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Today I would like to share my 5 most used flash card based games and activities that I find very efficient, engaging and fun to use in classes. I am a Kindergarten ELA instructor and teach beginner learners within the age group of 4 to 7 year olds. Flash cards are mostly used when I am reinforcing the materials taught in class. They are based on, vocabulary words, basic grammar, actions, nursery rhymes, etc. My students are very active and full of energy, and that led me to prepare such card-based games that would allow them to enhance their skills, while they embrace and use the language in a very fun and natural way i.e. by making it a part of their play routines during study breaks. Personally, I find all these quite versatile and they work wonders in maintaining a fresh and vibrant class atmosphere. The first one is called ‘Flash Toss’. I lay out the flashcards face up on the floor. Then I say a word or do an action that matches one of those cards. The students have to be quick in identifying it and have to toss a throw pillow or a bean bag over the card in front of them. Suitable for: Young learners. Next up is ‘Charades’. It is a very popular one. I find it a very versatile and intellectual class activity. I begin by showing a flash card with one letter to my students that are either divided into pairs or grouped into teams. If it says ‘B’ then they have to act out a word that starts with the letter B. The team with the most points wins the game and gets a treat. Suitable for: Learners of all levels and age groups Guess-The-Word (with a Buzzer): I hold up a flashcard with an image and try to elicit an answer from the students. The students can play in pairs or in groups. You press the buzzer if you know the answer. I have observed this activity is very fruitful in terms of memory development. It produces excitement, a sense of urgency that triggers quick thinking. Variation: If you don’t have buzzers, you can use bells. Suitable for: Learners of all levels and age groups. Hopscotch: This class activity requires some patience and discipline to carry out. It is important here to use laminated cards (as they are super easy to clean, because the game can get a little messy). I start by drawing the hopscotch boxes and sticking the flashcards to the floor within each box. Next, my students gather at one end of the room, and I shout out a card. The students have to find the right card and jump on it. They all win points according to the number of cards they have identified individually. Suitable for: Young learners. Sing & Rhyme: The last one I would like to share is quite a musical one. It is also one of the most requested flashcard based activities in my class. I prepared cards based on the nursery rhymes, poems and songs that we had already covered before. I show a picture (a drawing based on a poem) to my students and they identify the title and sing along each other. Suitable for: Young learners.
