For a couple of months now, the kids and I have been listening to Allons Danser! – a CD with French music for kids, produced by Whistlefritz. It has been such a great tool for my French Play Group, not just for my children. We use the Bonjour, Les Amis song to start the meeting and Au Revoir to close.
At home, I play the entire CD as the children play and I cook or do some other housework. It’s the best background music. You know how music can influence your mood even if you don’t understand the words? Marie-Louise Desage’s crystal-clear voice gives me joy. And although I understand the words, the music makes me feel like I am on a beach vacation as I wipe kitchen counters or peel potatoes.
The Carribean-infused melodies, written by Didier Prossaird, go along well with summer time or any time of the year when you wish you could have summer back. In short, these songs put me in a good mood – a vacation mode. They are not just for the kids.
Here’s a listing of all the songs, with the vocabulary you can expect to learn and drill as you sing:
- Quand Je Serai Grand – When I grow up – job titles
- Bonjour Les Amis – Hello, friends – greetings and the weather
- Un, Deux et Trois – One, two, three – body parts and, obviously, counting to three
- Le Vieux MacDonald – Old McDonald – farm animals and their sounds
- La Danse des Mains – The dance of hands – place adverbs like up, down, to the side etc
- Ma Journée – My day – a daily schedule of meals and activities
- Le Bain – The bath – feet, water, tub, getting into the tub, it’s fun – an invitation to have fun with bubbles
- L’Heure de Ranger – Time to clean up – here, there, now, dusting, cleaning, sweeping, broom, duster
- Des Jouets – Toys – plane, flying, bicycle, pedaling, etc.
- La Barbichette – Goatee – to hold, ouch
- Il Pleut – It rains – umbrella, yes, no, dancing in the rain, big clouds are gray etc.
- Les Doigts – The fingers
- Y’a Pas de Fête Sans Gateau – No party without cake – gift, giving a gift, etc.
- Les Enfants Quand Ils Dansent – The children, when they dance –
- La Tête, Les Épaules – Head, shoulders – the same melody and vocabulary as Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes
- Le Camion de Glace – Ice cream van – all the kids come out of the house when the ice cream van passes by
- La Grenouille Reinette – A frog named Reinette – whimsical and funny
- En Haut, En Bas – Up, down
- Les Petits Poissons – The little fishes – swimming, in the water, little, big, the same as
- Au Revoir – Goodbye – saying goodbye in different ways, the party is over, it’s time to say goodbye
We all memorize so much better if the words are set to music. This collection will be the perfect addition to your French class. We listen to it in the car, too. I am still amazed by how much I can retain just by listening to 15 minutes of French music a couple of times a week. If you, like me, are looking for ways to maximize learning throughout the day, you will appreciate this CD you can add to your car schooling supply list.
The CD booklet contains all the French lyrics, as well as a vocabulary list for each song. Thus, instead of paraphrasing so you get the gist of the song, Whistlefritz gives you word-by-word translations to help with your goal of learning French. How helpful is that? Any homeschooling mom who took some French and remembers some should be able to utilize this CD and help introduce her children to the sounds of the beautiful French language.
My children break into song in French out of the blue, while playing or running around outside. Their pronunciation may not be all there and they may not understand everything they are saying, but it’s a start. Plus, it is a great opportunity for me to join them in song. Sometimes I exaggerate a bit the correct pronunciation so they can correct themselves. Other times I just sing and have fun along with them.
I highly recommend the Allons Danser! CD above any other language learning CDs I have bought – and I bought a few.
Disclaimer; I received a free copy of the product above in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I compensated in any other way. The Amazon links above are affiliate links. All opinions I have expressed here are my own or those of my family. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC Regulations.
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We have this CD too (and the corresponding DVDs) and we love it as well! Such fun songs. I love hearing my children sing “quand je serai grand…”! My husband is learning French for the first time as well, and he will suddenly burst out “les petits poissons…” I think it’s fabulous 🙂 Great review!