Nursery rhymes are a great way to introduce your children to French numbers, days of the week, animals… while having fun. As little children are natural musicians, singing will help them memorize new things and discover French culture without even realizing it! Maybe you are nostalgic for your own nursery rhymes, too!
French nursery rhymes
Discovering a new culture often goes hand in hand with learning a foreign language. By choosing French nursery rhymes on Storyplay’r, you can make your children listen to the same songs as any child in France!
For your little ones
Une souris verte is one of the most famous French nursery rhymes. It is one of these songs with cute animals, meant for very little children as the lyrics do not hold a lot of meaning. Discover Une souris verte with illustrations by Dorothée Duntze on Storyplay’r!
Improving their memory
Some French nursery rhymes actually sound like games! You have to memorize more and more details as the song goes on. For example, Là-haut sur la montagne describes a scene, with short sentences, at first from a distance, then more and more closely: from a house on a mountain to a little egg on the branch of a tree…
Learning French through songs
Singing French songs is also a way to learn new words, and improve French fluency and pronunciation. A few short nursery rhymes can go a long way and will encourage your child to discover French culture.
Some French nursery rhymes simply tell little stories, like Pirouette Cacahuète or Un éléphant qui se balançait; French children love how funny and joyful these songs are.
Others might introduce your child to useful concepts; the French word for nursery rhymes is comptine, which comes from compter, to count. There were originally little songs meant to teach children how to count. Comptine has been generalized to all nursery rhymes, which can still contain instructional content: for example, how to tell time. You can discover Quelle heure est-il by Dorothé Duntze on Storyplay’r; this nursery rhyme is very well-known and has several variations in French!
English nursery rhymes in French
You do not have to limit yourself to specifically French songs, you can also listen to songs from various cultures… in French. Some English nursery rhymes have their equivalent in French: for example, the well-known “Head Shoulders Knees and Toes” is literally traduced as “Tête, Épaule et Genoux Pieds”, with the same choreography!
Discovering bilingual French-English books is a way to navigate between both languages and find such amusing references.
Nursery rhymes and lullabies…
Most of these nursery rhymes are catchy and exciting. You can also look for lullabies, which is also a distinct word in French: une berceuse, derived from bercer (to cradle).
Not in the mood to sing? Discover our French bedtime stories!
