Start with one phrase at the bedroom door

No French needed. Hear it, then say it to them.

At the doorway C'est l'heure du dodo. It's bedtime.

The rest of bedtime, when you're ready

Nine more phrases, in the order bedtime happens. Add one when the last feels easy.

Getting ready

On met le pyjama. Pyjamas on.
Un bras… et deux. One arm… and two.
On brosse les dents. Let's brush your teeth.

Story

Tu choisis un livre ? Do you want to choose a book?
Encore une page. One more page.

Lights out

On éteint la lumière. Lights out.
Fais dodo. Go to sleep.
Je suis là. I'm here.
Bonne nuit, mon chéri. Good night, my darling.

Put it on the bedroom door

Stick it on the bedroom door and the room does the remembering. No app, no notification, you just walk past it at exactly the right moment.

Download as PDF

Print it at home, or forward the email to your print shop.

Why Le Dodo works

The sequence is fixed

So you're not improvising: the same words in the same order at the same time each night. That predictability is exactly what a young child's language system is built to exploit.

It's the ritual that survives a bad day

Dinner gets rushed, bath gets skipped, but bedtime almost always happens, which makes it the most reliable daily slot for French in your whole week.

It ends in affection

Bedtime is where a second language stops being a project and becomes the way you say good night. That's what keeps families going past month three.

Plant a few words tonight

Say the first phrase at the bedroom door. Add the next when it feels easy.