5 ways to use flashcards with kids
Bury toy minibeasts in rice (or lentils, pasta, couscous, old breakfast cereal – whatever you have!) and ask the kids to see what they can find. Get the kids to use a brush to uncover the toys, and add a magnifying glass if you have one – kids love using these! Place the flashcards around the edge and ask the kids to match up the minibeasts as they find them. Older children can sound out some of the familiar words on the flashcards. This is a great activity for fine motor skills (using a brush, picking up toys), good for encouraging vocabulary (ask younger children what the minibeasts are, what colour they are) and counting (ask children how many of each have they found).
Spring sensory play Put together a tray with anything spring-related you can find – think chicks, Easter eggs, bunnies, carrots, lambs and flowers. Use rice, pasta, straw, grass, soil etc as a base. Basically, anything goes! There’s lots of ways for kids to play with a tray like this: they may match colours up, dig around in the soil, mix it all up, make up little stories. There can do so much with this type of tray.
Credit: @mini.mess.makers on Instagram
Bug hunting
Credit: @outdoor_nature_tots_playkits on Instagram
Flashcards can be used in so many ways, from simple matching games to story-telling and inspiration for arts and crafts. Michelle Urquhart, co-founder of Bee a Little Wild, a local business creating nature-inspired flashcards, shares some simple ideas.
Using yellow play dough and an assortment of pipe cleaners, dried beans, buttons, glass marbles, sequins, get the kids to make a buzzy bee. A good one for fine motor skills with picking up small items and placing them in the ‘right’ place. You could also encourage counting, by asking kids to give the bee one, two or three stripes or ask them to count how many beans they have used. You can also try making ladybirds, snails, butterflies, worms… 40
There are four Bee a Little Wild flashcard sets available: minibeasts, mammals, birds and spring. To place an order, get in touch with us on facebook.com/beealittlewild or Instagram.com/beealittlewild or email beealittlewild@ gmail.com. Flashcards are £9.50 a set, with free delivery in the Deepings.
Credit: @beealittlewild on Instagram
Play dough buzzy bees
Take a set of flashcards out with you next time you go for a walk or are playing in the garden and see what you can spot. It’s a great way to talk about nature, what things we can see, what colours they are, how many legs/ petals/spots/eyes they have, where they live and lots more. Just be prepared to answer lots of those ‘why’ questions!
Credit: @beealittlewild on Instagram
Credit: @beealittlewild on Instagram
Nature spotting
Art inspiration Get out the crayons, colouring pencils or paints and use flashcards as inspiration for some artwork. Or try some natural artwork, using leaves, sticks, acorns and flowers to make pictures. A really easy activity to encourage imagination and creation. You could even make stories up about the pictures you have made.
