Gifts for a child learning French

At a glance

Just starting out

First Thousand Words in French Sticker Book (Usborne)

Busy scenes of everyday life, with stickers to place and the French word for each thing. It takes in a lot of vocabulary without feeling like a lesson. Usborne gives it as age 5+, with 76 pages and six pages of stickers. See it at Usborne

My First 100 Words card (for the Yoto player)

If they already have a Yoto, this card teaches words for favourite things, such as "fire engine" and "rainbow", in French, German, Spanish, Italian and English. It's a small way to get French into their ears, but it only works with a Yoto player, and French is one language of five. See it at Yoto

One Third Stories

A monthly story box for ages 4 to 9. Each book starts in English and moves gradually into French, and comes with flashcards, activities and an audiobook read by a native French speaker. The boxes build on each other, starting from box 1, so check with them how to buy one as a present. See it at One Third Stories

Ages 7 and up

Lettres de France (this one's ours)

A letter about one piece of French culture, from the Eiffel Tower to Victor Hugo, written to your child by Nathalie, a former French teacher born and raised in Paris. It comes in French with an English translation, so complete beginners can follow it. They also get Nathalie's audio reading, Discovery Sheets with puzzles and creative activities, and a French recipe to cook.

There are two levels: one for ages 7 to 11, and one for 12 and up, adults included. Gift cards cover 3, 6 or 12 letters, from £29 in the UK or £18 on Digital Only. After the last gift letter it becomes a Monthly subscription unless they cancel, and you're never charged again.

See the gift cards

KLOO Race to Paris

A board game for 1 to 4 players, with four decks of colour-coded word cards. You build French sentences, and the longer they are, the faster your car gets round the board to Paris. Players at different levels can share a game, which makes it a good one for the whole family. Younger players may need someone older beside them. See it at KLOO

Confident readers and teenagers

Le Petit Nicolas

Funny stories about a French schoolboy and his friends, by René Goscinny with drawings by Sempé, first published in 1959. These are in real French, so they suit a child a few years into the language, and a chapter at a time is plenty. More about the series

Astérix

Goscinny again, with Albert Uderzo's drawings. The pictures do a lot of the work, which helps with a harder text, though the wordplay can be tricky. Choose an album they already know in English, and they'll follow it far more easily. The official Astérix site

For families in or near London

Membership of the Institut français

The Institut français in South Kensington has a children's library, the Bibliothèque Quentin Blake, for readers up to 12: picture books, comics, novels and board games. Membership lets you borrow from it. For a child who reads a lot, it goes much further than a single book. See the membership options

A free extra for the card

Whatever you choose, you can print one of our free French word searches to tuck inside. Each is a single A4 page about one part of France, with nothing to sign up for. The past letters have a recipe too, if you'd rather give an afternoon in the kitchen.