Brampton - Across Ontario, all students will at some point study French.  The degree of support your child will require will definitely depend on which French program they are enrolled in: Core French, French Immersion, or Extended French.  One way to help your child is to find opportunities for him to hear and speak French.

Let's take a look at some of the things that your child can do either with the family or on his own.

•  Choose a daily or weekly French television show to watch from the following networks:

o RDI (Réseau d'information),
o RDS (Réseau des Sports),
o SRS (Société Radio-Canada),
o TFO (TVOntario),
o TVA (CHOT),
o TV5 (International)

•  Chose a French radio station from the following French stations to listen to while driving in the car:

o Société Radio Canada (CJBC 860 AM)
o CHRY (York University)
o CIUT FM 89,5 (University of Toronto)
o Radio Toronto (105,1 FM)
o 90.3 FM (Espace Musique)

•  Visit the French section of your local library on a weekly basis.Chose from French books, audio books, magazines, videos, and games.  You can even consider getting a subscription to a French magazine once you've found one you like at the library.

•  Use the free Dial-a-Story in French offered through the Toronto Public Library.  Call 416-395-5400 and follow the prompts.  There are two different stories to chose from on a daily basis – the younger children (7 and under) and the older children (9up to 12).

•  Watch your favorite DVD in French.Many DVD's will allow you to choose French as the language.

If you are looking at ways to help with reading and writing skills you might want to try some of these ideas:

•  Find out if your school has a pen pal program with a French school.If not, ask if they will help you set one up.  It's a perfect way to practice writing and reading in French.

•  Create a scrapbook where you keep track of new French vocabulary as you learn it.When possible include a picture or drawing that helps you remember what it means.It can be as creative and colorful as you want.

•  Ensure your next calendar is bilingual (English and French).

If you are serious about doing all that you can to help your child with their French education, I would strongly recommend joining Canadian Parents for French (www.cpfont.on.ca).  This is a non-profit charitable organization who carry out activities that support French as a second language (FSL) learning both in and outside of the classroom.