Many of our members are first-time mums with young babies. Although the babies might be far from talking, new (and expectant) mothers often appreciate the company of other English-speakers at this time,. ESFG Lyon provides opportunities for support and socialising at events specifically for babies such as baby groups, playdates and coffee mornings.
We also run a twice-monthly Baby Playgroup at our Hall in the 8eme, where young children and babies can play and take part in a variety of activities while parents enjoy a cup of tea, a slice of cake and some adult company!
ESMG Lyon aims to be:
“A place for native-English speakers and their families to network and support each other, while helping our children to maintain and develop their English language skills and develop an understanding of our culture”
ESFG Lyon has two main objectives. Firstly, to provide opportunities, such as playgroups and other activities, for the children of native English speakers to maintain and develop their English language skills. Secondly, to provide a support network for native English-speaking families living in Lyon and the surrounding area.
ESFG Lyon is a volunteer-run, member-led association. We have a Committee which oversees the organisation of the association. More information about the Committee, is available here.
ESFGLyon is an entirely volunteer-run organisation. Although there is no requirement that everyone has to volunteer, it’s certainly a great way to give back to the association and to support its aims. People can help out in different ways: if you can’t make it to regular events during the week, you can offer to organise a Family Trip or a Night Out for Parents. If you can’t join the Committee, maybe you can offer to bring a cake to Playgroup. All contributions of time and energy are appreciated. Without volunteers, ESFGLyon would not exist.
The priority for ESFG Lyon is to focus on the families of native-English speakers, and the great majority of our member families include at least one native English-speaking parent. More information on membership criteria and the process of applying for membership is available on our ‘How to Apply for Membership’ page here.
If your child(ren) are already speaking English at home with a native English-speaking parent, it is likely that attending ESFG Lyon events will encourage them to keep doing so. However, ESFG Lyon does not provide English language lessons, and attending one or two events a month will not, on its own, teach a child to speak English. ESFG Lyon events can only ever provide a reinforcement of the English language that the child speaks / reads / writes / watches / listens to at home, with their parent(s)
If your children’s caregivers are competent English-speakers and prepared to join in the activities at ESFG Lyon Playgroups, then they are welcome to bring your children to events.
Generally, membership of the group is suited to those that live in Lyon and the surrounding areas. If you have not yet moved to Lyon, we’d suggest that you try some other sources of information about schools / househunting etc. These include the discussion forums at AngloInfo Lyon, and several Facebook groups including Parents in France, English Forum Lyon & Rhone Alpes, and Expat Women of Lyon. When you arrive in Lyon, and are ready to participate in our activities, feel free to get in touch via the Membership Enquiry Form.
ESFG Lyon orgnises a wide range of events for different ages of children. These include regular English-language Playgroups for different age groups, which are held at our Hall in the 8eme district of Lyon. We also organise family trips, parents’ events, an annual ski trip, and many other activities for members. Members are encouraged to host smaller events at home or other child-friendly venues, such as parks or cafes. Find out more by clicking on the links above or using the ‘Activities’ tab.
Our members live in Lyon and beyond, sometimes quite far beyond! We generally leave it up to individual members to decide whether they are close enough to Lyon (where most of our events are held) to make membership work for them.
It’s true that most of our regular events are held on week days, especially Wednesdays. At weekends, we run one Baby Playgroup event each month at our Hall in the 8eme, where parents and children (0 to 3yrs) can meet. We also organise outings and trips for families at the weekends: fruit-picking, picnics, visits to soft play / museums etc, and sports events. From time to time we organise an activity for older children (6+ yrs) at the weekend: pub quiz, trip to the Planetarium etc.
Members are also free to use the ESFG Calendar to organise their own events at the weekends and to invite other members to join them.
ESFG Lyon welcomes English-speaking families of all sizes and shapes and single parents, whether mums or dads, are welcome to join in all our activities.
Membership of ESFG Lyon extends to all family members, and either / both parents are welcome to take part in our activities. Our only rule is that any parent accompanying children to our playgroups and other regular events needs to be able to speak English to a high level, so that they can join in and enjoy themselves.
ESFG is a members-only association. Our membership criteria are outlined here along with a form that you can use to submit an initial application to join the association.