How to use Flash Cards Effectively: A Complete Guide 1 Slap Game Level: All levels Time: 5-15 minutes (depending upon the variation or variations used) Aims: To have children recognize vocabulary words or grammatical structures. Also children will be able to use correct game language. Materials: Picture cards appropriate for the variation. Fly swatters Procedure: 1. Spread the cards out on the floor or on a table. 2. Have the children hold their fly swatters at their sides. 3. Call out a word of one of the cards on the table. 4. The first student to slap their fly swatter on the card should say the name of the card and then gets to keep the card. 5. If two children slap the card at the same time, they should say, “Let’s do Rock, Paper, Scissors.” The winner gets to keep the card. Variation 1: You can have several copies of the same card on the table or floor. This increases the chance that other children will be able to get a card as well. It is fine if one child can get more than one card in this variation. Variation 2: Say a sentence with the word. For example, for the word cake, you could say, “I eat cake on my birthday.” Variation 3: Give hints without actually saying the word. The children have to guess which card you are describing. Variation 4: Have the children ask you questions about the card you are thinking about. For example, “is this a car?” Remarks: Children can get quite excited when doing this game, so it is important for them to stay fairly calm and quiet so that they can hear the words of clues. Also, for younger children it is a good idea to make sure that they get at least a few cards. Towards the end of the game, you can increase the challenge by having the children close their eyes and rearrange the cards. With their eyes still closed call out a word or say a sentence. 2 Bingo Levels: All Time: 5-15 minutes Aims: To have children recognize vocabulary words or grammatical structures. Materials: Small pictures of vocabulary to be practiced or reviewed. You should have more pictures than number of squares on the game board sheets. For example, for a 3X3 grid there will be 9 squares. You should have between 12 and 15 pictures. These can be in grids of 3X3, 4X4, or 5X5. Anything more than this and it becomes very difficult to get Bingo. Procedure: 1. Hand out the bingo board sheets and the small pictures to be placed in the grids. 2. Tell the children to put the small pictures in any grid they would like. 3. When the children have finished, call out one word. If a child has that picture anywhere on his or her game board, he or she should say, “Yes!” and turn that small picture over. If not, he or she should say, “Oh, no.” 4. Continue calling out the names of the cards. When a child has only more card to go, he or she should say, “Only one more!” 5. When all the pictures in a row (vertical, horizontal, or diagonal) are turned over, the player should shout out, “BINGO!!” in a loud voice. 6. Make sure to stop when you have said less than the number of cards you have prepared. For example, if you have prepared 25 cards for a 4X4 grid, you could stop at 19 or 20. Variation 1: There are many different types of Bingo besides standard up, down, and across. For example, X Bingo where both of the diagonal rows have to be turned over. H Bingo where the two sides and the middle row have to be turned over. This would only work with 3X3 and 5X5 grids. Z Bingo, Y Bingo, and so on are also possible. Variation 2: Say sentences with the word. For example, “I like to go hiking.” 3 Variation 3: Give hints about the word. For example, “This sport uses a ball and a bat.” Variation 4: Have the children ask you questions about the word. For example, “Is this animal big?” Fruit Basket Levels: All (Works best with younger children and groups approximately the same age.) Time: 10-15 minutes Aims: To have children recognize vocabulary words or grammatical structures. Materials: TACs or Flash cards Procedure: 1. Have the children sit in a circle. Use plastic stools or chairs. 2. Using the TACs or flash cards, go around to each child and show them their cards. Because the number of children is low, you can have one child be two or three different things. For example, one child is apple and banana, one child is orange and lemon, and so on. 3. Call out a word. The children who are that word have to stand up and move to another seat. You the teacher also run to a seat, so on child is left in the middle. That child has to call out a word and the process repeats. 4. Sometime during the game, call out “Fruit Basket!” and all children have to stand up and find a new seat. Variation: Describe the word that you are thinking about. For example, “this fruit is red.” 4 Vocabulary Race Game Level: All Time: 5-20 minutes depending on the variation used Aims: Children will be able to say the word represented by the picture, or use the word in a correct sentence or question. Materials: Cards or TACs for review. If cards, they should be printed on thicker paper, or laminated. Procedure: 1. Divide the children into two teams. 2. One child from each team stands at opposite sides of the row of cards. 3. Each child says the word on the card, moving toward the middle of the row. When the two children meet, they do Rock Paper Scissors. The winner stays and the loser is replaced by another member of the team who begins from the beginning of the row. The team whose members all finish is the winner. Variation: Children have to say sentences or questions using the words on the cards. Concentration Level: All Time: 5-15 minutes Aims: Children will be able to say or use the words represented by the cards. Materials: Small cards for the target vocabulary. Procedure: 1. Place the cards face down on a table or the floor. 2. Child 1 turns over one card and says the word represented by the picture. Child 1 then turns over another card and says the word 5 represented by the picture. If the two cards match, he or she should say, “Match.” If they don’t match, he or she should say, “No, match this time,” and turn the cards back over replacing them in their original location 3. When a match is made, the child gets to keep the pair. If there is no match, the next child takes a turn. Continue the game until all cards have been matched. 4. To make the game more challenging, you can rearrange the cards from time to time. This ensures that all children have an equal chance to get cards. Variation 1: The children use the words in sentences when they turn them over. Variation 2: The children use the words in questions when they turn them over. Variation 3: The tutor asks the children questions about the card and they must answer correctly before continuing. Charades Level: Appropriate for slightly older children (grades 3~) Time: 10-20 minutes Aims: Children will be able to use gestures to explain a word or idea. Children will be able to recognize what another child is trying to communicate through gestures. Materials: Nothing is necessary, but cards showing the intended vocabulary word or message can be prepared ahead of time. Procedure: 1. Whisper a word, or show a child a card without the other children seeing what is on the card. 2. The child must then act that card out using only gestures. The other children try to guess what it is. 3. When the word has been guessed, the child doing the gesturing can say, “Yes, that’s right.” Then another child begins. 6 Variation 1: To make it more difficult instead of using only words, use longer concepts or even sentences. For example, “The book is on the table.” Or, “The man is eating an ice-cream cone.” The other children have to guess the correct full sentence. Shiritori Level: Higher Level (generally children who can recognize letters and spell) Time: 5-10 minutes Aims: Children will be able to think of words that begin with a specific letter. Materials: Nothing Procedure: The teacher says a word and the children must think of a word that begins with the last letter of the previous word. This continues until a child is unable to think of a word in which case, they skip two turns. Variation: This can be done with children who are able to write words. Have them write words that begin with the last letter of the previous word. Spelling mistakes result in minus points. Guess What I Have Level: Intermediate-Advanced Time: 10-20 minutes Aims: Children will be able to guess what a person has by asking many questions. Materials: Picture cards showing various object Procedure: 1. Put many cards with pictures of different objects on them in a cloth bag. 2. Child one takes one card out of the bag and looks at it closely without the other children seeing. He or she then gives the tutor 7 the card. 3. The other children then ask child one questions about the object. Child one should answer, either “Yes,” “No,” or “Maybe.” When another child knows the answer, he or she should raise their hand and say, “I think I know what it is.” If the child is correct, he or she receives five points. Encourage the children to use many different key structures and points. Take A Card Game Level: High Beginner ~~ Time: 10-20 minutes Aims: Children will be able to ask and answer questions Materials: Small picture cards. There should be 4 of each card per set. Procedure: 1. Each child receives five cards from the dealer. 2. If a child receives two of the same cards, he or she can put them down in front of themselves for one point. One pair of cards equals one point. 3. The remaining cards are put in the middle of the table in a neat stack. One card is turned over. 4. The dealer begins by asking the person to his or her left a question about the card that is turned over. For example, if the key point is “Do you ~~?” The dealer will ask, “Do you eat bananas?” If the person to the left of the dealer has a banana in his or her hand, he or she should answer, “Yes, I do.” The player to the left of the dealer can then receive the card is he or she wants it. If not, he or she can say, “No, thank you. I pass.” 5. If a player picks up the card, that player should turn over another card from the deck. If a player passes, that player should turn over another card from the deck and place it next to the first card so that two cards are showing. 6. If a player passes or answers “No, I don’t,” and the person who asked the question wants any of the cards in the cards that are 8 showing, he or she can take all of the cards from the point that he or she wants. He or she can then throw away for points as many pairs of cards as he or she can make. 7. This continues until there are no more cards. At the end of the game, each player counts the number of pairs thrown away. The player with the most points is the winner. 8. If the children want to keep playing even after all the cards from the middle are gone, they can simply count the number of points they have, and then return the cards to the middle. The dealer should try to shuffle the cards before play resumes. Technically, this game could go forever, or until the children grow tired of it. Variation: The conversation key point used for this game could be incorporated into a much longer conversation that the children had to say before getting the card. Go Fish! Level: Upper beginner to Advanced Time: 15-30 minutes Aims: Children will be able to use a key point in order to play the game. Materials: Small picture cards. There should be 4 of each card per set. Procedure: 1. Each child receives five cards from the dealer. 2. If a child receives two of the same cards, he or she can put them down in front of themselves for one point. One pair of cards equals one point. 3. The remaining cards are spread out in the middle of the table or the floor. The cards should not be in a neat stack. This is the pond in which the children will go fishing. 4. The dealer asks the person to his or her left a question based on the key point being practiced. The questions need to be yes/no questions. 5. If the person whom the dealer asked answers “Yes,” he or she must give the dealer that card. If, “No,” the person asked must say “Go Fish,” and the dealer must take one card from the cards 9 spread in the middle of the table. Example: Dealer: Excuse me. Can you build a fire? Child: Yes, I can. Here you are. (Hands over ‘build a fire’ card to dealer.) Dealer: Excuse me. Can you swim? Child: No, I can’t. Go Fish! Dealer: (Takes one card from the ‘pond.’) 6. This continues until there are no more cards. At the end of the game, each player counts the number of pairs thrown away. The player with the most points is the winner. 7. If the children want to keep playing even after all the cards from the middle are gone, they can simply count the number of points they have, and then return the cards to the middle. The dealer should try to shuffle the cards before play resumes. Technically, this game could go forever, or until the children grow tired of it. Variation: The conversation key point used for this game could be incorporated into a much longer conversation that the children had to say before getting the card. Fishing Game Level: Beginner~Intermediate (This game is likely to simple for advanced children, but they might enjoy it from time to time.) Time: 10-20 minutes Aims: Children will be able to make questions or sentences using one word or concept on a card. Materials: Small picture cards with paper clips or magnets attached. Fishing lines with a magnet attached at the end. Procedure: 1. Put the cards in a blue bucket. 2. Child one tries to fish one card out of the bucket. 10 [...]... The first child from the X team chooses which number to try 4 The tutor asks the child that question If the child is able to answer correctly, the team gets to put an X in any space they want on the game board If the answer is not correct, the first child from the O team gets to put an O in any space they want to 5 The tutor should alternate questions to each team Dialog Line Change (This game works best... The child opposite has to answer and return the question The first child answers then one line moves to the left The person at the end of the line comes around to the beginning of the line Variation: Each time the line shifts, the tutor says a word that the children must use in the next conversation Concentration Level: All Time: 5-15 minutes Aims: Children will be able to say or use the words represented... group of words or sentence, has to come to the tutor and say the group of words or sentence If the child correctly says the group of words or sentence, everyone receives a sticker If not, the try again It is OK to use the same sentence two or three times for repetition Collect the Cards Level: Upper Beginner~Advanced (children should be able to read the words related to the activity.) Time: 10-20 minutes... made, the child gets to keep the pair If there is no match, the next child takes a turn Continue the game until all cards have been matched 4 To make the game more challenging, you can rearrange the cards from time to time This ensures that all children have an equal chance to get cards Variation 1: The children use the words in questions when they turn them over 14 Variation 2: The tutor asks the children... 5-10 minutes Aims: To have the children ask and answer questions quickly This is a good review activity for previous lessons Materials: A soft ball (not a softball which is hard) Chairs or plastic stools Procedure: 1 One child tosses the ball to another child and asks that child a question The child who catches the ball has to answer within 10 12 seconds That child then throws the ball to another child... be able to ask and answer questions using the target key point to determine the identity of their partner Materials: Game sheets See example (Prepare many extra sheets for the children) Procedure: 1 Hand out game sheets to the children 2 Tell them to choose one person or character from the list on the left 3 Explain to them that they should not tell anyone their new identity 4 One child goes to another... cannot use the same question Tic Tac Toe Level: Upper intermediate-Advanced Time: 10 -15 minutes Aims: Students will be able to answer questions quickly and accurately Materials: Whiteboard and game sheets for the children The game sheets should be in rows of 3X3 Question cards to ask the children (you should prepare at least 20 different questions Procedure: 1 Explain the rules of Tic Tac Toe: There... like, “I hiked in the woods.” 5 The tutor decides whether the sentence or question is correct or not If it is, the student can get one point If not, play passes to the next child The children should be told that they cannot make the same sentence as another child Variation 1: The child who rolls the dice makes a question which he or she asks to the child next to him or her If the question is correct,... makes a correct sentence of question, he or she gets to keep the card for five points The tutor should say, “That’s good.” The other children should say, “Wow! Nice catch!” If the answer is not correct, the teacher should say, “No, that’s not right.” The other children should say, “Catch and release!” The card is then returned to the bucket 4 The tutor is the judge of whether a sentence or question is... continuing Battleship Game Level: Intermediate~Advanced (children must be able to read certain words used in the game.) Time: 20-30 minutes Aims: The children will be able to ask and answer questions using the target key point Materials: Battleship Game sheets Pencil for children Procedure: 1 Pass out the Battleship Game sheet to each child 2 The children then fill in four battleships on any consecutive . able to use gestures to explain a word or idea. Children will be able to recognize what another child is trying to communicate through gestures. Materials: Nothing is necessary, but cards showing. How to use Flash Cards Effectively: A Complete Guide 1 Slap Game Level: All levels Time: 5-15 minutes (depending upon the variation or variations used) Aims: To have children. time to time. This ensures that all children have an equal chance to get cards. Variation 1: The children use the words in sentences when they turn them over. Variation 2: The children use the