Customer Reviews

French for Kids: Learn French with Penelope and Pezi Beg. Level 1 Vol. 1

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I'm very surprised at the negative reviews. While this DVD is clearly not made from Walt Disney Studios, it does what it's supposed to do - introduce French words and phrases to children in an easy-to-follow way. The actors speak authentic French. What is taught is quite useful - introductions,counting, colors, playing, food, etc. The actors use these words and phrases within a simple storyline and they are again repeated during the review section. They are also repeated once more in the songs that are scattered throughout the DVD (the songs are pretty catchy by the way - more so than in other children's videos). So, if you are looking for pure entertainment,
this video is probably not for you but if you want a tool that can hold your child's attention and teach them French, then you should give this a try.

First, the good points of the DVD: the French phrases are useful ones; they are introduced logically, repeated often, and the quizzes give kids the chance to practice and reinforce. Now the negative: the quality of the acting and the graphics is really cheesy - which is not the end of the world, especially for kids ... but what bothers me most is that the sound quality is awful. Even being able to speak French myself, I had a hard time hearing what was said in several places, just because it's blurred and the sound level is inconsistent. Also, in many places the learning happens only through written cues onscreen, which is okay for an adult, but not for the preschool age that the DVD is suitable for. My 4 1/2 yr old can use the remote enough to get through the quizzes himself, but I still have to stick around to read the text to him! So, unfortunately, a good concept, but poorly executed. I would still buy this DVD though; my son enjoys it, and it's a useful learning tool. Just don't expect too much.

My kids (3 and 5 years old) enjoy very much the film. They love guessing the answers for the games, and are already starting to sing the French songs.
I find this film a very good complement to the French songs we listen to. The words are simple and easy to catch on. And even my 3 year old shouts the colors along with the film! And the kids in the film have an energy that just keeps my kids interested.
It's just amazing how fast they can learn at that age.
Definitely a thumbs up!

Good points: the French taught is authentic, useful and relevant for a young child. The French speakers have standard accents and speak slowly enough for a child learning the language but not so slowly that they distort the language. But Language Tree could have done SO much more. In the end there is actually very very little taught.

Not so good points: the little quizzes are silly and don't seem like the best way to reinforce what is taught, certainly not to a child. I'd like to see more repetition (children saying the words over and over in different situations). I think anybody much older than 5 would be bored with this, and younger than that, most kids aren't good enough at the DVD remote control to be able to do the quizzes by themselves (or even understand the concepts).

My 3 year old quite enjoys this DVD (which is why I gave it 3 stars and not 1) but it requires that I sit there with her the whole time (you cannot bypass the lame and tiresome quizzes).

I don't mind that it's filmed in somebody's living room. What I cannot understand is why the host (now I'm sure he's a nice guy... but...) is even in this DVD. He is clearly uncomfortable in front of a camera, his French accent on the few words he speaks isn't good, and it looks like the doorbell rang while he was making his costume and he never got to finish it.

All that said, I will actually buy the Volume 2 DVD if it's available. As per above, my daughter likes it....

This is a great film, I highly recommend it!
Our kids are learning French and this film is a great boost to their French vocabulary. They love to watch the film and I hear them talking to the video and trying to guess the answers in French.
This film is definitely helping them acquire basic works like numbers and colors.
Once the film is over, they also sing along some of the French songs, which always amazes me :)

I purchased this DVD for my 3 year old and soon realized that it was not for her. Within 15 minutes she lost interest. The actors spoke very fast and was often times unintelligible for a three year old to understand. I think that this would be great learning tool for an older child that could read the enclosed booklet at the same time. I am hoping that if I continue to play it that eventually she'll pick up small amounts of the language. At least then I can say I got my money's worth.

As a native French speaker, I'd really like my daughter to speak French well. French for Kids has proven to be a great tool. The kid actors in the video speak excellent French and having children the same age speak the language was easier for my daughter to relate to. There is a lot of repetition, which by the end of the video my daughter already remembered several phrases. We now are using the mealtime phrases at home and get a real kick out of it. My daughter loved the music and cute animated dog character, Pezi. I would recommend this video to anyone.

Overall, this DVD was pretty good. Here are the things I did and didn't like. I gave 3 stars b/c the cons outweigh the pros.

Pros: the DVD has an interactive function (e.g. true or false), which tests understanding.

Cons: (1) too much English; (2) too short; (3) overpriced; and (4) the sound is not all that clear.

My dad bought me this video before we go to France for Christmas. It is so much fun and easy to learn. I like playing the remote control games. Pezi always makes me laugh after each question. I'm able to say many phrases now and I'm ready for our trip.

We bought a few french teaching dvds for our son, and this movie is alright.. The french is spoken so quickly (like at a regular pace) that it's very hard to understand/learn. I know some french and I still struggled to follow. I would recommend the Bonjour Les Amis videos before this, or if you have the money, get Muzzy. It's an amazing program; much more captivating for children than these other movies. (and you get french, spanish, german, english, and british english all in one set. :)