Looking for engaging, prep-free, and effective French Back to School icebreaker activities for your Core French and/or French Immersion students? Don’t stress, fellow French teachers — because I’ve got you covered!

If you are looking for more ideas, be sure to read my blog post on general French Back to School activities. I also have a blog post on activities to do in the first week of school and activities to do in the second week of classes.

1. French Four Corners – jeu de quatre coins – the BEST French Back to School icebreaker IMO

To begin, this first French Back to School icebreaker activity is my students’ favourite.

How it works: Intermediate to advanced French students move to labelled corners of the French classroom (1-4) according to their opinion!

Why should you play this French icebreaker activity with your students?:

It’s a really great way to incorporate movement into the first week of school while getting to know your students AND reviewing important French vocabulary!

2. Levez-vous si…

Next, we’ve got another simple, but effective French ice breaker game.

How it works: project the slides. Explain to your students that as you class you will read the statement and they will stand up if it applies to them.

Why should you play this ice breaker with your students?:

This icebreaker is perfect for second-year language students. It’s also a great way to soft launch or review passé composé.

3. D’accord ou pas d’accord ?

Next up, we’ve got a (not so) controversial statements ice breaker.

How it works:
Explain to your students that one side of the classroom represents “d’accord” (I agree with the statement) and the other side represents “pas d’accord (I do not agree). Read the French statement projected on the board and have your French class move to the side of the room along an axis depending on whether they agree or disagree.

Why should you play this icebreaker with your students?:

This French Back to School icebreaker activity is a great way to soft launch the French conditional. I also think it’s super important to allow students to express their opinions.

4. Trouve quelqu’un qui…

This next one is a classic! a summer-themed Find someone who activity.

How it works:

Print and hand out this activity to your French class. They walk around the classroom and ask one another the questions.

In this free download, I’ve got present tense and past tense versions.

Why should you play this icebreaker with your students?:

This French Back to School icebreaker is a safe speaking activity for our students after a summer or multiple semesters without having French class.

5. Deux vérités et un mensonge

Last but least, we have got one of my favourite French Back to School icebreakers.

Two truths and a lie! I play this with every level of French except for absolute novice students.

How it works:

Begin by doing a Two truths and Lie sample activity about yourself. For high-novice students (second-year of French), I keep things really simple:

• Je suis née en Inde
• J’aime manger de la viande
• Ma saison préférée, c’est l’été.

I set this up on a slide and use images on Canva to help with any vocabulary.

Students then write their own on their sheet of paper. I go around the classroom circling errors where necessary. They correct them.

Finally, I have 1-2 students who type everyone’s statements onto slides.

Why should you play this icebreaker with your students?:

It’s a creative way to get to know your students. It incorporates review, community-building, French reading, writing AND listening. Honestly, could there be a better French Back to School icebreaker out there??

The post French Back to School Icebreaker Activities appeared first on FLE Avec MmeD.

Whether you teach Core French or French Immersion, brain breaks, and movement breaks are essential for every program and grade level. You have got to incorporate French Four Corners games into your French routines! Four Corners are interactive French vocabulary games that combine French vocabulary, movement, and interaction!

What is Four Corners?

Four Corners is a digital French game. You simply project a slide on your whiteboard. The slide has a question in the center. The slide is divided into four areas. Each area has a different potential answer.

Students see all of the potential answers and identify the one that resonates most with them.

They then get up and move to that corner.

Why are these interactive French vocabulary games awesome?

I LOVE these games for a bunch of reasons.

They are community-building French games

There’s this one in particular that I play with my students at the start of the school year or the new semester. My goal is for all of us to get to know each other more in a light-hearted manner.

Teach new French vocabulary or revise previously learned vocabulary

You can create games on any topic or theme you are learning in class. For example, if you are teaching a French food unit, you can introduce new vocabulary with a Food-themed four corners game.

Who can play these interactive French vocabulary games?

These games are ideal for middle or high school-aged students in Core French and/or French Immersion. Since there is visual support, beginner French students can for sure play these games.

Let’s dive into some potential themes

I spent several weekends creating these French vocabulary games for my classes. If you do not have the time or resources to do so, these are available for purchase in my TPT.

You are absolutely welcome to create your own!

Here are the themes I’ve created

La rentrée scolaire

Some of the questions are basic get-to-know-yous like “quelle est ta collation préférée?” and others are questions that will and should result in a class discussion like “what are the qualities of a good teacher” or “how do you feel about homework”.

I chose these types of questions because I truly believe that a classroom community requires transparency and communication.

If you teach intermediates, this is an ideal French vocabulary game for revision at the start of a new school year.

Les animaux + le comparatif

The theme of this French Four Corners game is les animaux!

 This French game is the perfect way to review or learn about animals in French and get comfortable with the French comparative words of PLUS and MOINS.

French Hobbies, Pastimes, Activities Four Corners Game

The theme of this French Four Corners game is les passe-temps, les loisirs, les sports, et plus. ! 

This French game is the perfect way to review or learn or learn about vocabulary related to French hobbies, pastimes, sports, and more. 

French Food Four Corners Game – La NOURRITURE

French Summer-themed Four Corners Game

In this game, students will learn and/or review French summer and vacation vocabulary.

This game is great for French vacation units!

The post Four Corners : Interactive French vocabulary games appeared first on FLE Avec MmeD.

I am a HUGE fan of teaching all about Francophone cultures in the French classroom. One of the best ways that I love to do this is to combine Francophone cultural knowledge, fun French games, and French reading comprehension. French trivia games do just that. French trivia games are a fun & engaging way to learn about Francophone cultures in the French classroom.

Who should play these French trivia games?

These games are ideal for intermediate-advanced French students, either in French Immersion or in Core French. I’ve specifically made these for high school Core French students.

Sidenote, if you’re looking for French games that are NOT trivia games, go read this blog post with tons of different ideas and suggestions.

How do you play these French trivia games?

Simply project these on your whiteboard and play!

What kinds of Francophone topics can you learn about with these games?

Honestly, the world is your oyster. However, here are some ideas from my own classroom.

Learn about Francophone countries and places around the world

I created this French trivia game to test my students’ knowledge on cultural, geographical, and historical facts about Francophone countries and regions around the world.

Teach about les changements climatiques with this powerful French trivia game

Whether you’re looking for a French Earth Day activity or you need a game to teach about climate change any day of the year, this French trivia game is for you!

Explore the celebration of Diwali in French class

I am a teacher in Canada and therefore I have the responsibility of increasing the representation of the cultures of my students in my classroom.

I made this French trivia game so that my own students could learn about Diwali in French.

In the BC French 9 curriculum, students compare their own cultures with francophone cultures. This game is perfect for that!

Take a virtual trip to Belgium with this French trivia game

Next up, we go on a virtual trip to the Francophone country of Belgium in this French trivia game. We learn cultural, historical, and geographical facts about Belgium!

Discover the beautiful country of Morocco

I LOVE teaching about Morocco! I find the history, geography, and culture of Morocco to be so unique and beautiful. This French trivia game is a great opportunity to learn about a Francophone country in detail while playing a French game!

Laissez les bons temps rouler and celebrate Mardi in your French classroom with this French game!

Mardi Gras is a Francophone (and non-Francophone) celebration that French teachers LOVE to teach about. Why not combine learning about Mardi Gras with a fun game? It is the best of both words.

Let’s break down the French trivia games!

A variety of different types of questions

Multiple choice, true or false, short answer — many different types of questions to get your students’ thinking about the topic they’re learning about

What is the right answer?

Check right away to see if your students were correct!

Learn all about the correct answer

The learning doesn’t stop there! Dig deeper into each answer and learn more about that particular question.

Check out the French trivia games bundle here

The post French Trivia Games for Increasing Knowledge and Engagement in the French Classroom appeared first on FLE Avec MmeD.

Are you looking for fun French games for the classroom? Look no further, you have definitely come to the right place! I am sharing with you 10 French learning games that my students LOVE. Some of these are online French games and others are physical games. Whether you are looking for French grammar games, French vocabulary games or multipurpose games — here are 11 fun games for French class!

1. A French vocabulary game – the French numbers game

To begin, this French learning game is perfect for beginner French classes. I play it with my students a few classes after teaching them French numbers. Additionally, it is just perfect for that first week of beginner French!

Goal of this French game : to practice French numbers

What you need : die (2-3 die per pair of students), a timer projected on the board, a piece of paper and a pencil per partner. My favourite online timer is bigtimer.net!

How it works :

• ask your students to partner up
• hand out 2-4 die to each set of partners
• set up a digital timer and project it on your board. I do 10 minutes.
• have your students roll the die and come up with as many (correct) addition equations in French as possible. For example, trois + cinq = huit
• After a few minutes, I begin to to add more die to their pile & halfway through the game I make them switch to multiplication!

2. La francophonie map game

My students are obsessed with this next French learning game! I always play it at the start of my first francophonie unit.

Goal of this French game : to see how well students can place francophone countries on the map. Hint : they can’t!

What you need : maps of francophone countries projected on the board, white board markers for students

How it works :

• distribute a whiteboard marker to each student OR use two for the whole class
• split your class up into two teams
• project a map of the world & name a francophone country
• one member per team has to run up to the board and circle that country correctly on the map
• team members can only assist vocally

If you are looking for this game without all of the hassles of prep, this French game is included in my régions francophones PowerPoint.

3. Quizlet Live

Next up is my students’ favourite online French game! My students love this game so much that they never ask for Kahoot anymore. In my classroom, we play Quizlet Live in teams, however, playing individually is also an option.

Goal of this French game : to work together as a team

What you need : a Quizlet account, a set (created by you or one you’ve searched up)

How it works :

• create or find a Quizlet set on a topic you have been studying in class
• go to the set
• click on the live button & start your game!
• a QR code or game code will appear on your screen
• students will join the game & create a name
• it will group students in teams next
• each time will have the same question, but each screen will have a number of possible answers. Only one screen will have the correct answer!

4. French Bingo Games – Halloween, Travel, Sports, Food

This next French vocabulary game is pretty self-explanatory! I have a few BINGO games printed, laminated & ready to go in my classroom. You would think that students would be indifferent to this old school game, but mine always beg for Bingo!

Goal of this French game : to practice key French vocabulary

What you need : printed/laminated Bingo cards, whiteboard markers & microfibre cloths for wiping

How it works :

• print and prep your Bingo games
• hand one out to each student, along with a whiteboard marker and microfibre cloth for erasing

5. Jeopardy

This next one is an oldie, but still a favourite French grammar game of my students! They get so into it, and my 90s/early 2000s heart gets so happy!

Goal of this French game : to practice key French grammar or vocabulary via this online French game

What you need : a pre-made & ready to go Jeopardy game or one you’ve searched up, individual whiteboards, whiteboard markers

How it works :

• find or create your Jeopardy game. I use jeopardylabs.net
• divide your students into pairs
• project the jeopardy game
• hand out 1 whiteboard + pen to each pair

6. French taboo

I recently played Taboo in English with my students and it was such a hit! The majority had never played this game ever before and they had so much fun! We ended up ordering French Taboo games from Amazon for our Grade 11 and 12 students. Disclaimer: I have yet to play this game, but it seems to be perfect for advanced French students!

Goal of this French game : to practice French vocabulary

What you need : French taboo (from Amazon or elsewhere)

How it works :

• purchase French Taboo
• split your class into two teams
• have one member from each team come up to the front for each round

7. French trivia games

Goal of this French game : to learn about a variety of different topics or review information about topics

What you need : pre-made French trivia games (or make them yourself), your computer, and projector and maybe even candy or stickers for prizes

How it works :

• Display the trivia game
• Remind students that you have to read the question as a class and they have to raise their hand and wait to be called upon
• Pick a student and see if their answer was correct!

8. Categories

I couldn’t make a list of my favourite fun French games without including Categories in it! Since having fun is one of my biggest priorities in French class, we always play Categories every few weeks!

Goal of this French game : to practice French vocabulary

What you need : a ball for tossing

How it works :

• take your students outside preferably or have them spread out evenly in the classroom
• state a category of French vocabulary your students will be familiar with
• toss the ball to the first person. They have to name a word in that category either before they catch the ball or within 2 seconds of catching the ball
• if they do not say a word within 2 seconds, they are out

Possible categories :

• matériel scolaire
• adjectifs
• sports
• activité avec faire
• couleurs
• aliments
• French irregular verbs
• French ER verbs

9. Vocabulary tag

Vocabulary tag is a fun French game perfect for any level of French! This game is actually very similar to Categories. The main difference is that this game is much more active than Categories. I would say it’s ideal for Elementary to Grade 8 students. It’s especially perfect if you feel that your students have tons of energy that needs to be released!

Goal of this French game : to practice French vocabulary

What you need : the outdoors or a gym

How it works :

• go outside or to your gym (if it’s available)
• decide on your category (see above)
• have students stand in a giant circle
• one person will be in the middle, they are “it”
• they run to someone in the circle and that person has to shout a word in the category you have selected
• if the person standing in the circle is too slow or does not say a word, they are now it!

10. Musical chairs without chairs

Musical chairs without chairs is another game I play with my beginner French students in the first week of French. We spend tons of time practicing French greetings and salutations. Therefore, this game is perfect for the first week of French class!

Goal of this French game : to practice French salutations, greetings and conversational basics

What you need : catchy French music & a loud speaker

How it works :

• create a French music playlist filled with catchy French songs
• play an upbeat French song
• have your students stand up and begin to walk around the classroom
• stop the music after 30 seconds or so and have your students turn to the person closest to them to have a quick conversation
• repeat!

11. Vocabulary pictionary

Last but not least is an interactive French vocabulary game that will result in tons of laughter & fun!

Goal of this French game : to practice French vocabulary

What you need : 1 whiteboard, 1 whiteboard marker & 1 whiteboard eraser per pair

How it works :

• create a list of French vocabulary that your students have recently been practicing in French class
• have students pair up and sit with their partner
• distribute 1 whiteboard and 1 whiteboard marker to each pair
• share a vocabulary term with your students. For example, ‘un chat’
• they must draw an image illustrating that vocabulary term and quickly throw it up in the air
• first pair to get it correct wins a point!

What French classroom games do you play with your French students?

Thank you so much for reading all the way to the bottom of this article! I hope that your students love all of these games for French class! What French vocabulary games or French grammar games do you play with your own students? Are there any online French games that your students are obsessed with? We would love to hear your recommendations in the comments below!

The post 10 fun French games for the classroom appeared first on FLE Avec MmeD.