Fun & Independent Flash Card Games to Help Kids Learn

Flash card games can make memorization studies fun!   Making flash cards for whatever your child needs to learn and turning them into flash card games creates home made games with purpose and gives them the ability to independently learn while keeping their attention longer and in a more focused way. Games with flashcards are great at home or in the classroom.

Flash Card Game Ideas for Homemade Flash Cards

Since we have been partially homeschooling {my kids go to school three days a week and we home school twice a week}, I have been finding ways that my kids can independently study.  

Related: Printable flashcards for kids

I need to work with each child individually for some things, but that can’t happen if all three boys need my attention 100% of the time.

Making Flash Cards for Learning

I started making flash cards for just about EVERYTHING.   Sometimes I use 3×5 cards and sometimes I print them off on the computer.   If it is something the child can create, that is bonus study time.

Often I will make a second set so matching games can be created around the subject matter.   Here are a few of the flash card sets we have made at home:

• First grade flash cards:   sight words, phonics sounds, phonics spelling, math addition and subtraction, days of the week, months of the year, number words
• Fourth grade flash cards:   history timeline – dates and events, math facts, vocabulary, spelling words, Latin vocabulary
• Sixth grade flash cards: science vocabulary, geography facts, vocabulary, literature characters {like Homer’s Odyssey characters and what they are known for}, Latin vocabulary, Spanish vocabulary

Flash Card Games We Play for Learning

So now we have a bunch of flash cards and a ton of information that the kids need to memorize and learn.   I don’t have time to sit and flip cards, so we have created several different games with flashcards that can be modified to fit the flash card set:

1. Flashcard Memory Game

this can be done with two sets of the same card or with two corresponding cards.   Corresponding cards like word and definition or date and event work really well for the older kids.  

They lay out all the cards and flip them over until they can remember where the matching card is located.   This is also fun as a game against an older sibling who studied the information years ago.

2. Flash Card Sequence Game

Creating an order to the cards is an easy and independent activity.   Whether that is to line up the month words in order of the calendar or a stack of event cards, it will keep the children thinking about how they are related.  

Once the first sequence is completed, add another level for older kids by handing them the corresponding card stack to add dates to the order of events or definitions to the alphabetized Latin words.

3. Train Flash Card Game

This is a favorite activity that is an extension of sequencing described above.   It is especially effective toward the end of the school year when the stacks of cards have grown.  

• The child starts with one set of cards and sequences it starting at the kitchen and makes a train of cards through the hall, into the living room, up the stairs, into the game room, etc.  
• Sometimes they will take all their flash cards no matter the subject and create a massive line of information {that they have learned!}.  
• You can send them back through the train with the corresponding cards to add dates, definitions, symbols, etc.  

They are really proud to see visually how much information they know.

Using Flashcards Activities & Games at Home

This article was originally sponsored (but is not any longer) and this video demonstrates that. Skip ahead to 2:10 where I start talking about our flash cards and show you some of the ways my kids use flash card games in their homework and school studies:

Our Experience Studying with Games with Flashcards

If you have younger children, I know that college seems a far way off, but I wrote this article when my kids were little over 10 years ago and now two of these boys are in college and report that their studies are pretty easy because they know HOW to study and learn on their own.

The other thing I have learned through the years of homeschooling and helping kids with homework is the more independent they can be from an early age, the more they develop their OWN study skills and ability to create a learning situation where they are actually absorbing the information and not just going through the motions.

Who Can Benefit From Flashcards?

Both young learns, someone who is a first student, high schoolers, even college students can benefit from flashcards. The difference is how you use them.

Younger kids will benefit from a simple game using flashcards. A fun game is a great way to teach a vocabulary word, math problem, etc. And you can make so many different games like a fishing game. Alphabet flashcards are also great for younger students like a first grader.

Older students can use sets of flashcards too, but they’ll need different cards obviously. Whether they’re learning basic math facts, basic facts, etc.. they’ll benefit from different activities.

More Flash Card Fun & Games from Kids Activities Blog

What flashcard games do your kids like to play when they learn? Do you have any other games we could add to this list?