French language learning can start young! Simply exposing children to hearing the language through educational toys can also help children develop and improve their cognitive skills, motor skills, and memory.
Here are some well-reviewed French learning toys for young kids currently available in the US.
Some of these and similar toys are hard to find in the US or on US websites, but you can try searching Canadian websites, which often have both a French and English version of their toys. At the bottom of this page we share a few popular toys on Amazon Canada.
For Kids 1 or Younger
Educational toys for kids this young are going to mostly be toys that play sounds or music.
1. The Octopus Multilingual Toy
The Baby Einstein Octopus is a soft, musical octopus plush toy that teaches colors in French (as well as options to switch to English and Spanish).
Features: Embroidered buttons that trigger French color names or classical music.
Age range: 3 to 12 months. The toy is made entirely of soft materials and is safe for babies.
2. Bilingual French English Baby Cell Phone
This bilingual toy phone has a bilingual French/English mode with interactive modes teaching the alphabet, numbers, and animal sounds in French, plus piano melodies.
Features: Lights, sounds, and four interactive modes.
Age range: 6 months to 2 years
For Kids Age 2-4
For the slightly older kids, bilingual toys can include some more interactive elements.
1. Toy Faces Magnetic Set
The toy faces set is a magnetic game with cartoon faces and features. The magnetic cards have both the English and French versions of the words of emotion on them.
Features: 31 “facial” pieces and 3 magnetic boards
Age range: 3 to 5 years
2. French/English Sound Book
This is a French/English bilingual sound book with sounds, songs, and words activated by pressing buttons.
Features: Eight topics: alphabet, numbers, shapes, colors, animals, body parts, and short phrases
Age range: 3 to 6 years
Toys From Canada
Many French toys on Canadian websites will offer both an English and French version of the toy. If you aren’t finding the perfect toy on US websites, consider making an account and shipping your purchase from Canada.
1. Rhymes Book by VTech (Canada)
The Rhymes Book has French rhymes along with their lyrics of the compositions, the sounds produced by the different musical instruments and the French names of the colors.
Features: Slide, twist, and other functions. All the comptines (French nursery rhymes) are playable through buttons. The musical notes are are soothing and shouldn’t be too annoying for parents to hear on repeat.
Age range: 6 months to 2 years.
2. Sit-Stand Walker by VTech (Canada)
VTech also offers a Sit-Stand Walker that can be used for helping children learn French.
Features: Can play many different French phrases and songs, plus shape sorters, piano keys, a pretend telephone, and spinning rollers. You can also promote tummy time by using the Walker’s removable panel.
Age range: 6 months to 1 year.
3. Emoji Chat/Count Phone by LeapFrog (Canada)
The Emoji Phone from LeapFrog is available as an educational toy in French and is essentially a pretend smartphone.
Features: Children can learn more about numbers and phrases. The phone toy also has many different games for the children.
Age range: 18 months to 2 years
4. Leaptop by LeapFrog (Canada)
The French version of the Leaptop is a toy laptop that becomes a tablet if you remove the keyboard.
Features: This is a highly interactive toy that has French songs, numbers, and games.
Age range: 2 years to 5 years
Looking for more toys?
As mentioned above, if you’re a US shopper, look for options on Canadian websites (particularly those in Québec). You can also find toys on websites based in France, but be prepared to pay high shipping fees if you’re shipping to a US address.
