flashcards games and ideas

Flashcards games And Ideas

Most of these games should be used for approximately 10-15 minutes (lesson period permitting). These times may vary according to the level/ability of the students.

Content 1) Memory games ……………………………1 ……………………………1 2) Letters games……………………………. games…………………………….2 ……………….2 3) Chinese whisper………………………… whisper…………………………..3 …………………………..3 4) Guessing games………………………… games…………………………4 ………………4 5) Give me game……………………………. game…………………………….5 …………………………….5 6) Go Fish …………………………………….6 7-Bingo………………………………………...7 8-TPR…………………………………………..8 9-Treasure Hunt Hunt ……………………………9 1010-Find 10 differences……………………10 1111-Stepping Stones……………………….11 1212-Which one ………………………………12 1313-Tic Tac Toe………………………………13 1414-Odd one out…………………………….14 1515-Snakes and ladders…………………15

Memory Games Materials used: Target skill: Instructions:

Flash cards Vocabulary – writing -

Stick the picture flashcards and the corresponding text cards from a lexical set randomly on the blackboard.

In small groups, the students match the text to the picture cards by drawing lines.

When all the cards have been correctly matched to the words, rub out the lines and put all the picture cards in a pile.

Put the class into two teams and ask the students from each team, in turn, to take one card from the pile and stick it next to the corresponding text card. The team with the most pairs matched correctly is the winner.

Variations Memory Tester Place a selection of flash cards on the floor in a circle.

Students have one minute to memorize the cards.

In groups, they have two minutes to write as many of the names as they can remember.

Guess the item

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Stick a set of flashcards (up to ten different items) on the blackboard. Point to each card and encourage the children to say the items. Split the class into two teams and ask them to look at the cards for two minutes. Put the cards face down in the same order. In turn, ask one child from alternate teams to touch a card, say the item and then turn the card over. If he/she has guessed correctly he/she can keep the card for his/her team. If not, he/she puts it back in the place it came from. The team who guesses the most cards is the winner.

Pairs Put a pile of picture flashcards and a separate pile of matching text cards face down on the table. Each child takes a picture or text card.

(There must be at least one text card to match each picture card. In larger classes there could be more than one text card per picture card.) The children walk around the room finding the players with the equivalent text/picture card using appropriate language, for example, What card/colour have you got? Have you got a ‌? etc.

Letter Letter Games Say & take Materials used: flash cards Target skill: vocabulary Instructions: A letter recognition game for 1 or more players.

The rules for this game are quite simple.

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Shuffle up the cards and then place down any number of cards from 1 to 10 or more face up.

The more cards on the table the easier the game is.

Players take turns.

What a player must do is say the name of one of the letters on the cards. If the players says the letter correctly on one of the cards they get to pick up that card and keep it.

After a player takes a card, place down another card from the deck to keep the card count on the table constant.

Keep playing until all of the cards are gone.

This game is not designed to really have a winner, it should be played just to have fun.

Other variations that can be played are: say the sound of the letter or say a word that starts with the letter.

To keep the game fun remember to make a big deal when someone gets the letter correct and be helpful when they are not sure of a letter.

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Variations Alphabet Line Up This is a good way to teach the alphabet to your class.

Give each S an alphabet flashcard with a different letter of the alphabet on it, starting at "A" (eg if you have 7 Ss, give flashcards A through to G).

Have them move around the room to music. When the music stops, they must line up in order.

You can also play with missing letters (eg. Give a "c", then an "f", a "k", an "o", etc). That way they are really learning the order, not just memorizing.

Alphabet Wave Divide the a-z flashcards among all your students. Put Ss in a line and play the ABC song. As it plays each student must hold up their corresponding alphabet flashcard.

Chinese whispers Materials used: Flash cards Target skill: Listening

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Put some flashcards face up on a desk.

Divide the class into two teams and ask them to sit in rows.

The first two students in each team come to you and you whisper an instruction, for example, Open your book please.

These students go back to their teams and whisper the instruction to the next student.

This student then whispers it to the next, and so on, until the last student in the team runs to the desk, takes the flashcard and gives it to you.

The first student to give you the flashcard wins a point for her team.

Guessing Game Materials used: Flash cards Target skill: Vocabulary – Comprehension – Speaking - Grammar

Instructions: Put some flashcards face up on a desk.

Divide the class into two teams and ask them to sit in rows.

The first two students in each team come to the front. They have to guess the picture you are hiding .For example you say it is a fruit. The student can say an apple or a banana .If she guesses right she wins the card. Then it is the next student turn . The team with the most cards wins.

Mime

Variations

(Seasons, animals, or sports flashcards can be used in this way) Split the class into four or five teams and fix the cards at the front of the class. Ask one team to mime the appropriate scene from a card, e.g. playing football/It’s cold. The group who guesses the correct card first wins a point. This group then mimes another card. The group with most points at the end of the game is the winner.

Guessing Question Game This is good practice for asking simple questions. T hides any flash card behind his/her back and Ss try to guess what the object is by asking questions: "Is it a dog?", "Is it a ball?", "Is it a book?", etc. until they guess the flashcard.

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Hint Animal Game As a review on animals cards, hold some cards without showing any. Then tell the kids that they are going to receive 3 hints, so they need to listen carefully.

For example: 1. I am yellow. 2. I have long hair. 3. I am strong. Who am I? Well, a lion of course! You can make it in deferent levels depending on how much English you use or which vocab you use.

Invisible Flashcards Flashcards • • • •

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Stick 9 flash cards on the board and draw a grid around them.

Use a pen or a pointer to drill the 9 words. Always point to the flash card you are drilling.

Gradually remove the flash cards but continue to drill and point to the grid where the flash card was.

When the first card is removed and you point to the blank space, nod your head to encourage children to say the word of the removed flash card.

Students should remember and continue as if the flash cards were still there. They seem to be amazed that they can remember the pictures.

Depending on the age group I then put the flash cards back in the right place on the grid, asking the children where they go, or I ask students to come up and write the word in the correct place on the grid.

Reveal Reveal the word • • •

• •

Cover the flash card or word card with a piece of card and slowly reveal it.

Students guess which one it is.

Once the card is shown, chorally drill the word with the group using different intonation and silly voices to keep it fun. Vary the volume too, whisper and shout the words. Children will automatically copy your voice.

Alternatively, flip the card over very quickly so the children just get a quick glimpse.

Repeat until they have guessed the word

Give me game

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Materials used: Flash cards Target skill: Vocabulary – grammar – listening - comprehension Instructions:

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You can use with flashcards or objects.

Elicit the different flashcards you have. Then place all the flashcards around the classroom.

T says "Give me a (bus)". The S with the (bus) flashcard should approach the T and hand it to her: "Here you are".

Go Fish Materials used: Flash cards Target skill: Vocabulary – Grammar - Phonics Instructions: The dealer deals 5 cards to each player( or less, according to student’s no. and vocabulary no.). The remaining cards are placed face down to form a stock.

The player to dealer's left starts. A turn consists of asking a specific player for a specific card.

For example: '……, please give me your horse'. The player who asks must already hold a card of a horse . Then the player place the two cards on the table.

If the person asked does not have the card of the horse, they say 'Go fish!'. The asker must then draw the top card of the un dealt stock. If the drawn card is the picture asked for, the asker shows it and gets another turn. If the drawn card is not the rank asked for, the asker keeps it, but the turn now passes to the player who said 'Go fish!'.

The game continues until either someone has no cards left in their hand or the stock runs out. The winner is the player who then has the most books.

Variations Alphabet Fish

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Print up two sets of flash cards, deal out each player 5 or 7 cards, have them play just like 'Go Fish'...'Do you have any A's' and so on....player with most matches wins...variation on this would be to ask for the opposite of what you have in your hand....ex: if you have a capital 'A' then you would ask for a lower case/little 'a'...and so on...

Refer to the word document with the title go fish cards for printable cards

Bingo

Materials used: Flash cards Target skill: Vocabulary – comprehension- Listening Instructions:

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Stick a set of picture cards on the board and the corresponding text cards below the picture cards. Ask the children to choose six cards from the cards on the board and write them in a grid on a piece of paper. Then you call out the words from the set in random order. The children cross off their words as they hear them. The first child to cross off all their words and shout Bingo! is the winner.

TPR Materials used: Flash cards Target skill: Vocabulary - Comprehension Instructions: T puts some flashcards on the board. Then a pair of students go to the board facing the flashcards. T says words (from the flashcards) and the 2 children must touch the correct flashcard as fast as they can. The winner is who touches more flashcards first.

Variations Touch: Place flashcards around the room and have Ss run around the classroom touching the flashcards that T orders them to do (e.g. "Touch the car" "Touch the bicycle" "Touch the bus").

Point or race to the flash cards Stick flash cards around the class.

Say one of them and students point or race to it.

Students can then give the instructions to classmates.

You can extend this by saying "hop to the cat" or even "if you have blonde hair, swim to the fish" etc.

You can also incorporate flash cards into a game of Simon Says. "Simon says, jump to the T-shirt" etc.

Board race

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Stick four flashcards on the board in a row, low enough for the children to reach. Divide the class into two teams. Call out one of the flashcards and the first two children from each team run to the board. The first child to touch the correct flashcard wins a point for her team. Continue with the other flashcards.

Musical Chair Alphabet: Place chairs in the form of musical chairs with alphabet flashcards placed on them. Start the music when the music stops the students pick up their flashcards and have to read the sound on the flashcard. The child who is unable to read is out of the game.

Treasure Treasure Hunt

Materials used: Flash cards Target skill: Vocabulary - Comprehension Instructions:

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1- Hide a set of pictures around the class.

2- Ask students to look for all hidden cards.

3- Once all cards are found ask students to find the missing word by taking the first letter of each card, scramble it and find the missing word.

"Find 10 Differences"

Materials used: Flash cards Target skill: Vocabulary - Speaking Instructions: 1. Show a sample set and ask students if the pictures are similar, and how they are different.

Elicit 10 differences.

2. Give pairs of students two pictures. Tell them write a list of 10 differences. If you want to turn this into a competition, the first pair to find ten differences is the winner.

Variations

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Find 10 Similarities: do this activity with very different pictures and have students find the similarities.

Stepping Stones Materials used: Flashcards.

Target skill: Vocabulary – GrammarSpeaking

Instructions: Lay your flashcards in a line on the floor and invite two students up to the front of the class. The students then walk up the line of flashcards going through the questions and answers related to the flashcards in alternate order. The students score one point for each card completed successfully e.g.

Student one:"What's that?"Student two: "It's a book." (1 point) Student two: "What's that?"

Student one: "It's a chair." (1 point) Student one:"What're they?"

Student two: "They are rulers." (1 point) If one of the students is unable to say the correct vocabulary then they sit down and another pair repeats the process.

Variations Cross the River:

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Place flashcards on floor in winding manner.

Each represents a stepping stone in the river, as students must say word/phrase/question/etc in order to step on it and cross the river.

Which One

Materials used:

One or more sets of pictures that have things in common (all portraits of men, or all landscapes, etc.). A set should have about four or five pictures.

Target skill: Listening Instructions:

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1. Display a set of pictures and tell students you will describe one picture. They need to listen carefully to find out which picture you are describing.

2. Describe the picture in excruciating detail, starting with the similarities. Little by little, mention small differences. To make this activity work really well, you should write out the description beforehand, so you can avoid giving away too much too soon.

3. Example: This is a picture of a man. He is a model. He's young, about 25 years old. His hair is dark. I think it's black or dark brown. He has no beard and no moustache. He is standing up, and he's looking at the camera. He's wearing a suit. I don't know if he's happy. He's not smiling. (Etc.) 4. When students have guessed which picture you described, they can take turns describing a different picture. If you have more sets of pictures, students can do the activity in groups and take turns describing different pictures.

Tic tac toe

Materials used:

(This game is only possible with sets of nine or more picture cards such as: numbers, colours, parts of the body, clothes, classroom objects.)

Target skill: Vocabulary - Speaking Instructions:

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Stick nine cards from one lexical set in a 3 x 3 formation on the black board. Split the class into to teams A and B. The teams take turns to say one of the cards out loud. If they say the right word, they claim that card by writing above the card A or B. The first team to claim a row of three is the winner.

Odd one out

Materials used: Flashcards Target skill: Vocabulary – thinking skills Instructions:

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Put some flash-cards on the blackboard. All the cards will be related to the same topic but one. For example: trousers, jacket, cow, shoes, shirt, jumper. Ask the students to find the odd one out (saying the word).

Snakes & Ladders

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Materials used: Board game- Counters – Dice or numbered papers.

Target skill: Vocabulary - grammar Instructions: •

Select the number of players that are going to play the game.

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Take turns rolling the die and answering the questions.

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If you answer incorrectly, you go back to the square where you came from.

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If you land on the foot of a LADDER and you answer correctly you go up the ladder.

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If you land on the top of a SNAKE and you answer incorrectly you go down the snake.

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If you land on one of the HOTSPOTS (Sun or Snake) and you answer correctly you get another turn, but if you answer incorrectly you go back to SQUARE 1.

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The first player to reach SQUARE 64 and answer the question correctly is the winner