Flashcards are Your Friends

Flashcards are one of my absolutely favorite educational tools. They are the best for learning tables in math. But I have also used them to help the children learn theirs letters and colors as well. I’m sure I will find many other ways to use them in the future.

Anyone Can be the Teacher
One of the best things about using flashcards is that anyone who already knows the material on the cards can help the person who is learning. For example, when my daughter was only 4 years old she would sit next to her 2 year old brother and help him learn his colors. Anytime he got to a color he didn’t know, she would tell him what it was and then he would repeat after her.

You Can Use Them Anywhere
A lot of times I have the children pull out the cards when I am preparing breakfast or lunch. They either sit on the couch and help each other learn. Or, I have them stand next to me in the kitchen and I’ll help them with the cards while I cook. For whatever reason, this has worked remarkably well with the children learning their addition tables. Maybe it’s because it doesn’t seem so “school” like to recite math problems while Mom bakes up some muffins for you.

Flashcards are Inexpensive
For the cards to teach colors, I just cut pieces of construction paper into rectangles and labeled them. All the rest of our flashcards I have found for free on the internet. You might be amazed at what you can find printable flashcards for. Just a quick search on Google will do the trick.

Flashcards are Easy to Make
I print them out, cut them up, and laminate them. I also hole punch the tops of the cards and keep them on a ring. That way they can be turned easily; and, I don’t have to be concerned about any of the cards getting lost. The lamination ensures that the cards can be passed down to the next child, when the time comes. You can purchase an inexpensive laminator from one of the big box stores or Amazon. I bought laminating sheets in bulk years ago and I am still on the same box.

Even though the children only use the cards for a few minutes a day, that seems to be all it takes. Sometimes they will ask to pull out their cards on their own without being told to. I love when that happens!

 
Serfronya Wallace
 
The six loves of Serfronya Wallace's life are God, her husband, and her 4 children - whom she homeschools. Serfronya enjoys sharing educational tips and writing about her family's homeschooling journey at Cookie's Domain.

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