If you’re looking for a Valentine’s Day activity that will also help your child learn French in a fun way, this Montessori practical life activity is perfect if your child already has some practice using scissors. Not only does this French activity for kids provide them with exposure to new vocabulary, but it also cultivates an appreciation for beauty and nature while enabling them to practice their fine motor and sequencing skills.
Related: Happy Valentine’s Day in French: activity for kids
What you will need
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| A pitcher of water | un pichet d’eau |
| A vase | un vase |
| Scissors | des ciseaux |
| Flowers | des fleurs |
| A small towel | une petite serviette |
| A tray | un plateau |
| A bowl | un bol |
Setup
Present the items above on a tray in front of your child. The bowl will serve to collect the discarded parts of the flower. You can point to each item and say the French name out loud or ask your child what they see on the tray.
I used tulips, but I wish I had opted for flowers with a thinner stem.
Tulips – des tulipes
Instructions
While you can give verbal instructions to your child, if it’s their first flower arranging activity, it’s best to demonstrate the activity. They are more likely to remember the sequence of steps if they see it in action.
You can start with pouring the water into the vase. Then, place one flower next to the vase to figure out how much of the stem you need to trim. Cut the stem carefully with scissors and remove some of the outer leaves if you’d like. Place the discarded parts of the stem and extra leaves in the bowl, and put the cut flower in the vase. Wipe any water that may have spilled with the small towel to demonstrate its purpose for this activity.
You can then invite your child to try the activity on their own.
Clean up and display
I like getting Surya to participate in the cleanup, so she put all the discarded trimmings in our tabletop compost bin and wiped her tray.
She proudly displayed her vase and flowers on new new table.
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