Learn French for kids with short, playful games that say every word aloud. This hub brings together seven French pages for children aged two to six: the alphabet, numbers 1 to 100, and picture words for animals, fruits, vegetables, colours and body parts. Each word is spoken in clear French audio with English alongside, so a child can play before they can read, and a parent who never took French at school can learn right next to them.
Who these French games are for
French is spoken by more than 300 million people on five continents, and many families come to it for different reasons. Some are French-speaking parents living abroad who want to keep the language alive at home. Some have children in a French immersion programme in Canada, or at a French school in London, Dubai or Singapore. Others simply love the sound of the language and want their toddler to hear it early. Whatever your reason, the aim here is the same: lots of short, happy moments with French words, not lessons or tests.
What your child can learn here
- French alphabet for kids: 26 letters, each with a picture word, from A comme avion to Z comme zèbre.
- Numbers in French: a 1-100 chart with a "Count with me" button, including the famous soixante-dix and quatre-vingts.
- Animals in French: 60 animals, each with its article, from la vache to l'hippocampe.
- Fruits (30), vegetables (30), colours in French (12) and body parts (30), with Listen, Find it and Memory games.
How young children learn in France
In France almost every child goes to the école maternelle, the free public nursery school. Since 2019 it has been compulsory from the age of three. It has three years: petite section (age 3-4), moyenne section (4-5) and grande section (5-6). The national programme puts spoken language first: children talk, listen to stories, learn comptines (nursery rhymes) and play with the sounds of words. They learn to recognise their first name, count real objects and, in grande section, begin to write letters. Many French schools teach joined-up cursive handwriting from the very start, which surprises families from other countries. Formal reading begins in CP, the first year of primary school, at six.
You can follow the same rhythm at home: talk and sing first, play with sounds, and let reading come later.
French sounds that are new for English speakers
French has a few sounds that take practice, and children usually master them faster than adults:
| Sound | Example on these pages | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| French r | renard, rouge | Made at the back of the throat, like a soft gargle |
| u | tortue, usine | Say "ee" with lips rounded for "oo" |
| nasal vowels | lapin, citron, un | Let the air go through the nose; the n is not pronounced |
| silent endings | chat, lit, trois | Final t, s and x are usually silent |
Do not correct these sounds; simply repeat the word clearly and let your child listen again. Young ears tune in quickly.
Why every word comes with le, la or l'
All French nouns are masculine or feminine, and the article tells you which: le chat, la pomme. Before a vowel both become l': l'éléphant, l'orange. That is why the animal, fruit and vegetable pages say the article with every word. Teach words with their article from day one, and your child will never need to memorise genders later.
French in Canada, Belgium, Switzerland and Africa
These pages use standard French as spoken in France. A child who learns it will be understood everywhere French is spoken, but there are friendly differences. Belgians and Swiss say septante for 70 and nonante for 90, and the Swiss often say huitante for 80. In Quebec, children eat déjeuner in the morning and dîner at lunch, and hear words like char for car. In West and Central Africa, where many children grow up with French alongside local languages, you will hear lovely local vocabulary for fruits and markets. Treat these as bonus words, not mistakes.
Using the games at home
Pick one page and play for five to ten minutes. Start with Listen: tap a picture and hear the French word, then the English. When a few words feel familiar, switch to Find it, where Golu asks for a picture in French. A wrong tap never gets a "wrong": Golu gives a gentle hint, and every game ends with a marble in the Goli Jar. For babies and young toddlers, a grown-up singing and talking about real things does more than a screen; for older children, short sessions you share work best.
Choose one daily moment for French, such as breakfast or bath time, and keep it the same. Children link a language to a routine, and "French breakfast" becomes something they look forward to.
Le français en famille
Ces petits jeux sont faits pour les enfants de deux à six ans. Chaque mot est dit en français et en anglais, avec une image claire. Il y a l'alphabet, les nombres de 1 à 100, les animaux, les fruits, les légumes, les couleurs et les parties du corps.
Si vous parlez français, parlez-le à votre enfant tous les jours : pendant le repas, au marché, au moment du coucher. Chantez ensemble « Frère Jacques », « Une souris verte » ou « Promenons-nous dans les bois ». Il n'est pas nécessaire de corriger ; répétez simplement le bon mot avec le sourire.
Les grands-parents sont de merveilleux professeurs. Un appel vidéo avec Mamie pour nommer les couleurs ou les animaux vaut mieux que de longues heures devant un écran. L'essentiel, c'est que le français reste une langue de jeu et de tendresse.
How to use this page at home
Say it, then find it
Play for a few minutes, then look for the same thing away from the screen: french words on the shelf, in the kitchen, on the way to school. A child learns a word properly when they meet it twice, once on the screen and once in their hand.
Ten minutes is enough
Short and happy beats long and tired. Stop while your child still wants more, and come back tomorrow: the same page on five short days teaches far more than one long sitting. Nothing here is scored, so there is no reason to push.
Use both languages
Tap the language button at the top to hear the words in your home language first and the second language after. Hearing the same picture named in two languages is one of the few things research agrees builds attention as well as vocabulary.