Talking about sports is an exciting, high-interest way to get French learners speaking right away. Whether students are discussing their favorite teams, weekend activities, or school athletics, a French Sports Chat Mat gives them the structured vocabulary and sentence starters they need to communicate confidently.
With clear visuals and accessible language, this chat mat helps learners express preferences, describe activities, and ask questions—all in meaningful, real-world French.
Why Use a Sports Chat Mat?
Sports are an ideal topic for novice and intermediate learners because they:
- Are relatable and universally interesting
- Encourage natural conversation
- Support interpersonal communication
- Incorporate high-frequency verbs like jouer, faire, aimer, and aller
- Easily pair with cultural connections (football/soccer, the Olympics, the Tour de France, etc.)
A chat mat makes it easier for students to stay in French, even if they’re still building vocabulary.
What’s Included in This French Sports Chat Mat?
A strong chat mat for this theme might include:
Common Sports in French
- le football
- le basket
- le tennis
- la natation
- le cyclisme
- le volley
- la danse
- le rugby
- la gymnastique
Useful Verbs & Structures
- Je joue à…
- Je fais de…
- J’aime / Je n’aime pas…
- Je préfère…
- Je regarde…
- Je pratique…
High-Utility Sentence Starters
- Mon sport préféré est…
- Je joue trois fois par semaine.
- Je fais du sport avec…
- Je voudrais essayer…
- C’est un sport… (facile, difficile, amusant, etc.)
Extra Vocabulary
- l’équipe
- l’entraînement
- un match
- un joueur / une joueuse
- les règles
- l’équipement
Visual Supports
Icons or small images for each sport help beginners stay engaged and make meaning quickly.
Classroom Activities Using This Chat Mat
Here are some fun, communicative ways to use this resource:
1. Partner Interviews
Students ask each other about sports they play, watch, or admire.
2. Sport of the Day
Display an image or short video clip and have students describe the sport using the mat.
3. Preference Lines
Students choose sides of the room based on preferences (“basket or football?”) and explain their choice using sentence starters.
4. Athlete Profiles
Learners create a brief profile of a favorite athlete using vocabulary from the mat.
5. Francophone Culture Connections
Explore sports popular in francophone countries—rugby in France, soccer in Senegal, cycling in Belgium, etc.
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