A simple game of dominoes can be a fun way to teach French to kids. It also allows families to spend quality time together, especially during these rainy fall days. Depending on the age of your child, you can adapt the rules so that they get the most out of the game.
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Teach French verbs
There are many verbs that you can introduce and practice with your child while playing dominoes.
To place the dominoes – poser les pièces or poser les dominos
To shuffle the dominoes – mélanger les dominos
To start the game – commencer la partie
Concepts to teach kids
Since little hands can easily handle dominoes, you can have your child be in charge of the very important task of putting each one face-down at the beginning of each game.
To place dominoes face-down – poser les pièces à l’envers
To place face-up – poser les pièces à l’endroit
Dominoes can also provide the perfect opportunity to introduce or practice the concepts of clockwise and anticlockwise as you discuss the direction in which players will have their turns.
Clockwise – le sens horaire, le sens des aiguilles d’une montre
Counterclockwise, anticlockwise – le sens antihoraire, le sens inverse des aiguilles d’une montre
Different types of dominoes for kids
There are many different types of dominoes for kids, and depending on which one(s) you choose, you can focus on a variety of learning outcomes.
Numbers
A classic domino set like the one below is a great tool to teach counting with 1 to 1 correspondence to kids.
Related: Counting in French: One to ten (1 to 10)
Colours
If your child is too young for 1:1 correspondence, you can focus on practicing colours in French with a set like the Melissa & Doug Dominoes.
Learn colours in French: matching activity for kids
Animals
I bought a simple set of animal dominoes from the dollar store, but there are many great options on Amazon, like this farm animal domino set.
What other types of dominoes have you found to teach French to kids?
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