Daycare Lesson Plans on French Culture

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Daycare lesson plans on French culture can be both fun and educational, incorporating language, food, art, music, and traditions into your home daycare lesson plans. These activities will help children experience the richness of French heritage in an engaging and age-appropriate way. Introducing children to different cultures at a young age helps foster curiosity, empathy, and global awareness.

For a printable 2-week lesson plan with a supply list, daily schedule, and the Oklahoma ELGs for these Daycare Lesson Plans on French Culture, check out our listing on Etsy.

Young children can learn so much from the heritage of French people. Social studies teach different ways that other people practice their cultural traditions.

Preschool children and young kids can benefit in so many ways from exploring other cultures. It improves language development, critical thinking, cultural appreciation, social sciences and so much more. Exposing kids to as many things as possible when they are young builds pathways for future learning.

Early childhood education should be filled with a variety of daily activities that will expose children to all kinds of learning. 

1. Introduction to France

• Show a globe or world map and locate France.
• I love to start every unit we do with a book, we used this Paris board book to introduce some famous french things.
• Introduce the French flag (blue, white, and red) and allow children to create their own flag using colored paper.

2. French Language Fun

• Teach children how to count from 1 to 10 in French using flashcards.
• Teach a few basic French words such as “Bonjour” (hello) and “Merci” (thank you).
• Play a “Simon Says” game using French commands like “saute” (jump) and “tourne” (turn).
• Sing a simple French nursery rhyme such as Frère Jacques and encourage children to repeat it.

3. French Cuisine Exploration

• Show pictures of common French foods such as baguettes, croissants, and cheese.
• Let children try a mini French food tasting session with simple foods like bread, cheese, and fruit.
• Engage in a pretend play bakery where children can “make” and “sell” French pastries.
• Make and taste foods such as brioche, chocolate mousse, or ratatouille.

4. French Art and Creativity

• Show famous paintings by French artists such as Claude Monet or Henri Matisse. There are so many great French artists! We did a study on Matisse using this book Henri’s Scissors and cut and made collages.
• Provide materials for children to create their own impressionist-style paintings using soft brush strokes.

5. French Music and Dance

• Play traditional French music and let children dance freely.
• Introduce simple French folk dances using scarves or ribbons.
• Provide toy instruments such as tambourines or maracas to play along with the music.

6. Exploring French Landmarks

• Show pictures of the Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame Cathedral, and the Louvre Museum.
• Build mini Eiffel Towers using blocks or LEGOs.
• Set up a pretend airplane ride where children “travel” to France and explore famous sights.

7. Storytime with French Books

• Read a French storybook like Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans.
• Discuss the main characters and themes in the story.
• Encourage children to draw their favorite part of the story.

8. French Holiday Traditions

• Discuss Bastille Day and how it is celebrated in France.
• Create tricolor decorations (red, white, and blue) to represent French national pride.
• Teach children about French Christmas traditions such as leaving shoes out for gifts.
• Have a parade and snacks to celebrate Bastille Day. (It’s July 14th)

9. French Games

• Play a simple version of the traditional French game Pétanque using soft balls.
• Organize a “Tour de France” bike or tricycle race.
• Play First Orchard. It’s a really fun French game!

10. Grow French Food

• Plant a garden with traditional French food such as leeks, carrots, swiss chard, and more.
• Let the kids tend and harvest the garden and use your veggies to make fun dishes with the kids.
• We grew Parisian carrots, leeks, French cucumbers, and Swiss chard in ours last summer. The kids loved it.

Teaching children about French culture through immersive, hands-on activities helps them develop an appreciation for diversity and global traditions. Whether through food, music, art, or language, these daycare lesson plans create a fun and engaging way for young learners to explore France. Try incorporating some of these activities in your daycare and watch the excitement grow!

For more cultural lesson plans for your daycare, check these out:

• These Daycare Lesson Plans on Korean Culture are full of ideas to learn more about Korean heritage with games, food, and fun.
• These Daycare Lesson Plans on Native American Culture teach about Native American customs and skills. Have fun learning the old ways.
• These Daycare Lesson Plans on Irish Culture help kids learn about the luck of the Irish and some fun traditions.
• These Daycare Lesson Plans on Shakespeare are fun to explore while learning poetry, dramatic play, and some old skills such as making a quill pen.
• Use this Daycare Lesson Plans on Picasso to teach kids enrichment lessons about fine arts and abstract creations.
• We love the Daycare Lesson Plans on Jackson Pollock which are full of personal expression and modern art ideas.
• These Daycare Lesson Plans on Wuthering Heights are a great classic literature set that introduces kids to a classic novel while teaching them about weather as well.