Children Activities in French in Paris
Many expatriates with children/nieces/nephews/grandchildren live in Paris either long or short term. At an activity I attended the other day, a mother asked me: ” How do I find things for my children to do, work on their French language and have fun in Paris?”
The more I searched, the more I kept finding more information. I knew I had some things on my website, but the amount of information keeps growing. I knew of Que Faire à Paris, and then I found out about the quizzes on Paris d’Enfants. I searched and searched. The choices are endless. The Paris Mayor’s office has activities for children who speak French. A browser search pulls up a list of cooking classes. Applications are available for your phone or tablet for the weekly entertainment magazines, for Paris walks and for activities along the Left Bank of the Seine.
Children who speak French?
For those of you who have children who speak French, up-to-date activities for children (in French) use the Paris Mayor’s website for Paris d’Enfants. The association, Paris d’enfants, has suggestions for families and school groups with over fifty tours and activities such as rallies, scavenger hunts, museum, monument and neighborhood visits.
Example of a Quiz (in French):
Get out your magnifying glass and test your knowledge of Paris
When did our distant cousin, Lucy, live? You can admire a reproduction of her skeleton at the Musée de l’Homme….
• about 1 million years ago
• about 2 million years ago
• about 3 million years ago
For a birthday party at a museum, monument or neighborhood, reserve a treasure or scavenger hunt or solve riddles – over 40 opportunities to discover secrets of Paris. Download the Paris d’Enfants activities catalog.
Que faire à Paris? – The Que faire à Paris website enfants page is a true Ali Baba’s cave to explore. The site (English available) is also part of the Paris Mayor’s office. Meant for families who speak French this site also provides information on events, exhibits, entertainment, concerts, story telling and films (children’s page only in French). Included on the home page is a map where to find the events for today, tomorrow or this week and what is free. The “selection” page lists and describes the activities for the week.
Here is a sample of a movie trailer found on the Que faire à Paris one week. The Khoury Project on YouTube is an animated film/concert that took place at Le Monde Arab – the adventures of Prince Ahmed. Want a quick reference for Que faire à Paris? Download the application at the App Store and on Google play.
On the Que faire site, check out their weekly activities for children (and adults) along Berges de Seine (Les Berges) on the left Bank. The French site mentions an application for Paris walks, which include Les Berges. For the English version of the app, go to Ecowalks Paris on iTunes.
Cooking classes for children
Taste festivals came to Paris in 2014 with the first Taste of Paris. Entering early, gives you a chance to sign up the children for cooking classes. Want to leave the children with their own Taste acvities and enjoy the Taste? Check out the upcoming Taste Festival dates for more information.
After visiting the Taste, I found a guide for ateliers de cuisine (cooking classes) on the .evous activities website. It is updated every school year. Scroll down to the block: “Guide des ateliers de cuisine“. The list includes cooking classes at home for a group of children or attending classes outside the home. Do a browser search with the words: “cours de cuisine enfants paris“.
Books, magazines, theater and concert activities for children
Welcome to the 21st century! Apps are now available for l’officiel des spectacles and Pariscope in iTunes. Search the names l’officiel des spectacles and Pariscope.
The weekly magazine l’officiel des spectacles and Pariscope (Facebook) has sections for children. This small format magazine is available in hard copy. New editions turn up weekly in the kiosks on Wednesday. l’Officiel has a very accurate and up-to-date website.
You really have to search the Pariscope Facebook page for information. You can also find them on Twitter: @lofficiel @Pariscope_ .Pariscope – no longer publishes the weekly magazine as of October 2016.
You can use the application available in Apple Store and Google Play. More on the Pariscope Facebook page.
Visit a website called Journaux.fr to find a listing of all the magazines available for children (enfants) between the ages of 0-4 years, 4 to 9, and 10 to 15. Above those ages, scroll down to “jeunes“.
