The first week of school is always a little chaotic.
You spend time learning names, answering questions, explaining routines, and then…half your class disappears because schedules change.
Every year I remind myself not to dive into my carefully planned curriculum on Day 1. There’s nothing more frustrating than teaching an important lesson only to have several students transfer in two days later while others leave the class entirely.
But I also don’t want to spend a week playing games that have no educational value. The first week matters. It’s an opportunity to build excitement, establish expectations, and remind students why learning French is worth the effort.
Over the years I’ve settled into a few favorite activities that are engaging, low-stress, and meaningful. They keep students learning without putting anyone at a disadvantage if they join the class a few days late.
Here are four activities that have become staples during my first week of school.
Why learn French?
One of the biggest questions students have—especially beginning students—is “Why do I even need French?”
Instead of answering that question myself, I let them discover the answer. I also like to play the Etienne video – it’s a bit cheesy, but fun.
The Why Learn French Digital Escape Game has students work through clues that reveal surprising facts about the French language, where it’s spoken, career opportunities, travel, culture, and the importance of multilingualism.
Because it’s an escape game, students are focused on solving puzzles instead of feeling like they’re sitting through a lecture. By the end, they’ve learned something meaningful while also getting comfortable working together.
Even better, if new students arrive the next day, they haven’t missed any vocabulary or grammar they’ll need for future lessons—they’ve simply gained a little extra motivation.
Soupe, Salade ou Sandwich?
This game is always popular! You can play it 4-corners style, or just have a vote and some class discussion. Even if they don’t speak any French yet, your students will have an opinion about these foods! The foods in the presentation are from around the French-speaking world, so even if they aren’t getting a ton of the language (yet), they’re getting some cultural input!
La Rentrée de Paul
For my second year students, this is a fun and simple story that they can understand. Paul is starting a new school and his day doesn’t go that well at first. There are two versions of the story – I have one in the present tense, so my students coming into level 2 can understand. The other version is in the past tense, so the upper levels can reinforce the whole passé composé/imparfait thing.
4 Corners back to school
One of the easiest ways to get students talking is with a Four Corners activity.
Students move to different corners of the room based on their opinions or preferences, then discuss their choices with classmates.
It’s an excellent icebreaker because students quickly discover things they have in common with people they may not know yet.
This activity also gives students repeated exposure to useful vocabulary and simple structures in a low-pressure setting. Even reluctant speakers are usually willing to point, move, and share a few words when everyone else is doing the same thing. I put the slides in the passé composé, but they all have images of the activity so that student will still understand what is happening even if their language skills are a little bit…shall we say rusty?
