Do you have a box of flash cards collecting dust somewhere? Honestly, I’m not a big flash card user, I kind of forget about them. But did you know that you can play all sorts of FUN games with them? Here are 12 ideas for fun flash card games that will make your kids actually want to bust out the flash cards.
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1. Always Use A Silly Joker. I learned this approach from our Phonics Pathways book. In their stack of flash cards they include a couple with silly eyes and when that card comes up, the parent and child “do the shuffle” – a crazy silly dance. It seems so simple but you know, it is SO effective. Now whenever we do any kind of game I always incorporate this idea. It can be a joker, a special number, character, or specific card, or you can tape a silly picture to some of the cards. When that card comes up, have an action and silly phrase that you all do together. For more active kids this can even include a quick run around the room or tagging an object on the other side of the room. The suspense of when that card comes up can really add some great focus to the game!
4. Smack It. Especially great for younger, tactile learners, a cheap fly swatter from the dollar store can turn flash cards into an easy and fun game. Lay out the flash cards onto a coffee table or the floor or in a pocket chart. Try different approaches to having your child smack the cards. You can name the card you want them to smack, then they smack it. For even younger kids, have them smack any card they know. For older kids practicing math, for example, tell them an answer and have them smack the card who’s equation matches your answer. You can reverse that and put only answers out and give them an equation to solve by smacking the correct answer.

7. Tic Tac Toe. This games was so simple but so much fun. Lay out 9 cards 3 x 3 and give two players different colors of an object (poker chips, candy, whatever.) Each player takes turns choosing a card to solve, then covers it with one of their objects to play tic tac toe.
8. Hide & Seek. Good old fashioned hide and seek with flash cards can be an easy and fun game to play. Simply have your child count with their eyes closed while you stash cards around the room. Your child then seeks the cards and shouts the answers as they find them.
9. Bean Bag Toss. Lay out a bunch of flash cards on the ground and have your child toss bean bags onto them. You can have them choose the one they want to solve and toss the bag onto. Or, you can make it more challenging and tell them which card to toss it onto to. Try a version with math cards where you say “toss the bean bag onto the answer for 2 plus 6.” Or, “toss the bean bag onto a card who’s answer is 12.”

Use larger flashcards for this game so they don’t get knocked around too much. These Slide & Learn cards are great.
10. Slap Jack. This is a great game for multiple players. Players take turns turning over the top card in a stack and solving the answer. When a special card comes up (you pick either one specific card, or a silly joker) the first player to slap the joker card gets to keep the stack.
11. Flashcard Tag. A great game for active learners or to add in some exercise to your day. Tape up flash cards around a large room or outside (include a joker if you want!) Instruct your child(ren) to tag the card you call out. For math equations you can give them the equation or answer and to practice spelling you can spell a word and they tag the corresponding card.

My girls loved this game. We did all sorts of versions like spelling the picture on the card, running to the picture that starts with the letter “L”, etc.
12. Duck, duck, goose. A silly game for younger learners. Set out stuffed animals in a circle, each one sitting on a flash card. Your child plays duck, duck, goose and picks one to be the goose. They pick up just the stuffed animal, run around the circle, then solve the card in that animal’s spot. Reset the card and animal, then play again. Sometimes the simplest games end up being the most fun for your littlest ones!
I really hope you enjoy these ideas for fun ways to play with flash cards! Here are some free flash cards available right here on Pk1HomeschoolFUN that you might want to print out for your next fun flash card game. Let me know in the comments which game was your favorite!
(Sorry my pictures aren’t so great, I’m still learning how to use my camera 🙂
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[…] You can read about even more fun flash card games in this post: 12 Fun Games With Flash Cards […]
What great ideas! Thanks for the tips
Thank you!! 🙂
SMACK IT! AHHHH! WE play that game too, although usually just with our hands. Like, on the table. She gets an M&M if she finds say, the number 5, before I find it. I found you on the linkup, and I’ll be bookmarking and adding your page to my feedly. I just adore it; I can’t elieve I haven’t found it sooner!
Ah you are so sweet, thank you! I just signed up for your photo course I’m excited!! Thank you so much for stopping by and for the encouragement!
What a fabulous round-up of ideas and I love that most don’t require very much to initiate/organize!
Thanks for sharing (and for linking up to the #SHINEbloghop).
Wishing you a lovely weekend.
xoxo
These are such great ideas! We have flashcards we never use as well so this will be a useful post for us! 🙂
What great ways to use flash cards! Thanks for sharing it at the Thoughtful Spot Blog Hop! 🙂
What a fantastic post! Thank you so much for sharing all of these ideas. I tend to forget about flash cards too, mostly because they bore ME. Ha! I’ll have to try some of these! Thanks for linking up!
Hahaha they bore me too! But my girls LOVE games so these really help out in a pinch 🙂
These look like such fun! Thanks for sharing at the #LearningKid linkup!
Thanks for stopping by!
I’m loving all these ideas! Definitely going to try some of these next time we pull out the flash cards. Thanks for linking up!
Thank you so much!
[…] 82. Make games with flash cards. Lots of moms shun flashcards, but they can provide a lot of fun and learning by using them in creative ideas. Try these 12 fun games with flashcards. […]