Flashcards - why you should be making your own

Tomato sauce, a rubber duck and a woolly hat! Seemingly random but these were key words from a picture book children needed to know.

Flashcards are a staple of the young learner classroom. In fact, I don’t think I used them until I began working with young learners and if I remember correctly, it was because I could colour them and make them more visually appealing than a chalk drawing on the board. 

What are flashcards?

In their simplest form, they are drawings that illustrate a single word. This might be to represent an object, a place, a feeling, an action. The beauty of flashcards is that the meaning is immediately clear. A drawing of an apple is clearly an apple.. it isn’t an orange.

Search online or make your own?

There are so many online sites where you can download flashcards and I have found that I spend a long time looking through sets, signing up to actually get what I want, being hit with a paywall (which is fair enough but I thought they were free…You can spend a helluva lot of time down the internet rabbit hole looking for what you want, and then you might get flashcards you don’t really want but you have them out anyhow. And the clock carries on ticking… Plus if you print them out, then you’re wasting paper and ink. Also, do you find you can’t find the set you were looking for and so end up printing off a new set… just because you can, right? Well, I hear you but it’s not only a waste of paper, and ink, it’s a waste of your time.

Make your own

Generally speaking, we give a lot more value to something we’ve had to work for and I’d argue that if you have spent time making your own flashcards, you will use and reuse them a lot more than if you just print off set upon set. Don’t get me wrong, there is definitely a time and place for the downloadable sets. I’m just wondering whether we’d reuse them more if we made them ourselves. 

Drawing

You need to draw your items. You definitely don't need a fine art degree and it’s really easy to copy a drawing from the internet e.g. a cat, a dolphin. Then, because it’s primary, you will probably want to colour them. Again, you don’t need to have perfect colouring. If colouring isn’t your thing (it definitely isn’t mine!), that’s fine and wax crayons are great. Remember it’s what you’re going to do with these flashcards that is more important. Now you need to stick them onto a firm backing. Cardboard is great for durability. I really like coloured card but it can be pricey. You can use cereal packets ...I know, that practice did go out of fashion for a bit, but it’s definitely back in as it’s a great example of recycling and reusing materials. You’re also providing a fantastic example to your students. 

Covering them

Next is laminating. I was so excited when I got my first laminating machine at home years ago. But here’s the thing: plastic laminating is really bad for the environment. The paper on its own will decompose but not the harsh laminate. Look for an eco-solution for example green laminating pouches. Yes, they are a bit more expensive but the cards will last just as long, and you’re doing your bit for the planet. It’s important.  Really important.

Storing them

Festive occasions are just around the corner – have you got your cards from last year? There may be one or two new words you can introduce but basically you will be using the same cards. Storing them carefully is also important. Pop them in a clearly marked envelope in a box (with contents clearly marked on the outside!) into a manila accordion envelope. Some (like Halloween and Christmas) are seasonal – keep them up on the highest shelf out of the way. Like festive decorations, it can be really nice to take the cards from last year and reflect on the year that was. 

2021 is all about sustainability and making small changes is the way to go. I hope this has inspired you to start (or go back) to making your own flashcards.