We often use flashcards in our classes to present and practice new language. Here I want to introduce some other flashcard activities to help your students remember new words and increase their language output.
Magic eyes
- Stick a set of flashcards in a row on the board. Children say or repeat the words.
- Remove the flashcards one by one. Point to where they were and children repeat the names as if they were still there.
Lip reading
Stick a set of flashcards on the board. Choose one flashcard and mouth the word silently. Children read your lips and say the word. It can be easily done as a team competition game.
What’s missing?
- Stick a set of flashcards on the board. Children say the words.
- Ask the children to close their eyes. Remove one of the flashcards. Children open their eyes and name the missing flashcards.
Repeat if it’s true
Stick a set of flashcards on the board. Point to one of the flashcards and say the word. If you have said the correct word, children repeat it. If not, they fold their arms and stay silent. This activity can be made more challenging if you say sentences, e.g. It’s a blue car.
It can also be done in the other way around. If you have said the wrong word or the correct word with the wrong pronunciation, children reformulate it in the correct way. If it’s all correct, they give you a thumbs-up and say silent. It gets the students to notice the grammar aspect of the language item and be aware of the correct pronunciation.
Try some of these activities in your class and let us know how they work out. Don’t forget to model it first!