Flashcards are great for learning letters, sight words, and any other facts you want to put in your child's head quickly. Right now we're finishing up letter sounds and starting blends and sight words but you could adapt most of these games to any flashcard situation. Here are some game ideas to keep the learning fun.
Stop Light - My daughter loves to ride her bicycle around the patio table on the back deck. While sitting in a chair sipping iced tea I can be the stop light and ask her a flashcard question to get a "green light". I would suggest showing them each card for a few seconds and if they can't answer it then just tell them what it is and move on until they can answer one on their own to get the green light. You don't want to put them on the spot too long and make them think they're expected to know them all immediately. Make sure there are a few in the deck your child knows.
Fishing - I used to do this when I was little with my sister with lids. You must have a pole of some sort with a string and a "hook" made from bread ties twisted together or a paperclip. You can put the flashcard on paper shaped like a fish with a ring made of bread ties. You could also find a strong magnet and do something like that but remember magnets are very dangerous if swallowed by young children. We use the couch as a boat. You must answer the flashcard correctly if you want to keep what you catch otherwise it's catch and release.
Go Fish - Popular card game used with flashcards. Just make two sets of cards and deal out 5-9 to each player. The rest is the deck. First person asks the other for a card of theirs to make a match with. If the person doesn't have it then they must "go fish" by drawing a card from the deck. The key is to keep them saying the correct name for each card as they refer to it. This is a good game for beginning to learn the cards in the deck.
Old Maid - Another popular card game. You'll need two sets of flashcards that match. Pick one card to be the Old Maid card and take out its match. Players take turns picking a card (sight unseen) from the person to their right's hand. Matches are laid down. In the end there will only be 1 card left. That is the "Old Maid".
Memory Match - Two sets of flashcards that match or that go together are laid face-down on the table. The first player turns over two cards and if they match they get to keep the match. If not they turn them back over and try to remember what they are and where they are. Good game for one child to play. Make sure you say the names of the cards as you refer to them. The amount of matches on the table should be appropriate to the child's attention span. If they hate the game try it with less matches.
Hide and Seek - Hide the cards all over the house and have your child find them. Then they could stick them to their match on the word wall if you have one. Good beginning to learn game. It teaches them to see the differences in the words.
M&Ms - Okay, this is just outright bribery. For each card they get right you give them a little something like an M&M or a piece of cereal or even a penny to keep them answering questions. We went from one session to three a day with this trick. You could also use raisins or blueberries or anything else small they would like to collect a lot of.
Slapjack - Popular card game turned learning game. You could do this several ways. You could pick one word to be the word that gets slapped or let them slap any word they know. With more than one child you could give it to the one who says it and slaps it first. Very competitive so it may not work for every child. You could say the words yourself to let them get to know the deck and later on let them read them themselves. The dealer lays down one card at a time face up for everyone to see and the children are instructed to "slap" either the specified card or any card they know. The hand at the bottom of the pile gets it.
Grocery Store - This is a currency game. You set up shop in your living room with items for your store like toys or canned goods. Each will need a "price". The price of the teddy bear might be the word "the". Give them flashcards (printed on green paper if you're really into it) and let them buy what they want. Act as the clerk and then as the customer, taking turns as the child wants. Make sure to keep referring to the words on the card as you play.
Fitness Game - All you need is a list of exercises and your flashcard deck. When your child gets a card right you do the exercise, when they get it wrong they do the exercise. Does this sound boring? Trust me, your kid making you do a pushup or sit-up will be hilarious to them! This is a game for when they already know some of the deck.
Do you know any other flashcard games to play? Leave a comment below.
