Activities for Hosting a French Themed Day for Kids

Are you looking for French Day Activities including French Games For Kids and French art activities For Kids

You’ve reached the right place! This guide will share 34 fun French theme activities for kids that will keep your students or children busy for hours. 

Why teach children about France? Kids love learning about other cultures and the histories of other countries. 

France is a particularly interesting country because of its rich culinary traditions and close ties with the United States

This article is packed with:

  • French games for kids
  • French club ideas
  • French art activities
  • Fun french lessons for kids
  • French day activities
  • French classroom decoration ideas

Let’s check them out!

‘Traveling Around the World’ are great themes for multicultural experiences as well as popular for classroom, day camp and childcare programs!

Category resources available at this time are:

French fashion show themes for kids

Paris…one of the fashion centers of the world! So naturally let’s HOLD A FASHION SHOW!

Following are three different ideas… (From Drama Category)
This is fun for Day Camp, in stages for an event …or full days of programming…

Props that would be helpful are: spotlights; a backdrop; if possible, a raised platform/ stage or catwalk; music and sound system…

1. French fashion show for kids

First session: Putting on a fashion show can be fun for all players, especially if everyone gets to choose the role they will play.

In the planning stages, have participants decide on a theme for the show (such as fall fashions or holiday outfits); plan music and which roles children will play.

Both male and female models would be nice; you’ll also need designers, emcees, a journalist or two, and photographer.

Help the players plan the setup; where youth will enter and exit—as well as where the audience will sit.

Make a list of special clothing to wear during the show and any other props you may need. If you have the “#3-WACKY” version below-you’ll also have to make the outfits.

Second session: Give members time to set up the show and get organized. Get the audience seated a let the show begin!

2. Failed French Fashion Show

Rehearse a fashion show in which everything goes wrong ( On purpose ) It’s fun but not easy to do.

Example: The emcee trips over the microphone cord, or models wear things that don’t fit-and don’t go together. Think of all the silliness you can!

3. French Hair Show Themed Ideas

One activity that I facilitated while managing a summer camp was to have a “wacky hair-do and fashion show”.

The staff and kids “in fantasy fashion” back-combed, jelled, and styled each other’s hair while others designed, drew, cut-out, and taped outfits using roll-paper.

They also used paints/ markers, tape, and accessories! Of course, there was also a fantasy make-up.

It was great fun!!! ( Barb Shelby ) When the hair and costumes were complete, a show was held for the rest of the day-campers!

NOTE: Any of the final stage above ideas would be great for a family event.

French Art Activities

Art-crafts-decorations and French classroom decorations

A picture of craft materials such as ribbons, rulers, pencils, scissors and an Eiffel Tower cutout. Text reads french themed art activity ideas for kids.

4. French Maps and French Flags For Kids

Put up maps of France and make French flags also.

Hang ( or make ) a large French flag on the wall; set up a photography area in front of the flag where you can take photos of kids. ( Be sure to first get parental permission to photograph )

5. French Classroom Decorations

In big bold letters write some of the French words (See below in teaching French words) and phrases on card-stock.

Hang these on the walls! You could write the words in French and English ( or your language ), or put pictures below the French word! 

The children will literally be reading the walls!  They make fun french lessons for kids.

6. French Classroom Decorations – Balloons

Get plenty of blue, white and red balloons for your decorations. These represent the three colors of the French tricolor.

7. Dress in French Colors

Have all children and staff members wear versions of blue, white, and red!

8. Eiffel tower activities for kids

An Eiffel tower made from legos. There's a toy monkey climbing the tower and theirs a lego motorcycle and construction worker at the base.

Make Eiffel Towers using LEGOS or Toothpicks and marshmallows or spaghetti and gum drops.

You can  challenge the children to make Eifel Towers using any of the above materials! If using Legos.

Gather all you can and see what the kids come up with…the tallest, straightest, most curvy, smallest, unique, realistic, etc.

There is also a great idea below under ‘games at #6’…where kids team up and build towers using ‘straws and tape’!

Traditional French Arts and Crafts

Experiment with all kinds of painting  ( watercolor, finger paint, tempera, etc )

Visit the ‘Paint and Color Recipe/Idea Category’ on this site as well as ‘Art Activities Category’! Tons of wonderful ideas to try.

9. French Impressionist Paintings For Kids

Paint impressionist murals do this with small groups of kids for each mural.

10. Create French Jewellery

String bleu-blanc-rouge pony beads onto string, yarn or elastic for necklaces ( Blue, white, red-the colors of France )

11. Create Papier Maché French Art

Try some Papier Maché ( See Pinatas-Paper Maché category )

12. Run an Outdoor French Market

For fun and an authentic French atmosphere, set up an open air market and cafe area.

  • Set up tables covered in red and white cloth or roll paper. Have snacks and play board games in this area!
  • This would also be a great place to display your completed classroom/camp/program arts and crafts!
  • You could also decorate/fill this area with FLOWERS!

See ‘Flower Category’ for ideas on making paper flowers.

13. Paint T-Shits French

A 3/4 sleeve black and white shirt with french words Oui Oui on it.

with French words such as ‘Oui’!

French Sports for Kids

14. Tour de France for Kids

Have a bike day- ( In honor of Tour de France )

Have the kids bring their bikes and have a bike race-but make it the ‘slowest bike’ is the winner!

Slow bicycle race. How slowly can you ride a bike without touching the ground?

Safety Rules. 

You must wear a helmet on your head when you are on a bike and both wheels of the bike must be on the ground at all times, so…

  • NO Bunny hops
  • NO Wheelies
  • NO flying through the air in general
  • Stay in your team’s track
  • Watch out for your classmates.

Directions: Eachperson will ride a bike through a track two times in a row. Make the track a rectangle about 20 feet ( 6 meters ) long and 2 feet ( 60 centimeters ) wide.

You have to ride the bike through the track as slowly as you can. Use a stopwatch to time how long each ride takes:

  • Start the timer when the bike’s back tire enters the track.
  • Stop the timer when the bike’s back tire leaves the track or if the rider’s foot touches the ground
  • Record the time of each ride on the Slow Bicycle Race Data Chart: Give each person two turns in a row and record everyone’s times.

To calculate how slow your team went– you need to know:

15. Kids Bike Decorations

Using crepe paper and streamers, have the kids decorate their bikes with blue, white, and red crepe paper ( Colors of France. ) 

You can also attach playing cards to the frame so they hit the spokes & sound like a wheel of fortune.

French Language Games For Kids

To incorporate a foreign language into your curriculum, all one needs is first-year language!

Teaching greetings, ‘Thank-you and Your Welcome, ‘Yes and No’ along with a few phrases and numbers is all that is needed for fun french lessons for kids.

If no-one speaks French-can you invite someone that does?

  • Great Idea, invite your local high school french class to share in the festivities! Beside teaching simple phrases there are many more activities they could share both your ideas and some of their own!
  • Have name tags with kids names written in french for them to wear ( Peter would be Pierre ) Purchase a French name book to look up names. Checking Amazon.com. There are French name books starting at 99 cents for used.

16. Polite phrases in french

  • Hell-o (good day) = bonjour (bone-je-or)
  • Good evening = bonsoir (bone-swa-r)
  • Please = s’il vous plaît (seel-voo-play)
  • Thank you = merci (mare-see),
  • Excuse me = excuse moi (x-kyoos-eh-mwa)
  • Good night = bon nuit (bone noo-ee)
  • Good-bye = au revoir (O rev-wa-r)
  • I’m sorry = je suis dé solé (je swee des-o-lay)

17. Colors in french

  • Red = rouge (roo-je)
  • Orange = orange (oh-ran-je)
  • Yellow = jaune (je-awn)
  • Green = vert (var)
  • Blue = bleu (bl-oo)
  • Purple = violet (vee-o-lay)
  • Pink = rose (row-s)
  • White = blanc (bl-an)
  • Black = noir (noo-ar)

18. Food in french

Breadle pain (le pahn)
Milkle lait (le lay)
Bananale banane (le ba-nahn)
Applele pomme (le pahm)
Juicele jus (le je-oo)
Orangeorange (oh-ran-je)
Tomatole tomate (le toe-maht)
Cheesele fromage (le froh-ma-je)
Hot dogle hot dog (le oht-dog)
Hamburgerle hamburger (le am-bur-ger)
Sandwichle sandwich (le sand-weech)

French Songs For Kids

19. Teach and sing ‘frere jacques’

Sing in French and then in English! When children know the words, get a round going!

Frère Jacques,

Frère Jacques,

Dormez vous?

Dormez vous?

Sonnez les matines,

Sonnez les matines,

Din, din, don!

Din, din, don!

English Version:

Are you sleeping, Are you sleeping? Brother John? Brother John? Morning bells are ringing, Morning bells are ringing, Ding ding dong, Ding ding dong.

A more literal translation of the French lyrics is:

Brother James, brother James,
Are you sleeping? Are you sleeping?
Ring the morning bells! Ring the morning bells!
Ding, dang, dong. Ding, dang, dong

French Cooking For Kids

A vegetable tray with dip.

20. French Snacks For Kids

  • French bread
  • Cheese and cracker  platter
  • Crudités ( veggies ) with dip
  • Fresh fruit
  • Chocolate dipped strawberries
  • Pome Frette’s ( French fries ) with vinegar and oil
  • Crepes
  • French toast
  • Petite Fours ( Very small  glazed cakes )
  • Croissants
  • Quiche
  • Chocolate mousse
  • Petit beurre cookie ( literally “little butter” ) A small rectangular cookie that can be purchased in French food shops, also Macaroons, Madeline cookies

21. French chocolate sandwich for kids

Karen, a middle school French teacher, shares that a favorite of her students on food days is the chocolate sandwich.
Take two pieces of bread ( French, bien sur! ) and put a plain chocolate bar in between. Voila! A typical French child’s favorite after school snack.

22. french escargot

Do you have an adventurous group of kids? Send home a permission slip for snail tasting. take photos and award an “I ate an escargot” certificate!

23. French drink recipes for kids

  • Pink fizzy punch in plastic cups or wine glasses would be a fun drink-as well as.
  • Carafes of juice (Purple and White grape juice)

French games for kids

24. Play soccer

25. French games for kids – strike a pose game

A game to go with the above ‘French Fashion’ Theme

  1. Form a circle. Each person chooses one other person in the circle to secretly watch.
  2. 2. Everyone closes their eyes and strikes a pose.
  3. 3. On “GO” everyone opens their eyes and begins to copy the person they chose to watch. (In posture, pose, stance, etc.)
  4. Watch as the whole team morphs into the same pose!

26. French Theme Puzzle Games

On the game tables, put French-themed puzzles, card games, concentration games.

27. French Language Games For Kids

Set up the computer center with language learning games.

28. Simon Says in French

Play ‘Jacques Dit’ which is ‘Simon Says’ in French

29. Eiffel Tower Activities For Kids

Have an Eifel tower building contest!

  • Split kids up into pairs or teams.
  • Give each team a set amount of straws and tape Example: 25 straws & 2 feet of masking tape (or more of each)
  • Set a pre-determined time to build the free-standing ‘Eiffel’ tower.
  • For teamwork and creativity give certificate for the tallest, shortest, straightest, most leaning, most authentic, most realistic, most unusual or unique, most original, most humorous, etc.

Be sure to leave the towers on display in the ‘Open Air Market’ or ‘Cafe’ area! (Maybe a wide hall area or in the cafeteria of your camp or program space?)

How was the Eiffel Tower Built?  Watch this video:

30) Kid’s French Scavenger Hunt

Select an older child, staff member, or volunteer French Class student to be a tour guide. 

Have the ‘Tour Guide” facilitate a scavenger hunt for famous Paris monuments. The monuments can be pictures, posters, and postcards scattered around the inside and outside of the building!

Example: Mont St Michel, Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame,Moulin Rouge,The Louvre, France Miniature theme park,etc. Famous French works of art could also be included.

Most Popular French Artists:

You could also include Picasso. Although born in Spain, he spent much of his life living and painting in Paris.

Along with Henri Matisse, he is considered one of the greatest artists of the 20th century.

Pictures of famous monuments and art can easily be found on the internet. This would also be an excellent learning opportunity! Discuss the monuments and art before children search!

31. French Games For Kids – pantomime

  • Invite someone to teach-demonstrate mime!
  • Play mime drama games. See the pantomime category all kinds of ideas there!

32. French Games For Kids – petanque

Teach/play the traditional game of petanque or French lawn bowling.

The game of boules, otherwise known as petanqué, is perhaps the sport that is closest to French hearts.

Similar to British lawn bowling or Italian bocce. However, with bocce the ball is rolled and with pétanque the ball is thrown.

33. French Art Activities – Artists and Blobs

Honoring both the art and fashion of france-play ‘artists and BLOBS’.

Have children work in 2 or 3 person teams. Ask each team to pick an ‘A’ and a ‘B’. ‘A’s’ are the artists, and ‘B’s’ are the blobs.

The artist (s) forms his/her partner into some kind of statue. The blob relaxes as much as possible until the statue is formed, then tries to hold that pose.

( Tip: Play music while artists are forming blobs. It goes a lot better with music in the background. )

When art works are complete have artists walk about and admire each other’s creations!

A picture of the book cover for Mr Chicken goes to Paris by Leigh Hobbs.

The following ideas come from a visitor to KidActivities who happens to facilitate a French Club for High School Students!

Hello, I just wanted to add some suggestions to the French Page of your site. (I stumbled upon it looking for ideas for my French Club in high school this year)

A good french-like beverages are sparkling cider & Oragina. Oragina is particularly favored in France.

A good children’s book is “Mr. Chicken goes to Paris” by Leigh Hobbs. I bought this book at the Louvre in France.

I thought it was ridiculous, but I couldn’t put it down. It is an adorable book, with humor I’ve found people of all ages love.
Best Regards,
-K. Leann

Thank you for taking the time to send this Ms. Leann! Barb

French Books For Children 

34. List of children books-set in France

( All books can be purchased at Amazon.com-starting used at .01 cents! )

  • A Brave Soldier by Nicolas Debon
  • A Poodle in Paris by Connie Kaldor
  • Adele & Simon by Barbara McClintock
  • Anatole by Eve Titus
  • Andy Says … Bonjour! by Pat Diska
  • Belinda in Paris by Amy Young
  • Charlotte in Paris by Joan Knight
  • Chloe’s Birthday . . . and Me (Anne Schwartz Books) by Giselle Potter
  • Crepes by Suzette by Monica Wellington
  • Eloise in Paris (Eloise Series) by Kay Thompson
  • French Kitty in Kitty Goes to Paris by Mighty Fine
  • Happy Orpheline by Natalie Savage Carlson
  • I, Crocodile by Fred Marcellino
  • Jeanne-Marie in Gay Paris by Francoise
  • Linnea in Monet’s Garden by Claude Monet
  • Madeline, Reissue of 1939 edition by Ernesto Livon-Grosman
  • Marie: An Invitation to Dance (Girlhood Journeys) by Lyn Durham
  • Mirette on the High Wire by Emily Arnold McCully
  • Moi and Marie Antoinette by Lynn Cullen
  • Ooh-la-la (Max in Love) (Picture Puffin) by Maira Kalman
  • Pancakes – Paris by Claire Huchet Bishop
  • Postmark Paris: A Story in Stamps by Leslie Jonath
  • Remy’s Adventure in Paris (Ratatouille) by tk
  • Secret Letters From 0 To 10 (Puffin Books) by Susie Hoch Morgenstern
  • Suzette and the Puppy: A Story About Mary Cassatt (Young readers) by Joan Sweeney
  • The Cat Who Walked Across France by Kate Banks
  • The Cows Are Going to Paris by David Kirby
  • The Family Under the Bridge by Natalie Savage Carlson
  • The Giraffe of King Charles X by Miche Wynants
  • The Glorious Flight: Across the Channel with Louis Bleriot July 25, 1909 by Alice Provensen
  • The Happy Lion by Louise Fatio
  • The House of the Four Winds by Colette Vivier
  • Miss Panda in France by Ambika Mathur-Kamat
  • The Mona Lisa Caper by Rick Jacobson
  • The Shadow Children by Steven Schnur
  • This is Paris (This is . . .) by M. Sasek
  • Tino Turtle Travels to Paris, France by Carolyn L. Ahern
  • Tosca’s Paris Adventure by Abby Wasserman

‘Traveling Around the World’ are great themes for multicultural experiences as well as popular for classroom, day camp, and childcare programs! 

Bonus – Invite a guest speaker

Invite a French speaker to teach the kids about the French culture and people. This could be a great opportunity for the kids to learn by a real person and also hear the language from a first person experience.

Category resources available at this time are:

A Pinterest image with a picture of a child with a bow tie and a french-themed mustache drawn on him. He's holding loafs of bread and a bow tie. Another picture of a girl dressed in attire for pantomime. Text reads 34 French themed activities and games for kids.

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