5 Simple Ideas to Make Flashcards Fun

5 Simple Ideas to Make Flashcards Fun
flashcards 3

Flashcards, in therapy sessions, are typically simple picture and/or word cards that assist in building concepts. They can be used for children or adults. For children, in specific, they can be made to be a ‘fun’ tool while teaching a variety of skills.

Using flashcards ideas to drill a skill and test/retest the ability of the child with the skills, can be quite boring for the therapist (adult) and child alike. It would be more effective to use the cards in a fun and innovative manner, ensuring the skill is strengthened yet the child has fun.

How does one make it fun, you may ask? Here are five ways to use the flashcards while teaching skills.

 

1. Match the cards – Memory game

memory game cards 2Duplicates of flashcards must be present to use them as a memory game. Lay them face down and allow the child to find the matching cards. A fun game to play while strengthening the skill of ‘same and different’, memory, turn taking and language skills. 

 

 

 

2. Locate the cards – Eye spy

Stick different flashcards ideas around the wall of the room the adult and child are seated. Use a flashlight in a semi-darkened room to locate these flashcards with images and then name them. A game that would intrigue the child to look for more. It allows for building of skills of labeling or naming along with attention and concentration. The adult can also give clues – such as look ‘up / down’ to get the child to look for specific learning cards. This is great to work on words related to direction.

 

3. Walking along

Drilling of words (expressive skills) can be done in a fun way by making a path or a pretend ‘bridge’ with the flashcards. Place them side by side so as to form the path.

A child is asked to say the word on the card and as s/he says it correctly, they get to step on that card. The objective of the game is to say the words correctly and walk across the path/ bridge. The game can be made simpler by placing lesser cards. Alternately, fun tasks can be alternate cards (such as – jump or sing a song) which will act as breaks to the ‘drilling’ of sounds/words.

The bigger the flashcards, the more fun the game would be.

 

4. Run to the flash card 

Place the flashcards, facing up, randomly on the floor. Name the cards and tell the child to ‘run’ to the card. This requires a child to locate /find the card (paying attention to all of them) and move towards it. This game can be made easier or more difficult by adding or removing cards placed on the floor. Additionally, specific clues can be given – such as ‘run to two red cards’ or ‘ run to the car and then the pencil’ etc. Great to build listening, language while working through motor skills.

 

5. Trace them

flashcards tracingCut older flashcards around the shape of the object or item in it. Allow the child to trace the item using a crayon or pencil on a paper. This is a fun activity to build motor skills, eye-hand coordination while teaching language skills.

 

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Do you use flashcards in any other fun way? Share your flash card making ideas for kindergarten in the comments below.

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Tanushree Chandhok
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