported by the French government, where the children can learn to read and write in their second language.
When my work transferred me from Paris to London more than a decade ago, little did I know that I would now be a stay at home mum of two daughters, married to an Englishman, living in leafy Beckenham!
learns to read in French, astonished by how she does it.