The benefits of Flashcards in learning

Using Flashcards to help children learn

Flashcards are effective for children of really any age. However one of the places they are most often used is in the first years of school. They are usually thought an excellent way to improve phonics and spelling skills.
In the Britain they are used a lot for the Scottish Curriculum for excellence and in KS1, KS2, KS3 in the early years. This trend is also followed in other places like the USA although the set of words used can be slightly different. Governments generally publish a set of sounds and words for teachers to use.
Flashcards take a variety of forms. They can be cards that are shop bought but more often they are sourced from the Internet and then laminated prior to use. This is generally a cheap alternative and also ensures that you get exactly what you want.
The internet is a great source of cards. You'll find many websites that offer them for free, for example Learning Huddle .com has 117,800 alphabet cars that can be printed out. Probably more than you'll ever need and they're free! However Learning Huddle isn't the only site with free cards you just need to type into Google and you'll find lots of sites offering both paid for and free cards.
One of the great things about flashcards is that they are effective. Children don't feel like they are working too hard, an important part of successful learning. When used as an effective teaching programme they are invaluable.
There are lots of ways of using flashcards both with groups and individuals. Google will give lots of simple ideas. A simple way is just recognition. Get a small group together and lay the cards face down. Next get the children to turn them over one at a time and speak the word. If they don't know it then suggest the others help. This not only builds vocabulary but also helps with team building.
One idea to help kids is to print each kid out a set of cards or at least cards for the areas they have challenges with. The child can then take the cards away and practise with their parents. This involves the parents in the whole learning to read cycle which can ultimately help build success.
Remember that flashcards are not the only thing a child needs to do. They need to be persuaded of the value of reading by watching their parents enjoying reading. They need to understand just how important it is in life.

This article was written by Learning Huddle an educational website providing great cross curriculum material for KS1 - KS2 - KS3 and Curriculum for Excellence including worksheets and flashcards. LearningHuddle worksheets for schools

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