Flashcards have been in the classroom for a variety of reasons for years and years. They have been used for games, reviews, and much more. Whether you’re teaching in an ESL classroom or a native-speaking classroom, you’re going to need flashcards. Buying cards in bulk will help both you and your class.
There is a variety of popular games that can be played and made simply with flashcards for classroom activities. Here is a list of our expert teacher’s 25 favorite flashcard games!
1. Verb To Be Grammar Practice
Flashcards have been a huge part of the grammar classroom since the beginning. Using any type of colored paper, construction paper, or just regular paper, this active game can be created. Have students run up and match the correct verb and pronoun. Make two different games and have students race!
Learn More: Speak n Play 94
2. Headbands
This fun family game can easily be brought into the classroom. Use it to talk about different animals, describe vocabulary words, and much more! Use a picture card or just a card with a vocabulary word on it and you can simply have students tape it to their forehead or make a headband out of a piece of paper.
Learn More: Learn with Alea
3. Memory
A super classic game that every household loves to play is memory. Also a classic flashcard game in the classroom, this can easily be integrated into any unit plan. Depending on the level kids are at, it can easily be used as a vocabulary review activity.
Learn More: The Barefoot Homeschooling Mom
4. Activity Cards
This fun activity can turn any indoor recess or break time into a seriously silly time. Using a picture flashcard a game with flashcards that will have all the students up and moving in different silly ways.
Learn More: Speak N Play 94
5. Sight Words Cards
Sight word flashcard games are a fun and rewarding way to get your young students engaged in learning. These activities. will provoke both listening skills and memorization skills of your students. To gain a basic level of understanding in their sight word knowledge.
Learn More: Trend Enterprises, Inc.
6. Alphabet Flashcards
Use simple games like this to enhance your student’s alphabet memorization skills. Kids will be excited when they choose the correct flashcard and win! Use game helpers to help you make the alphabet flashcards and use them for a variety of activities!
Learn More: ABCDee Learning
7. Fish Bowl Counting
This fun game will have students super excited during math centers. Use the number card with a flashcard picture card to show the amount of fish swimming in the fishbowl. This is an independent game that can be easily played and stored in the classroom.
Learn More: Juliana Carreira
8. Sum, Difference, Product, Quotient
Put flashcards on the floor and have students throw two bean bags. Then throw a third to find the math answer to the corresponding numbers. This game in action will be much more intense than it seems. Make it a competition by using big numbers to see which team can come up with the correct answer first!
Learn More: Foreman Fun Elementary Math
9. Go Fish Math Style
Super fun fishing games come in all different varieties. This fun math matching game is perfect for students. A twist on the classic card game that students will love playing. Add it to your list of fun flashcard games that your kiddos can play anytime.
Learn More: Seven Ate Nine
10. Would You Rather
Would you rather is a popular game among our students and they will love playing. Whether you have a method behind the game like teaching kindness or you want it to be fun and silly students of all ages will love to play!
Learn More: William Davis
11. ESL Class Game
Your students will love this game! Introducing the language using flashcard picture cards and then using them as a tic tac toe board is a great way to use fewer resources but have more student involvement!
Learn More: Easy ESL Games
12. Have You Ever?
This game is easy for anyone, even with limited resources to play. Just print a picture on a piece of paper and boom, you’ve got your flashcards ready to go! Have students ask each other questions that have to do with your lessons or just for social-emotional development!
Learn More: @bodrumdogakolej
13. Musical Flash Cards
This is another version of the student’s classic favorite; musical chairs. Except with less disappointment when students get out. Play fun music that students love and watch them dance in a circle and be excited when they are proud to read out the words they land on!
Learn More: Young Learner Ideas
14. Narration Creation
Check out this engaging game that will teach students narration using flashcards. Start small and make up stories about the flashcard, and slowly add more cards into the deck. Students will soon be making up full-blown stories. They will love to use their imaginations!
Learn More: Shruthi Talk To Me
15. Pictionary
Pictionary can be played with almost any list of vocabulary words. Using your list of vocabulary words, create flashcards, shuffle them, and have students choose a card and then draw the word on the paper, have the other student or team of students guess the word!
Learn More: Flashcard Machine
16. Opposites Flashcard
Opposites can be tricky for students to fully understand. Use fun flashcards like this to easily help students comprehend. Use these to also assess and intervene with students before giving them a more formal assessment. Using pairs of picture cards lets students match with their opposites.
Learn More: Play With Nina
17. Fishing for Flashcards
Whether this turns into your student’s favorite alphabet fishing game, vocabulary fishing game, or picture fishing game, it will definitely be a fun one! It’s also super easy to create using household items like paper towel rolls and string!
Learn More: Sarina Institute
18. Greater Than or Less Than
A game that can easily be played with both playing cards or flashcards. Playing greater than or less than will make any math lesson fun. Whether it’s during a math center or as a whole class activity, students will love to play.
Learn More: Creative Family Fun
19. Lamination Station
Laminating is literally a teacher’s best friend. Whether you’re laminating something for an upcoming lesson or have something from years in the making, laminating is crucial to keeping it safe. Along with preservation, laminating also transforms your activities into dry-erase boards! Use this method to make flashcards that can be used for anything!
Learn More: Teach Me, I’m Yours
20. What’s Missing?
Enhancing student memorization and recognition is one of the most important aspects of using flashcards in the classroom. A game of serious focus for ESL students of any age is What’s Missing?” Using the lesson plan vocabulary words use this flashcard game to assess and practice student learning.
Learn More: ESL Kids Games
21. Jump and Say
Jump and say is an exciting vocabulary game for ESL students and even for students who are not ESL and just need a bit more help memorizing or spelling. Students will love this game because not only is it educational, but also very active.
Learn More: Laoai ESL
22. Flippity Flash Cards
Flippity is a super fun website that’s a great way to integrate the classroom into the classroom. This. The website is filled with different flashcard games that are great for students who are participating in distance learning but still need the benefits of using flashcards.
Learn More: Flippity
23. DIY Classroom Jeopardy Board
Flashcards are constantly used for different review games. Jeopardy is definitely a classic game throughout elementary and middle school. Making a board out of flashcards (laminate them!!) will you save you a ton of time and will also be super exciting whenever it gets taken out!
Learn More: Thirty Something Fabulous
24. Flashcard Stories
Using different sets of flashcards to get students to create their own stories is an activity that students will absolutely love. Working in collaboration with one another allows students to write or tell their own stories using whatever flashcards they randomly were assigned!
Learn More: Learn English Kids
25. Slap!
Slap is by far one of the best games to be played with flashcards. It also can literally be played in any grade, anywhere. It’s so easy to play, whether you have fly swatters, paper towel rolls, or just student hands – this game will be a student favorite. Use it with any subject, vocabulary review, or math study!
Learn More: Laowai ESL
20 Relationship Building Activities for Kids