The concept of a mystery bag is pretty straightforward. You have to guess the name of treasures that are inside an opaque bag without seeing the items. Let me show you how you can make this a fun sensory activity using common toys and everyday objects to teach your child French.
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Animal names in French
Place a few plastic animal figurines into the bag, and place it on a table. Then, slide your hand into the bag and feel one object. While your hand is still in the bag, name the animal out loud in French and take it out of the bag.
“This animal has a long neck. It’s a giraffe.”
“Cet animal a un long cou. C’est une girafe.”
Then, invite your child to take a turn discovering what’s in the bag.
Related: Animal names in French: sticker matching activity for kids
Fruits in French
Let your child practice the names of fruits in French using what you already have at home: apples, bananas, kiwi, persimmons, strawberries, etc.
This time, instead of getting them to name the fruit as they explore it with their hands, you can ask them to find something specific.
Can you find the apple?
Peux-tu trouver la pomme?
Related: Summer fruits in French – Fruits d’été
Related: Tropical fruit names in French – Fruits tropicaux
Textures in French
Place objects that have unique textures into the bag. You can use whatever you have on hand or collect items while on a walk: pinecones, rocks, feathers, bark, etc.
You can ask them to find something based on texture:
Hard – dur (masculine), dure (feminine)
Soft – mou (masculine), molle (feminine)
Smooth – lisse (masculine and feminine)
Rough – rugueux (masculine), rugueuse (feminine)
Shapes in French
Place wooden shape blocks or puzzle pieces into the bag. Demonstrate the activity by sliding your hand into the bag and describing an item out loud. Then, say the name of the shape in French.
This shape has three sides. It’s a triangle.
Cette forme a trois côtés. C’est un triangle.
Take turns describing and naming the shapes in the bag.
Other possibilities
As you can see, there are many ways to use the mystery bag game to teach your child French at home. Some other ideas to explore are:
- Kitchen items (spoon, fork, straw)
- Vegetables (carrot, potato, pepper)
- Vehicles (bus, car, boat)
The best part about this game is that you can play it as a family and can vary the level of difficulty according to the age of your child.
How will you be using the mystery bag to teach your child French?
