If you've had a baby in the past few years, you may be familiar with Mme. Amy and 123 Petits Pas!
With many different types of classes and offerings, she is often referred to parents with children of all ages who are looking for activities and wanting to get a head start on learning French. We both took some classes while on maternity leave and enjoyed the flexibility and fun that they offered.
Amy and I went to Ottawa University together so it was fun to reconnect in this space! We had the chance to hear her views on the importance of learning French and hear more about what her classes look like!
- Mahtab
Please tell us a little bit about yourself, personally and professionally.
I am a mom of 2, a certified French teacher, and the founder of 123 Petits Pas Inc.
I am passionate about helping families raise bilingual children (no matter how little French knowledge the parents have themselves to begin)! I am raising my own two children (6 years and 1.5 years) to speak French as their first language despite me being the only bilingual one in both my husband's and my family. I work hard to make French learning fun and more accessible throughout Canada.
Can you tell us a bit about your courses?
123 Petits Pas Inc. offers many different programs for families with children ages 0-9 years old. We offer a “Crash Course in Baby French” for parents with 0-2 year olds, weekly live classes for parents to learn French alongside their children, a homeschooling French program for Kindergarten, and even French baking lessons for families!
The goal is to make sure French is accessible, budget-friendly, and FUN for all. I do my best to “distract” families from the French learning aspect. My participants may join for the French practice, but their classes often become their family’s weekly bonding time and much more hobby-like than anything else.
What are the benefits of raising a bilingual child?
Bilingualism is incredibly beneficial to the brain. Studies show that a bilingual brain has better capacity for problem-solving, multi-tasking, creative thinking, and so much more. Not to mention that here in Ottawa, a knowledge of French and English is extremely beneficial later in life when it comes to job hunting. Despite this being common knowledge now, the problem is that many parents lack the confidence, time, and resources to support their child in French learning, and that’s where 123 Petits Pas comes in.
What can parents do daily at home to help children learn a second language?
Parents can support their children at home by introducing some key French words/phrases within their daily routines, playing fun French tunes, and reading French books!
It doesn’t need to be a big “chore”, keep it simple! Maybe do bath time in French or practice your counting every time you go up and downstairs. There are ample tips and tricks to introducing French at home on my Instagram page.
As a mom of 2 young kids, what does sleep look like for your family? Do you find, in your field of work, that sleep impacts learning for kids?
Sleep has been a struggle for my family during the early years of my little one’s lives and it can be really tough to manage! It’s something that I need to prioritize in order to be productive as a mother and as a business owner as well. A lack of sleep can actually result in difficulties at school/work, and your memory (which of course would affect language learning as well)! There’s a really great TedTalk by Matt Walker that talks about how important sleep is to your overall health and well-being.
www.123petitspas.com
www.instagram.com/123petitspas
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