Summer Fun in French Camps for Toddlers:
Les Petits Artistes

Location: In Person at FIAF Manhattan
Level: All Levels
Summer: Jun 20–Aug 11

1-week Camps
Half-day: Mon-Fri, 9am-12pm, $419 per week
Full-day: Mon-Fri, 9am-4pm, $789 per week

Toddlers will laugh, play, explore, and stay active all summer long as they learn about The Arts.

Each week’s camp will be themed to focus on a different art expression, such as music, dance, painting, theater and even comics. Throughout the summer, kids will practice their French as they unleash their inner artist!

  • The Half-day (9am-12pm): The Half-day gives parents and toddlers an excellent opportunity to get a taste of FIAF’s à petits pas program offered during the school year. Please provide your child with 1 nut-free snack if they are attending the Half-day camp.
  • The Full-day (9am-4pm): In the Full-day camp, your child will be able to enjoy the full FIAF French experience, including daily afternoon walks to observe Central Park’s flora and fauna. For children attending the Full-day camp, please provide 2 nut-free snacks and a cold lunch, as well as a blanket and doudou (comfort item such as a stuffed animal) for nap time.

Prerequisites: Camps are open to all levels of French including native French-speaking toddlers. Children must be at least 3 years old at the start of camp. They should be toilet-trained and accustomed to separation.

Discover every art form! Sign up for all eight weeks for maximum fun and learning.

  • Typical Day

    9-9:30am: Drop-off and free play
    9:30-10am: Daily routine and movements
    10-10:15am: Greetings and circle time
    10:15-10:45am: Individual themed project
    10:45-11am: Clean-up and free play
    11-11:30am: Games and movements
    11:30am-12pm: Collaborative themed project and story time (end of half-day)
    12-1pm: Lunch-time
    1-1:30pm: Quiet-time
    1:30-2:15pm: Playground or Walk in the Park (weather permitting)
    2:15-3:30pm: Individual themed projects and tour guide completion
    3:30-3:45pm: Games and exercises to review the vocab of the day
    3:45-4pm: Clean-up, story time, goodbyes and dismissal (end of full-day)

  • Week 1: June 20-23* — Painting and Sculpting

    Painting and Sculpting

    Day 1 – Fernando Costa, numbers and letters
    Day 2 – Henri Matisse and Nature
    Day 3 – Auguste Herbin and the shapes
    Day 4 – Paul Cézanne and fruits

    *No class/camp on Monday, June 19 (Juneteenth)

  • Week 2: June 26-30 — Music to the Ears

    Music to the Ears

    Day 1 – Singing and playing like Troubadours
    Day 2 – Camille Saint Saens and “The Carnival of the Animals”
    Day 3 – Maurice Ravel and Claude Debussy as modern masterminds
    Day 4 – From Edith Piaf to Joe Dassin, an anthem to Paris
    Day 5 – Folk music from the regions of France

  • Week 3: July 3-7* — Dance and Circus

    Dance and Circus

    Day 1 – Discovering our body & the different styles of dance
    Day 2 – Here enters Monsieur Loyal!
    Day 3 – It’s puppet time!
    Day 4 – Who will juggle the longest?

    *No class/camp on Tuesday, July 4 (Independence Day)

  • Week 4: July 10-14 — “Click!”, it’s Photograph and Architecture week

    “Click!”, it’s Photograph and Architecture week

    Day 1 – the Art-Déco photography and architecture
    Day 2 – Henri Cartier-Bresson and candid photography
    Day 3 – Brassaï and his love for Paris
    Day 4 – Patrick Demarchelier and the fashion industry
    Day 5 – Yann Artus-Bertrand and nature

  • Week 5: July 17-21 — Lights, Camera, Action!

    Lights, Camera, Action!

    Day 1 – “L’Odysée de Choum”, a tale of owl and family in the bayou. France/Belgique, 2019
    Day 2 – The sock thieves of “Made in France”. France, 2017
    Day 3 – “The Girl who Hated Books”. Canada, 2006
    Day 4 – “Riba” : discovering Lyon and music. France, 2003
    Day 5 – “Sweet Cocoon”, when caterpillars turn into butterflies. France, 2014

  • Week 6: July 24-28 — Once Upon a Time in Literature

    Once Upon a Time in Literature

    Day 1 – Tales and Fables
    Day 2 – Poetry
    Day 3 – Novels and short-stories
    Day 4 – Albums
    Day 5 – Theater

  • Week 7: July 31-August 4 — La Bande-Dessinée

    La Bande-Dessinée, comics made in France and Belgium!

    Day 1 – Tintin and Milou / Boule and Bill representing Belgium
    Day 2 – Spirou, Fantasio and Spip as a bridge between France and Belgium
    Day 3 – Asterix, Obelix and Idefix for French adventures
    Day 4 – Houba Houba Hop! This is the Marsupilami
    Day 5 – The blue village of the Smurfs, born in Belgium

  • Week 8: August 7-11 — Theater: The Show Must Go On

    Theater: The Show Must Go On

    Day 1 – What is “le théâtre” ?
    Day 2 – Costumes, make-up and accessories
    Day 3 – Kamishibaï, the image-theater from Japan
    Day 4 – Discovering the theater as a place
    Day 5 – Ladies and gentlemen, it’s show time!

Note About Camp/Class Formats: Fun in French Camps and Teen Cultural Discoveries Clubs are held in person only. Summer classes for toddlers (ages 1-5) are offered in person or online. Immersion classes for teens (grades 6-12) are HyFlex with online and in-person students attending the same class via 360° cameras in the classroom.

Classroom Guidelines (as of 9/7/2022): Masks are optional and proof of Covid-19 vaccination is no longer requried to attend a class or event at any FIAF location. Read more.