The first week of French class sets the tone for the entire year. Whether you teach Core French or French Immersion, starting off with engaging, confidence-building activities is key. But let’s be honest—back-to-school is busy. Between classroom setup, meetings, and routines, you need low-prep, high-impact activities that help your students feel comfortable using French from day one.
In this post, you’ll find ready-to-go French back-to-school activities that are fun, inclusive, and designed to support beginner and intermediate French learners in grades 4 to 8. From speaking games to goal setting, these resources help you build community, assess language levels, and establish a positive classroom culture—all while targeting oral communication and vocabulary review.
Why Back-to-School Activities Matter in the FSL Classroom
French learners often return to class in September with rusty language skills or varying levels of confidence. Starting the year with interactive and accessible activities helps students:
Feel successful from the beginning
Rebuild vocabulary and fluency
Get to know one another using French
Ease anxiety and encourage risk-taking
Build routines and expectations around speaking and writing
Plus, when you’re juggling multiple preps or teaching on a cart, having flexible activities that don’t require hours of planning is a must.
Les Activités pour la Rentrée – Ready-to-Go French Icebreakers
This French back-to-school activity pack includes a variety of tasks to help students practice speaking and writing while learning about their classmates. Activities include:
“Je me présente” sentence starters
“Cherche quelqu’un qui…” class mingle game
French school supply vocabulary review
First-week goal setting and reflection sheets
Simple speaking games to build oral communication
These tasks are perfect for the first few days of school and can be reused throughout September for early finishers or French centers.
French Four Corners Speaking Game – Icebreaker with Movement
Students answer fun questions by choosing one of four corners in the classroom (e.g., “Quelle est ta saison préférée?”). Once in their corner, they discuss their answers with peers using sentence starters and prompts.
This game helps break the ice and gets students speaking without pressure. It’s also a great informal way to assess vocabulary and speaking confidence early on.
Photo du Jour – Daily French Vocabulary & Writing Routine
If you're looking to establish a routine for French class, consider starting each day or period with a “Photo du Jour.” Students view a real-life photo and respond with descriptive vocabulary, oral sentences, or a short writing task.
This quick-start routine builds consistency, strengthens vocabulary recall, and provides a meaningful warm-up that supports both speaking and writing development.
Montre et Raconte – Show and Tell Speaking Templates
Introduce oral communication expectations with this student-friendly version of Show and Tell. With structured templates and vocabulary support, students share something about themselves in French in a low-stress format. Perfect for beginner Core French students who are still building confidence with full sentences.
You can spread these activities over the first few weeks and even use them as an ongoing speaking assessment.
Back-to-school is also the perfect time to focus on student well-being and emotional regulation. This set of French mindfulness activities introduces key social-emotional vocabulary and calming routines in French, helping students develop both self-awareness and French listening comprehension.
Activities include breathing exercises, visualizations, and reflection prompts—all in beginner-friendly French.
Build a Positive French Classroom from Day One
You don’t need to dive into heavy grammar or formal assessments on the first day of French class. By focusing on low-prep, interactive activities that encourage speaking and connection, you’ll set the stage for a successful and enjoyable year of language learning.
These back-to-school resources help students:
Feel at ease speaking French
Reconnect with key vocabulary
Build relationships through French communication
Understand classroom expectations in an engaging way
Ready to Plan Your First Week of French?
All of the resources mentioned in this post are available in The French Nook TPT store, designed to support busy FSL teachers across grades 4–8. They’re printable, digital-friendly, and require minimal prep—so you can spend less time planning and more time connecting with your students.
Looking for more first-week tips? Follow The French Nook or subscribe to the teacher newsletter for seasonal updates, resource launches, and classroom-ready French teaching inspiration.
Here are some more back-to-school blog posts for French teachers:
Engaging Icebreakers for Back-to-School: Tips for FSL Teachers
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