Flashcards do not have to be boring! With a little bit of planning, there are a number of fun and engaging ways to use flashcards and make learning fun. These games do not use mind numbing memorization but still reinforce what we all know is they key to learning – repetition. Check out some of our suggestions below and use them with our unique flashcards:
Alphabet Cards: Children’s Authors of Color
Alphabet Cards: Black Inventors
Alphabet Cards: 20th Century Black Visual Artists
Alphabet Cards: Inspirational Women of Color
1) Slap Jack
Goal: Slap the correct letter when it appears in a random order.
How to play: Holding the deck (half of the deck or just a few to start) in your hand, place the cards down in front of your child one by one. When a letter from their name appears, they should slap it! Just starting out? Try having them focus on 1 – 3 letters at a time.
2) One Minute Time Trial
Goal: Name the whole alphabet in one minute.
How to play: Set a timer for one minute and see how many letters your child can correctly name. Missed cards can be put back into the “draw” pile.
3) Unscramble
Goal: Put the cards in alphabetical order as fast as you can.
How to play: Mix up the flash cards and encourage your child to put them in alphabetical order. Have your child lay the cards on the table or floor to make it easier to see. Need to make it more challenging? Set a timer and race the clock!
4) Swat it
Goal: Swat the correct letter when it is called.
How to play: Give your child a fly swatter. Spread the flashcards out on the floor or table. Call out a letter and have your child “swat it” with the fly swatter! Make it more fun by playing with more than one child and having a race to see who can swat the correct letter the fastest.
5) Sort: Monkey, Giraffe, Chicken
Goal: Sort the letters based on their characteristics.
How to play: Have you child sort the cards by the lower case letters. Monkey letters have tails (g), giraffe letters are tall (h), and chicken letters are in between (a). Sorting can also be done by round and straight letters.
There’s no wrong way to play these games! They are just fun ways to think about the alphabet and reenforce repetition as they continue to learn.
