It should come as no surprise that the vast majority of free fun French learning activities are available through computer use. Not only can computer games for improving or learning French be found online, but you can also find a slew of other French resources like French chat rooms.
The type of activities that you do with the computer will depend on the age of the person and on the type of learning you'd like to do. If you are looking for some fun ways to engage kids in French learning, you'll be looking for different resources than if you are an adult looking to brush up on the French you had in high school, or start learning French from square one.
Free Fun French Learning Activities
Online options abound, so there's really no need to buy expensive computer software in order to learn or improve your French. Of course, if you have a child that you would prefer not be online, then buying software on CD is a good option. However, if you're looking for free resources online, there are plenty!
Online Games For Kids
There are a variety of online French lessons and games for kids.
- Lingua Centra: The motto of this site is: on apprend mieux en jouant (one learns more by playing. You will find a variety of games here
- French Games Comme en France: Play games in French; there are multiple levels for different levels of speaking proficiency.
All kids enjoy playing games, whether in French or in any other language. If the games are in French, you have a win-win situation: your students will love it AND they will be learning French without even realizing that they are 'studying' or 'learning'.
Learning French for Adults
There is of course no reason that an adult beginning to speak French cannot benefit from playing games online as well. However, children's lessons will generally move slower than will a lesson geared towards an adult. If you're looking for something geared towards adults, but not boring, make sure to check out these options:
- French Assistant is a quiz generating site. Have a competition with a fello Francophile to see who gets more answers correct!
- BBC French is an excellent resource for listening to native speakers. What makes the site fun is that it is a multi media presentation--you can watch a video of someone hailing a taxi, or ordering food in a restaurant.
Learning French is Fun
If you find your current method of study boring or if you're seeking a place to go to make your students more excited about learning French, then online is the best place to seek fun and exciting French games.
