French children like to read and are encouraged to do so by their parents. Their reading includes comic books with characters like Asterix and Tintin, the Babar series, Le Petit Prince, mystery novels and science fiction novels written by the French writer Jules Verne. The Harry Potter books are also quite popular in France.

French children watch maybe one hour of TV a day, usually after dinner when there are French and American cartoons, series for children, and sports (soccer/football and rugby). They might also watch an action movie (un film policier) or The Simpsons, which is also broadcast on French TV. Almost all the programs for children are broadcast after 5:00 or 6:00 PM.

Video games and Internet cafes are now just as popular in France as they are in the United States. Listening to music, especially rock and jazz, has become one of the most favorite leisure activities for kids. Hip hop music and rap have gained great popularity in France and there are quite a few popular native groups. Children and whole families especially love their pets in France, and unlike in the United States, pets are welcome in restaurants and in many other public places. There is interest in outdoor activities such as gardening and winter sports, and the favorite sports for kids in Quebec are baseball, hockey and soccer.

In France kids begin to study English as their second language when they are in kindergarten, for four hours a week. In the first grade, English is studied for an hour a day. Kids enjoy learning to speak English, especially since a lot of the language comes to them naturally through American music and culture. For example, both in France and Quebec, people use words like "parking," "weekend," "feedback" and "le jean." In France, kids begin to study a third language in the seventh grade, and then Latin studies begin in the eighth grade. In French-speaking Canada, children can go to either a French or English school and the province of Quebec is bilingual. There, parents may send their children to an English school if one of the parents has English as his or her primary language.