As a book lover myself, I couldn’t wait for my son to understand the pleasure of reading and to experience the sensation of losing himself in an exciting new world.
But I didn’t know how or when to start the process, especially as Remy went to our local village French school here in south-west France, so official learning to read didn’t start until he was almost six. Should I have taught him to read in English before he started in French? Should I have been worried that if he learnt to read in French at school he’d never want to learn in English?
He wasn’t showing any desire to learn to read, but he was very aware that his friends of the same age in England could either already read or were well on the way to mastering it.
We explained to him that it’s just different in the UK – children start learning to read at age four or five, but in France they wait until the famous CP (classe préparatoire) when children are five or six.
Remy accepted it happily enough, but I’d sometimes hear him say: “I can’t read yet” when he was with his UK friends. This made me sad and I couldn’t help wondering if it was affecting his confidence – did he think he wasn’t clever enough to learn to read like his friends?
With all these questions whirling around in my head, I decided to investigate by speaking to some experts and parents who’d been through the same situation before.
FRANCE VS UK
First, I wanted to understand the differences between the two school systems and how they affect the child and the learning-to-read process.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der April 2020-Ausgabe von Living France.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der April 2020-Ausgabe von Living France.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
Guide To: Working For A Foreign Company
If your current employer is happy to let you continue working for them after you move to France, there are a number of rules and regulations to be aware of to ensure you stay on the right side of the law, as Catharine Higginson explains
On vintage soil
Life in the vineyards of Aude is a dream come true for Leicestershire-born Katie Jones who now successfully exports her wines back to the UK, as Brigitte Nicolas learns
KNOWLEDGE IS POWER
What happens if you are buying a French property but can’t attend the completion meeting at the notaire’s office in person? Matthew Cameron explains how a power of attorney can be used and how it works
In safe hands
There can be few more unusual homes than the 11th-century Château de Clérans, situated close to the Dordogne river in the Périgord Pourpre region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine.
THE CAPTAIN'S TABLE
Robin Ellis made his name as the original Captain Poldark but a diabetes diagnosis led the Tarn-based actor to add cookbook writing to his CV, as Richard Webber learns
My frugal France
Embracing modern technology could save you money and time on both the pleasures and essentials of life in France, says Laura Harley as she shares some of her favourite French apps
Hidden Talents
Moving to France enabled these three expats to switch off from busy careers and in turn discover new creative talents, says Gillian Harvey, who counts herself among them
Beauty to behold
With its legendary vineyards, charming old towns and rich gastronomy, Gironde is quintessential France at its best, as Alison Weeks discovers
AS SEEN ON SCREEN
A Dordogne town, a Charente city and a Pyrenean village all have a starring role in three new films hitting the big screen this year, joining a long list of French locations that have gone before them, as Vicky Leigh learns
A local's view
Trish and Mark Tyler run a beautifully restored chambres d’hôtes, set in six hectares of park and woodland near StÉmilion, which has a fascinating history