French lesson plan: Learn how to play pétanque

Introduce your students to the beloved French tradition of la pétanque—more than just a game, it’s a cultural institution deeply rooted in daily French life. Through engaging listening comprehension activities based on a video featuring native French speakers, your students will:

Introduce your students to pétanque!

• What is pétanque? Pétanque was born in 1907 in La Ciotat, a town near Marseille on the Mediterranean coast. It evolved from an older game called jeu provençal, where players had to run before throwing the ball. When a player could no longer run due to illness, the rules were adapted so that players could throw while standing still — hence the name pétanque, from the Provençal pèd-tanca, meaning “feet planted.”
• Ways to play: Tête-à-tête: 1 vs. 1 (3 boules per player) Doublette: 2 vs. 2 (3 boules per player) Triplette: 3 vs. 3 (2 boules per player)
• Basic Rules: 1- A coin toss decides who starts. 2- A circle is drawn on the ground (35–50 cm in diameter). 3- The first player throws the small wooden target ball, called the cochonnet, 6 to 10 meters away. 4- Then, players take turns trying to throw their boules as close as possible to the cochonnet.
• Scoring points: At the end of each round, called a mène, the team with the boule closest to the cochonnet scores one point for each of their boules that are closer than the opponent’s closest boule. The game is played up to 13 points.

Teacher instructions

1. Distribute the student worksheet, then play the video “Comment jouer a la pétanque” without subtitles
2. Replay the video with subtitles and ask students to complete activities 1-3 on their worksheet.
3. Speaking activity (refer to activity 4 on worksheet) or cultural comparison discussion (refer to questions below)
4. Optional: Play pétanque in groups of 6 students. using an official pétanque set or a DIY alternative

Cultural comparison questions

Facilitate a classroom discussion using the following prompts:

• What kinds of games or sports do you like to play with your friends? How are they similar to or different from pétanque?
• What backyard games in the U.S. bring people together, like pétanque does in France?
• Compare pétanque with another ball game you know (like bowling, bocce, or curling). What are the main differences and similarities?

Take it a step further…

Take your students to play pétanque in Provence on our nine-day Mediterranean Discovery Tour.