Learning through play has become my preferred style of teaching for young ones and so at first the use of flashcards might seem a bit contrary. However, I don’t think that learning through play has to mean the exclusion of flashcards. There are plenty of ways incorporate flashcards to allow the learning to remain playful.
During my time as a nanny and now as a mother, I was finding myself writing and rewriting letters on repeat for letter recognition activities, which don’t get me wrong, gets the job done just the same. But I was wearying from doing it over and over.
In addition to that, I am always in search of ways to infuse a bit of beauty wherever possible throughout our days. I wanted to design some flashcards that would be beautiful to use because I find that prioritizing beauty in little things like learning materials just makes me a little happier. Perhaps it’s because beauty speaks a little bit to calm and order and thus is a welcome addition to toddler activities.
All of the free flashcards I could find were a little bit busier than I wanted. And while I fully support the time and work that goes into creating printable resources that are made for purchase, alphabet flashcards seem like the sort of thing that should be free and accessible to everyone. So I created these very simple, straightforward letter flashcards that can be used in endless ways.
They can be left in their clean, black and white state. Or they can become an art project and splashed with bright watercolors for something more vibrant. I plan to make one set of each.
Which brings me to one final point that I like about these free printable cards, the ability to reprint. The entire set can be reprinted for any reason. Or if one particular letter gets misplaced or torn or crumpled up, you have the ability to simply replace just that letter.
Below you’ll find the link to download the PDF file. And I’d love to see how you use them! If you share to Instagram please tag me @hollyyinger.
Here are eleven ways to use them in play based learning:
- Flashcard Scavenger Hunt— Hide the flashcards all around the house and have the child find them and put them in order together.
- Object Scavenger Hunt— Lay out all the letters or just a few at a time and find objects around the house that begin with that letter.
- Matching— Lay out the letters and match the lowercase version with the uppercase version. For an added level of fun and difficulty, set a timer and see if they can beat their last time.
- Go Fish— Try to see who can get the most matches of uppercase and lowercase letters in traditional Go Fish style.
- Memory— Match the uppercase and lowercase letter for as many letters as you wish to play with. Flip them upside down in a grid and play a game of memory to practice growing more familiar with letters in their various forms.
- Playdough—If the flashcards are laminated or slid into photo album covers, use play dough to create the outline of the letter.
- Sensory Tray— Use a tray of salt or sand or whipped cream to practice writing the letters.
- Magnet Fishing— Clip a paper clip to each flashcard and use a simple magnet on a string tied to a stick. Say the name of each ‘fish’ caught.
- Book Scavenger Hunt— Take the flashcards to the bookshelf and have the child try to find each of the letters once in their books somewhere.
- Hopscotch— Lay out the cards on the floor in a path and use a beanbag or rolled up socks to toss and hop to it. Have the child name the letters as they pass or just name they one they hop to.
- Window Writing—On a not too windy day, the letters can be taped to the outside of your window or sliding door and then used as a giant dry erase board from the inside to practice tracing.
What are some of your favorite ways to encourage learning through play with alphabet flashcards?
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