Learning Baby French with 123 Petits Pas
Having a baby in January, in Canada, is extra hard because you don’t want to go outside and also you probably shouldn’t cause it’s cold AF out there. Fast forward a year later, and now you pretty much neeeeed to get out of the house to avoid going stir-crazy with your little mover (however old they are!). Finding things to do can be a challenge, so I’ve compiled a list of kid-friendly indoor activities in Ottawa if you are looking for alternate options. Spoiler alert! One of those activities is finding some workshops to participate in–some are a one-time thing, and others are a weekly activity over the course of a month or two. This post is all about one of those workshop classes I recommended, to learn to speak & sing French with your baby, to hopefully help you decide if this one is right for you and your little one.
Learn to Speak & Sing French with your Baby
About The Teacher
Mme Amy has been a friend of mine for many years, so it was very nice to see her again (it’s amazing how much you isolate yourself as a new mom when you don’t even realize it!). In her previous life she was an actual board-certified teaching, so she knows what she’s doing from an educational standpoint as well as just being amazing at what she does. You can tell she loves her job, and genuinely wants to help people learn to communicate with their babies in French. She was quick to introduce herself around the room and lowering herself to all of the babies’ levels to introduce herself to them too. I am fluent in English and French so I might be a bit biased, but she was very fluid between the two languages and made it very easy to follow for non-French speakers.
About The Workshop (Class)
Most of the class is in French, but Mme Amy makes sure that all of the English-speaking parents know what is going on, and hands out lyrics for you to follow along with the singing. She has all of the props and instruments that help keep children engaged in the activities, and she is super involved in the singing and dancing (she even plays the ukelele!) and fully commits to every move (including holding up her toddler above her head!). You really feel the energy throughout the class, but not so much that you felt like you went to the gym, and are given the resources to continue practicing the things you’ve learned at home. The class is given over the course of 8 weeks, so there is lots of time to learn, ask questions, and honestly just have fun! If you’re anything like me, it was nice to be able to leave knowing the lyrics to at least one children’s song (having Friends flashbacks with Emma laughing!).
About The Venue
Mme and her staff teach baby French classes all over the city, but my location of choice is by far the Westboro one because it takes place at Wild Child Coffee Project. Seriously, I drive through rush-hour traffic to get there every week when I could have slept in because of it. Simply put, WildChild is a play cafe that allows parents to sip on HOT beverage while baby plays, so if baby still has energy after the class, I pop over to the counter and order myself a chai latte (OMG THEY ARE AMAZING!!) and let her tire herself out while I enjoy being human again if only for a few minutes.
Final Thoughts
So if you are looking to introduce French to your child early on, without too much commitment for YOU to learn it all at once, this is a great class to participate in. For those of you who are like me and are fluent but find it hard to remind yourself to speak French at home because your partner is English, this is a great opportunity for them to learn, and an excuse for you to expose baby to the language early on. For those of you who are two bilingual parents, it’s a really fun sing and dance activity to keep you both occupied and warm this winter.
To go ahead and register, you can do so on the 123 Petits Pas website, where there are classes for babies of all ages (newborn to 4 years, and even some adult options too). Perhaps I will see you in an upcoming class!
Cheers!
