French · 5-year-olds

French for 5-year-olds

By five, many children are starting school, beginning to read and asking for "real" challenges. In French that means moving past single words to lists, questions and short sentences: the days of the week, "where is it?", "what do you want to be?". The later units of the songs are built for this stage.

Is it a good fit? Five-year-olds are in the middle of the 2–8 range; the later units (days, months, positions, jobs) are pitched at this age and up.

Use the lyrics for early reading

Every song shows the French words with the English underneath. Children who are starting to read often enjoy spotting a word they know in the lyrics, and seeing how it's spelled in French.

Lists and routines

Days of the week and months are lists, and lists stick best with a tune. Saying today's day in French each morning is an easy five-year-old habit that takes ten seconds.

Give them a goal

Five-year-olds like milestones. Finishing a unit, singing a whole song by heart, or teaching a grandparent five words are all clear goals they can be proud of.

French words to start with

Words from the songs below that fit this moment. Tap one for pronunciation help and practice ideas.

English	French	Sounds like ≈
the days of the week	lundi, mardi, mercredi…	luh(n)-DEE, mar-DEE, mehr-kruh-DEE…
the months of the year	janvier, février, mars…	zhah(n)-VYAY, fay-vree-YAY, MARSS…
the seasons	le printemps, l'été, l'automne…	pra(n)-TAH(N), lay-TAY, loh-TON…
numbers 1 to 10	un, deux, trois…	UH(N), DUH, TWAH…
how are you?	comment ça va ?	koh-mah(n) sah VAH
car, bus, train and plane	la voiture, le bus, le train…	vwah-TOOR, BOOS, TRA(N)…

Good to know about French: French nouns are masculine or feminine (le / la). Because word endings don't always give it away, it helps to learn every noun together with its article, the way the songs present them.

French songs for 5-year-olds

Hand-picked from the French library. Songs marked Free are part of the free first unit; the rest are Premium.

Quick tips

Say the day of the week in French at breakfast, every day.
Play "where is it?" with toys under, on and behind things, using the position words.
Ask what they want to be when they grow up and look up the job word together.
Let them read the French line of a song aloud before pressing play.

Questions parents ask

Is five too late to start French?

Not at all. Five-year-olds still pick up new sounds easily, and they can do things younger children can't: read along, remember longer songs and use whole phrases. Start with the free greetings unit and move through the units in order.

Will it help with French at school?

It gives your child familiar words and a feel for the sounds of French, which can make first lessons less strange. It isn't a school curriculum and we don't claim specific results.

Sing it in French, free

The first unit, 6 greeting songs with lyrics and English translation, is free forever. No card needed. Premium unlocks all 134 songs.

Start free — no card