Summer Fun in French Camps for Toddlers

Les Petits Artistes

Location: In Person at FIAF Montclair
Level: French as a Second Language, French for Native Speakers
Summer: Jun 26–Aug 18

1-week Camps
Half-day: Mon-Fri, 8:30am-12:30pm, $415/week
Full-day: Mon-Fri, 8:30am-3:30pm, $665 /week

Extended After-camp Childcare:
Afternoon: 3:30-6pm • $125/week or $12/hour

Toddlers will laugh, play, explore, and stay active all summer long during week-long day camps. 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!

Whether your child is brand new to French or already fluent, these day camps will help them learn and improve their French while having fun and making new friends.

This half-day and full-day summer program is an excellent opportunity for toddlers and parents to get a taste of our à petits pas Excellence program offered fall through spring.

The FIAF Montclair Advantage

  • An authentic French-language immersive approach that will benefit all children whether they are complete beginners, native French speakers, or somewhere in between.
  • Small groups (5 to 12 kids) to ensure maximum interaction
  • New exciting themes each week. Sign up for all 8 weeks for maximum fun and learning!

Ages: Children must be at least 3 years old when the session starts and no older than 5 years old (children born between September 1, 2018 and June 27, 2020). They should be toilet-trained and accustomed to separation.

  • Typical Day

    8:30-9am: Drop-off and free play
    9-9:30am: Daily routine and movements
    9:30-10am: Greetings and circle time
    10-10:30am: Individual themed project
    10:30-10:45am: Cleaning time and free play
    10:45-11am: Goûter (snack)
    11-11:30am: Games and movements
    11:30am-12:15pm: Collaborative themed project
    12:15-12:30pm: Cleaning time, story time, goodbyes and dismissal (end of half-day)
    12:30-1pm: Lunch-time
    1-1:30pm: Quiet-time
    1:30-2:15pm: Playground
    2:15-3:15pm: Individual themed project
    3:15-3:30pm: Cleaning time, story time, goodbyes and dismissal (end of full-day)
    3:30-6pm: Childcare (optional)

  • Week 1: 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 2: 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 3: 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 4: 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 5: 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 6: 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 7: 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!

  • Week 8: August 14-18 — 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
    Day 5 – To be determined

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.