Romsey’s MP Caroline Nokes enjoyed a fun filled hour of French with some under-fours when she visited a Lingotots session at Woodley Village Hall.

Children as young as 10 months, learnt French through singing and actions and playing with sensory resources and bilingual toys.

Ms Nokes commented: “It is really amazing how engaged the children are when singing, playing games and especially how quietly they sat through Goldilocks, when so little. It is brilliant how natural it will be to continue the language when they get to school”

Melissa Down started running Lingotot Southampton in September after a career in secondary school, teaching French, knowing the importance of learning a language as early as possible, being bilingual herself.

She says “It is a really good start that languages have become compulsory in junior schools, however it is such a shame that the majority of children from a preschool and infant school age are not given this opportunity when this is the key age to absorb it.”

She has been running her classes for children up to the age of four since September in Freemantle, Romsey and Mothercare Southampton and is about to start a new class in January on a Friday in Portswood at Paint Pots house. As well as offering community classes, nurseries sessions and afterschool clubs, Lingotot links with KS1 and KS2 in the school curriculum, which means Melissa is able to offer languages lessons to primary schools in the Southampton and surrounding areas.

For more details of classes and future community sessions, contact 0845 680 8148 or visit lingotot.com/southampton.