Games with FLASHCARDS ready to go!
Next, I am sharing with you some flashcard games that you can use in class. Mainly with young learners who like using material they can touch and play with.
Play with the whole class. Children stand or sit with you in a circle. Show the first flashcard to the child on your left who names what’s in the picture e.g. T-shirt! This child then shows the flashcard to the child next to them, who names what’s on the card and passes it on round the circle in the same way. Once the flashcard has passed to three or four children, start the process again with another flashcard. Continue the game in the same way with all the flashcards.
Children play pairs. Each child puts their flashcards facing down in a pile. They turn over their flashcards one at a time at the same time and say the words e.g. Giraffe! If they have the same picture, the child who says the word followed by Snap! first keeps the flashcards. The child with most flashcards at the end of the game is the winner.
Children play in pairs. Each child lays his flashcards facing down in a row on the desks. Child A points to Child B’s first flashcard, pretends to wave a wand and says e.g. Abracadabra! It’s the butterfly! Child B turns over the flashcard. If it’s the butterfly, they say Yes! and leave the flashcard facing up. If it isn’t the butterfly, they should say No! and leave the flashcard facing down. Child B then has the next turn.
Play with the whole class. Children choose a flashcard secretly and hold it so no one else can see. Then, they walk round the class asking other children e.g. Have you got an apple? / No, I haven’t / Have you got a plum? / Yes, I have until they find a partner with the same flashcard as themselves.
Children play in small groups using two sets of flashcards. They mix the two sets facing down and put them facing down. Child A starts turning two of the flashcards up and saying what they are in English. If they are the same, he can keeps them. If they are different, they have to be facing down again. The game finishes when all the pairs of flashcards have been found. The winner is the child with more pairs.
Play with the whole class. Draw a noughts and crosses grid on the board. Stick a flashcard facing down on each space. Divide the class into two teams, one to play with noughts and one with crosses. Children in each team take turns to choose a card. If they can identify what’s in the picture, turn over the flashcard and write a nought or cross in the square. The first team to complete a row of three wins the game.
Play with the whole class. Ask two children to wait outside the classroom door for a moment. While they are outside the door, stick one of the flashcards somewhere in the classroom, where it is ‘hidden’ but nevertheless visible without moving anything. Involve the rest of the class in helping you to do this. Ask the two children back into the classroom and everyone asks e.g. Where’s the lion? The two children look for the flashcard of the lion and the rest of the class helps by saying Hot! Hot! Hot! if the children move near to where the card is hidden and Cold! Cold Cold! if they move away. When they find the card, the two children say e.g. Here’s the lion! and everyone claps and says Hurray! Repeat several times with different children.