Can anyone put my mind at rest to how easy it is for young children to fit into French schools without being able to speak a word of french and only just having a grasp on the english language?

It is my on major worry about moving to France.

Thanks


Clareleav:confused:

Can anyone put my mind at rest to how easy it is for young children to fit into French schools without being able to speak a word of french and only just having a grasp on the english language?
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Hello clareleav

We moved to Annecy in May this year from Australia, moving to a new country is an incredible experience full of challenges and eye opening experiences. If you have the opportunity don't let it slip by :-), I have a some advantage as I speak fluent french having lived in Switzerland as a child, but my wife and children spoke no french before moving here.

The gift of multiple languages/cultures to your child will help them appreciate and understand the complex world we live in at a deeper level and also help them use their brain more laterally.

After six months my 4 year old daughter (Lily) is now completely at ease in the maternelle here, we were on skype this mornig as she was speaking french to her Australian grandmother without realising it!! We normally continue to speak english at home.

Before we left Australia, I took Lily to a french crèche on saturday mornings for a few months to get her used to the sounds of French language. If you don't have this opportunity a CD of french comptines will help. I think this allows little ones to hit the ground running so to speak.

As long as there is fun and games and the family surroundings are stress free your son will thrive, at 3 years old he will absorb a new language completely on autopilot, to witness this as a parent is very emotional and incredibly rewarding :-)