Last Updated on July 11, 2024 by Editorial Team
I remember using flashcards for my daughter when she was a toddler and all the way to her first grade. These learning tools helped her learn about the things around her while introducing her to basic concepts.
As flashcards are bright and colorful, they immediately grab the attention of little kids, which is the primary requirement for teaching anything new to them. As little kids have very short attention spans, flashcards are a great means to quickly share bits of information effectively.
A study also vouched for flashcards to be beneficial for kids. According to the study, flashcards help improve language skills, remembering, memorizing, analyzing, and enriching vocabulary. They also build self-confidence, develop communication skills, and boost their creativity.
Although you can buy flashcards and use them for your kid, making them yourself gives you the option to cover any topic you want. You don’t have to buy a new set each time you want to teach something new. All you need is a little time and a few supplies to make your DIY flashcards.
Just as I showed you how to make DIY tangrams in my last post, let me show you how I make flashcards so you can try doing it yourself for your little one.
How to make DIY flashcards at home
Making flashcards doesn’t have to be a tedious job. With a few basic items, you can make this simple yet effective learning tool. Flashcards made at home do their job just as well as store-bought ones. So, let’s see the steps involved in making flashcards.
Things you’ll need:
- A4 size paper
- A ruler
- A marker/ pencil
- A pair of scissors
- Colored paper of your choice
- Coloring material of your choice (markers, crayons, etc.)
Instructions:
The first few steps will be the same for all kinds of flashcards as it involves making small blank flashcards out of a large piece of paper.
- Take an A4 size paper and fold it into half as shown in pic 2.
- Next, make another fold to further bring down the width of the paper (pic 3).
- Now fold the long piece of paper mid-way to bring it to half its original size (pic 4).
- Now open the paper, and you’ll be able to see the folds. For your convenience, draw lines along the folds (pic 5) to aid you in cutting.
- Cut the A4 size paper along the lines (pic 6) with the help of a scissor to get eight pieces of cards ready to be used further.
- Make as many cards as you need depending on the number of cards you are making. For example, if you’re making Alphabet flashcards, you will need 26 blank cards to make the entire set.
To make shapes flashcards for your toddler:
- Take a colored piece of paper of your choice and draw shapes on it. Some common shapes to teach toddlers include square, rectangle, triangle, heart, star, oval, and circle.
- Now cut out these shapes with scissors (pic 2), apply some glue on one side (pic 3) and glue them to the center of the cards you made previously (pic 4).
- Don’t forget to label the cards with the names of the shapes to help your child correlate the two.
This is how your shapes flashcards will look in the end –
To make weather flashcards for your pre-schooler:
You can make weather flashcards to introduce different types of weather conditions that exist on earth. Here’s how you can go about it.
- Take a blank flashcard and draw different weather conditions you experience in your area.
- You can draw a few clouds to depict cloudy weather. Or you can draw a cloud and make a few drizzling raindrops to show rainy weather.
- Color these flashcards with markers, crayons, pencil colors, or whatever coloring medium is available at your home.
- Don’t worry if you’re not too good at drawing. A rough outline filled with bright colors will do the trick!
Here is a set of weather flashcards I made at home –
To make sight words flashcards for your kindergartener:
Just like we made shapes and weather flashcards, you can also make sight words flashcards for your kindergartener. Sight words are a set of common words which do not follow spelling rules and are commonly found on any piece of text. Identifying them quickly can help kindergarteners in reading and writing.
All you need to do is take a blank piece of card and write down one sight word on each card. A quick search on the Internet can give you a list of commonly used sight words which you can include in your set.
If you have a laminator at home, you can even laminate your flashcards. Laminated cards will last a long time as they are waterproof, and can withstand rough handling. As I didn’t have one, I chose to keep them as it is. They will just need a little more care than the laminated ones.
When all your cards are ready, use a punching machine to make holes in one corner of your cards and insert them in a binder ring to keep them all in one place.
And that’s all about how you can make your own DIY creative flashcards at home!
Fun and interesting ways to use flashcards
Flashcards can be used in many ways for a great learning experience. You can introduce flashcards as early as six months old! Though it may seem a little too early, flashcards help in visual stimulation and may build cognitive function.
For older kids like toddlers, pre-schoolers, and kindergarteners, flashcards are fun and engaging. In the following video, you can find three simple ways to use flashcards with your kid. It doesn’t have to be a long session. Just a few minutes is enough to get started.
Fun & Diverse Printable Flashcards for Kids
By now, you already know how to make your own DIY flashcards. However, we still have brought to you different types of printable flashcards that you can easily download, print, and use. Our collection includes animal flashcards, human body flashcards, feelings flashcards, solar system flashcards, and fruit flashcards. These fun and diverse flashcards are designed to make learning enjoyable for kids, helping them explore various topics in an engaging way.
Each set of flashcards is colorful and informative, ensuring that children not only learn but also stay interested. The animal flashcards introduce kids to a variety of animals, while the human body flashcards help them understand different parts of the body. Feelings flashcards aid in recognizing and expressing emotions, solar system flashcards spark curiosity about space, and fruit flashcards make learning about healthy foods fun. Simply print them out and start exploring the world with your kids!
Wrapping up,
DIY flashcards are an inexpensive option for teaching new concepts to kids. They are versatile and can be used to cover any topic. What’s better? You can even carry them in your purse and use them when your kid gets fidgety on a long car ride!
Flashcards make learning fun and help in the easy identification of weak points. Use them with a lot of patience and praise your kid when they get it correct, as positive reinforcement builds a child’s self-esteem and encourages them to do better.
I am Priyanka Sonkushre, a writer and blogger. I am the person behind “One Loving Mama,” a mom blog. Equipped with a Bachelor’s degree along with an MBA, my healthcare background helps me deeply understand learning difficulties. I know how challenging it can be for parents to find the right resources to help their children excel in life. So, here I am to blend my healthcare expertise with my parenting experience to create valuable and helpful resources for parents and teachers supporting children with learning differences. If you wish, you can follow me on Facebook and LinkedIn.