What is Tutti Frutti ? - Tutti Frutti

What is Tutti Frutti?

Tutti Frutti is a multilingual school, founded in 1997 in Brussels, which combines language learning with a lively, active and open pedagogy.

Chronology of key dates

Brief history

1997
Creation of the ASBL Tutti Frutti
Welcomes children from 3 to 11 years old in extracurricular workshops and courses.
2000
- Tutti Frutti was awarded the European Language Label by the European Community and the French Community of Belgium.
- Many schools in the capital call on Tutti Frutti to give extracurricular language workshops.
2003,
Tutti Frutti opened its first bilingual French-English preschool class.
Since then, other sections have been offered:
French-German, French-Italian, French-Dutch.

2010
Publication of the book
“Languages à la carte. Children First”.
2012, 2013
Participation in the “Extracurriculars without barriers”, subsidized by the King Baudoin Foundation
2017
Tutti Frutti’s 20th anniversary party at the Tricoterie
2018,
Tutti Frutti Primary opens its first French-English bilingual primary class.
2019,
Two sections are offered in primary school:
French-German and French-English

Our publications

“Languages à la carte. Children First”.
Multilingual essays on early language learning.
“Multilingualism and speech and language therapy “
Reflections and practices in today’s Europe
Fruity Fable
A story in the form of a fable to encourage language learning
Mariposa in China
Tutti Frutti’s second children’s book.

Our publications are available in our new shop.

Why another language?

The world around us is multicultural. This is a marvelous advantage that is accessible to all. To take full advantage of this interculturality, what better way than to learn another language, another culture, from an early age?

The child learns by playing, by appropriating knowledge through activities that are familiar to him. At Tutti Frutti, they feel almost at home. The atmosphere is familial and organized, but also playful and artistic. And above all, open to the world.

The Tutti Frutti school is located in the heart of Brussels.
Is it chance or predestination? We welcome children in Saint-Gilles, a town with a high multicultural potential: no less than 130 different nationalities live there!
That’s where our nerve center is. But we also travel all over Brussels for private courses and courses in schools.

Familiarization

With good humour, simplicity and creativity
By guaranteeing rigour and professionalism
Respecting the rhythm of each person
By promoting cooperation and open-mindedness

The five senses are therefore frequently solicited and titillated:

Sight, thanks to images and what they evoke for him/her
Hearing, through music, sounds, intonations
Touch by doing manual activities with modelling clay, sand, fabrics and all kinds of materials
The sense of smell through “blind” recognition games of what is under the child’s nose
And taste, which the children love to practice during the cooking workshops!

Stages of acquisition

Our active pedagogy is based on a progressive learning of the language. There are three crucial stages:

Raising awareness

It is necessary to arouse the desire and the intention to communicate. This will naturally be encouraged by real-life situations. The child will want to intervene, to take his place. But this will only happen if the atmosphere is warm, respectful, relaxed and playful.
Imitation

When it is spontaneous, imitation by the child is a sign of early success. The child repeats and models his words and gestures on those of a person he likes and trusts. This is why it is so important to establish a relationship based on respect and well-being between the child and his/her teacher.
Memorization

This is, among other things, the repetition phase. This is when the child remembers the word and what it means. And the difficulty will increase with repetition of dialogues or longer sentences.

And finally, his learning will be valued in at least two ways :

The child’s progress is perceived by parents and teachers. This provides the child with a positive self-image.

The child feels an obvious pleasure in his or her new knowledge. When they ask for “Appelsap, alstublieft” in a Dutch class and the adult serves them a big glass, what magic!

Learning a language :
collaborative work

Any learning process requires an effort because it requires an opening towards something “foreign”, i.e. something that the child does not know, that is outside his framework. This journey towards the appropriation of a new language requires support, care and immense patience.

It is also essential that the child feels the coherence between the family environment and the school. The importance of parents’ cooperation in their child’s learning cannot be overstated. When a mother or father picks up their daughter or son from Dutch class and greets the teacher with a “Dag! “instead of “Hello! “it can make all the difference.

Main objectives of Tutti Frutti :

Develop bilingual (or even multilingual) skills in children.
To awaken and develop your inner motivation.
To familiarize the child with a multicultural world.
To promote the motor, psychomotor,
intellectual and social development of each child.

Tutti Frutti services :

Bilingual kindergarten (4 bilingual sections)
Bilingual primary school (2 bilingual sections)
Extracurricular language workshops*
Our extracurricular workshops are designed for children aged 3 to 11.
Language courses

Languages taught :

German
English
Chinese

Spanish
French

Italian
Dutch

Tutti Frutti operates solely on the basis of financial contributions from parents.

The teaching team is made up of native speakers from all walks of life. Each member of the team has undergone Tutti Frutti’s own training.

We are also a training center. That is why we regularly offer conferences and workshops on various topics related to childhood, education, pedagogy and languages.

At Tutti Frutti, we make children aware of foreign languages and cultures through a progressive and gentle immersion.