Flashcard games are a great way to make vocabulary learning engaging. They are also perfect for motivating children to produce language in a non-threatening context. Below I share my favourite games.
1. Hide and seek
Take two flashcards from a lexical set. Take the course character flashcard and say I’m going to hide (Spot)! and hide it behind one of the vocabulary flashcards. Ask Where is Spot? Where is he hiding? Encourage the children to guess which vocabulary flashcard (Spot) is hiding behind by naming the vocabulary item on that card.
2. Stop!
Take a set of flashcards, e.g. colours. Hold up the red flashcard and say This is red. I’m going to hide it! Mix up the flashcards. Explain that as you go through the cards, the children should say No, but when they see the red flashcard they should say Stop! You might encourage them to do a gesture too. When the red flashcard is finally shown, encourage the children to say Stop! and then ask them to repeat the word (or make a sentence with this word!). Repeat the game with other colours.
3. The tower game
Put a paper cup on the table. Show a flashcard and ask What's this? If the children answer correctly, they can place the flashcard on the cup. Put another cup on top of that flashcard and ask a question using a different flashcard. Repeat until you run out of flashcards or the tower falls over. If you play this game with very young learners, it might be helpful to write numbers on cups.
4. Pass the card
Play some background music. Give individual children the flashcards. Say Pass the flashcards! The children pass them around the circle until you say Stop. Who has the (apple)? The child with this card holds it up and names it. Continue until all of the cards are found.
5. Is it me?
Hand out flashcards the children know, at random. Say one of the words, e.g. Dog! The child with the correct flashcard stands up and says the word.
6. I spy...
Begins by saying the rhyme I spy with my little eye… and then describe something you can see, e.g. … something yellow! / … something beginning with b /… an animal! Encourage the children to guess what it is.
7. Categories
Mix up different flashcard sets and invite the children to sort them into categories. They say the words as they sort and then explain their choices.
8. What's missing?
Display the different flashcards on the board. Tell the children to close their eyes as you remove one flashcard. Ask the children to open their eyes and tell you which flashcard you have removed. Give the child who guesses correctly the flashcard to keep.
9. Eeny meeny miny moe! Touch...
Get the children into a circle. Place the flashcards on different walls of the classroom. Walk around the circle, tapping each child’s head as you say the Eeny meeny miny moe rhyme. When you get to the end of the rhyme, say one of the words – the child upon whose head your hand is resting should then run to touch that flashcard, then return to the circle. Continue until every child has had a turn.
10. Musical statues
Play some music, it can be the vocabulary song or any lively music. Invite the children to dance to the music. Pause it and say Freeze! Show a flashcard and ask a question. The children should name it or make a sentence using the word.
Remember that recycling vocabulary through various activities is essential for young learners. This not only refreshes memories but allows children to build up additional connections between words.
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