10 Learning Activities with Vocabulary Flashcards – for Toddlers, Preschool, and Kindergarten Kids
Those cute cards with pictures and words we use for building our kids’ first vocabulary, BUT they are more than just short-time pleasure for toddlers. In this article we share our 10 favorite learning activities and games with flashcards we came up with in our journey.
Going up from baby and toddler activities and on to pre-school and young school age, here are our 10 favorites:
1. New Vocabulary
This is a classical activity we think of when we hear the word flashcards. This proven method to introduce new words is fun and engaging as it requires little time and effort. Ideal for:
babies,
toddlers,
students learning English as a second language,
and special education.
Just show a card for 2 seconds, clearly pronounce the word, and then move on to another card. One card at a time increases concentration and memory work.
We started when my girl was just 6-month old. We did short daily sessions, 10 cards, not more than a minute long in total. Every few days I replaced one card with a new one keeping the usual amount of cards to work with.
Our advice is to start with a certain vocabulary topic and, from time to time, come back to the words learnt earlier - to make sure the child remembers them well. And only after all words are mastered, move on to a new vocabulary set.
2. Memory Game
Little kids grab new things quicker than they are able to speak them out. This game is perfect for 1+ year olds. After having learnt new words, the toddler is able to point their finger to the word you pronounce, choosing the right one out of 2 (or more, depending on the skills). The quicker - the harder, and more fun.
We played this game after breakfast, when the child is cosy and happy. I laid out 2 cards in front of my daughter and named one of the words for her to find. Upon the right answer, I would take these cards off and suggest a new couple. A few minutes for the game is good to go. It helps with concentration, decision-making, memory improvement and training the sense of time limits.
3. Matching Concept and Fine Motor Skills
Matching is an important early learning concept and a basic pre-math skill. With this simple flashcard-to-toy matching activity, a child will easily understand the idea and have a great fun playing. Suggest a few cards and matching toys. The toys may look different than pictures on the cards, not an exact copy (that will be more challenging than real-look figurines).
Have your child match the toys to the cards by placing each of them on the top of the corresponding card. This hands-on learning activity develops concentration and recognition skills while practicing fine motor and hand-eye coordination.
4. Learning Binders and Warm-Ups
A Morning Work Binder, also referred to as a Busy Binder or Interactive Learning Folder, is a treasure for early learning. It normally contains sheets or worksheets to quick-start the day and set up on productivity. Flashcards in a Morning Binder are often used in the form of a sheet and matching cards. My daughter loved to have Velcro dots to stick the matching pieces and then take them off again. The best thing is that children can work on it independently.
We used 2 strategies: same picture-to-picture matching, and picture-to-photo matching (same object, different expressions, colors or sides).
5. Sorting by Category, Color or Attribute
Sorting and grouping are another pre-math skill that flashcards are perfect for. Invite your learner to sort flashcards (scattered on the table) that belong to a few different categories, like in this 5-in-1 set.
Going further:
speak about why a card relates to this specific category (or ask the child);
have a discussion on common qualities the objects in the group possess;
describe the objects, and so on.
Additional language development points for discussion (also great for English as Second Language (ESL) environment) might be: sounds animals make, the taste of fruits, the seasons and weather for the clothes vocabulary and so on.
Sorting flashcards from different categories by similar qualities (like color, eating properties, size, shape etc.) will challenge and add up to out-of-the-box thinking.
6. Beginning Sound
Before a child masters reading, it is crucial to learn letters and recognize sounds. This flashcard preschool activity will help in practicing both skills at the same time.
Get a picture-word card and cover the word with paper. Ask the child to say out the word from the flashcard and identify the first sound.
Match the sound with the corresponding letter manipulative (these may be plastic or magnetic letters, wooden puzzle pieces or hand-written letters on bottle caps).
Check the answer by removing the paper and reading the word.
Older kids, in Pre-K and Kindergarten, may be asked to write the beginning letter or even the entire word and then check its spelling. Use paper and clips for multiple cards to set up a writing center for the group, independent work or early finishers in the class environment.
7. Letter Recognition and Sorting
Similar to the previous activity, the child is asked to identify the first sound of the words from flashcards. To add to the challenge, cut off a word leaving only a picture or print out the cards with pictures only (each FunPreK vocabulary set includes both versions: picture only and picture-word cards). Make the child sort words and distribute them on piles grouping by beginning sounds.
The next level of difficulty may include identification of a sound/letter inside the word. As an example, let’s find words containing the letter B: ambulance – is in, car – not matching).
8. Montessori Style 3-Part Cards
Creating thematic flashcards for my own girl, I keep in mind this amazing learning technique. The flashcards are designed in such a way that being printed twice, they turn into Montessori Three Part Classification Cards. I keep one copy as it is (a picture and a word) that makes it a so-called Control Card. As for the second set, I cut a card in 2 parts along the line, to make matching pieces: just a picture card, and just a label word.
The child starts by learning words and their names using a few control cards, and then moves on to matching the pictures to their labels. This activity involves memory work, reading, matching, and recognition skills (especially for those who are not reading yet). They are great for independent work as young learners can check their answers by consulting the control card.
9. Storytelling
Having a few sets of vocabulary cards, suggest your child getting any few (or more) flashcards at random. Place them in line and go ahead creating a story, going from one card to another in sequence. This activity develops imagination, composition, creativity while having fun as there are no correct or incorrect stories – any crazy plots and characters are welcome. Important here is to keep the story consistent and flowing.
This game is great for both parent-child interaction as well as for a group of kids taking turns and adding one sentence or a piece of a story at a time. If the child or children can write, creating a nice book would be a wonderful idea. Adding pictures and details to such an original handmade book makes the story a unique experience. Get a package discount on 5-in-1 sets of vocabulary flashcards to tell or write your amazing story. And let your creativity flow!
10. Drawing
I’ve created an entire collection of thematic flashcards with simple and colorful pictures for kids to enjoy. The lines are easy-to-copy, and the pictures are in essential colors.
Drawing from a card is a good exercise for:
a thematic unit study,
quick warm-up,
transition activity,
for early finishers,
as a quick fine motor task,
as an insert to a creative (note)book.
Breaking the picture into geometrical shapes, either with a marker or imaginary lines, will help in understanding the “anatomy” of the picture and basic drawing technique. There are so many ways these cards can come in handy!
In my next article 10 More Learning Activities with Flashcards I share further (advanced) ways to make use of vocabulary flashcards - for older kids of preschool, kindergarten and even primary grades.
Each time creating a new resource I try to make it work for multiple purposes and ages. This allows parents like myself to make kids familiar and thus more willing to work with materials, save on printing and laminating, and optimize cost and storage space (less in volume but more in value).
Comments