Toddlers learn, laugh, and play en français better in person!
Small classes with strict safety guidelines are offered in person at FIAF to meet the needs of parents and children. Offered in the bright and spacious classrooms in FIAF’s beautiful Upper East Side building, the à petits pas program promotes a gentle French immersion experience in small groups to ensure individual attention for each child.
Our year-round à petits pas program encourages your petit to discover the language through a structured curriculum based on a child’s daily life, enriched with games, songs, dance, and arts-and-crafts. Classes are offered for toddlers who are new to French as well as those growing up in a French-speaking family. Our qualified and experienced teachers will make each class engaging and fun for your child.
This program will include topics such as introducing yourself, family, animals, seasons… among many other fun activities!
About à petits pas
Specifically designed for children ages 1–5 by experts in early childhood education, our curriculum emphasizes the importance of experiential and multi-sensory learning techniques to help children develop cognitively, socially, and emotionally. In this program, the teacher uses music, movement, visual arts, and theater-based games to teach toddlers French. Toddlers will be able to engage with the five senses, memorize vocabulary, understand and pronounce short sentences. Additionally, this program is very helpful if you are looking for a French or bilingual preschool.
In à petits pas classes, toddlers will socialize through the following interactive games and routines:
- Speaking: Conversation skills are emphasized through routine questions and weekly vocabulary.
- Singing: Toddlers will absorb the musicality of the language through songs and comptines.
- Moving: Toddlers will follow choreographed movements to associate words with movements. They will also relax and focus on words and ideas through yoga exercises.
- Reading: The teacher will read stories and poetry connected to the vocabulary.
- Creating: Toddlers will create visual artwork to review colors and shapes.
Parents receive vocabulary lists, selection of phrases, as well as Spotify song playlists for continued learning and fun at home. Emails are sent to parents on a regular basis to keep them abreast of the program including special events.
About à petits pas for Native French-Speakers
Designed especially for children already immersed in French through their parents or nanny, these classes are perfect for further developing a child’s French language skills while nurturing his/her multiculturalism.
Pre-K (Age 3–5)
Your child will be exposed to more French culture while improving his ability to express himself in French. With a curriculum based on children’s books, your child will enjoy classical “literature” and have the chance to practice the vocabulary he learns from the readings. Your child will be introduced to written language. Classes will also include engaging activities such as songs, arts-and-crafts projects, theater, games, and physical activities. Children practice lively routines in French that demonstrate the French savoir vivre.
à petits pas (age 2–3) is not required to take à petits pas (age 3–5).
This is a drop-off class. We can only accept children who are toilet-trained and accustomed to separation.