Fun with Flashcards! OVER 50 Flashcard Activities

Ok-we all know flashcards are not fun. When you are in the higher grades it means nothing but....well...blah (or pulling your hair out if you are taking Mandarin) . But flashcards can have their place and well...

Flash cards for kids though, are FUN. Well, you can make them fun. All ages can enjoy flashcards-from infants who just play with them, to preschoolers that can practice letter sounds-you can make them fun. Here are OVER 50 (yes over FIFTY) ways to use flashcards!

Types of Flashcards-most of these activities can be done on all of these cards. Make sure your cards have pictures and print (There are many more you can find and sub categories of each)

1. Letters 
2. Numbers
3. Words
4. Objects
5. Opposites (one on each side)
6. Parent/Baby (one on each side)
7. Sensory (sandpaper, cloth, cotton, plastic)
8. Language (one on each side, include pictures)
9. Patterns (colors, numbers, animals)
10. Big and little letters
11. Colors
12. Shapes
13. Food

Infants (use any flashcards)

1.  Let them play-Just put them on the card and let them go!
2. Exposure to print-even infants need to see letters, numbers, and words. It starts them on the path to reading
3. Start verbal skills-make sure you are saying what is on them to expand verbal cues
4. Eye movements-does the dog (on the card) go Up? Down? Left? Right? Talk while you do this
5. Reach-works those large motor muscles
6.  Environmental-Hang them on the wall, by the crib, on the floor
7.  Box it up-put them on the outside of a box (or can) to play with
8.  Toss-Can you throw the ______?
9. I have a !!!!!!!!!!!! (Put it behind your back, and pull it out with flare, then hand the card to the child)
10.  Bright colors, Bold Patterns-Most baby flashcards should just be for exposure and visual stimulation. Just try different patterns and colors to get your child interested in what you are showing them

Toddlers

1.  Game of 3 (pull out 3 cards. Name all of them. Ask them to hand you one of them at a time)
2. Find it (Put 3 on the table, ask them to find you one)
3. Saying names (just have them say name on card)
4. Counting (put different numbers of objects on cards and have them count it. Show number on other side of card)
5. Animal Sounds (animal on flashcard you make noise)  
6.  Letter hide and seek
7.  Farm Time
8.  Color Game
9.  Environmental Print-Good for all ages, but hang the word on the object (door card on the door, light switch near the light switch).
10. Under and Over-give child the card. Can you put the ______under the blanket? Over the blanket. Make it tougher by having them chose the card first.

Preschool

1. Memory game (turn them all face down and then turn over to find pairs)
2. First sound
3. Last sound
4. Sorting (which ones are green, start with a letter)
5. Slap it
6.  Bean Bag Toss-
7.  Hide and seek
8.  Tag
9.  Card Collector (put all cards out in a big pile, face up on the floor or table. Tell child to collect cards of a certain kind (animals that roar, even numbers....)
10.  Basketball (if the child says correct answer they get to make a basket....paper into box. First player with 5 points wins!)
11.  Tue and False
12.  Alphabet line up
13.  Charades
14.  Rhyme Time
15.  Guessing Game
16.  Jump on it
17.  Number Line Up-
18.  Musical Flashcards-
19.  Tic Tac Toe-
20.  I Spy

Your Bonus Activity: Cleaning them up....have fun!(Toddlers LOVE to clean up flashcards!)

**Just a quick note, don't only use flashcards. Some people think that this is the only way to teach, it is not. But they can be fun. So use them sometimes