Simple ideas for introducing and reviewing language using flashcards ESL

Magic/Mystery Box

One of the simplest ways to engage students’ interest is to introduce new items with a Mystery Box. You can give hints about what’s inside and have students guess. You can make one out of a shoebox. Just decorate it as you wish, and your magic box is ready to use.

Snap game

Choose cards you like and place them on the floor. Invite two children to sit in front of the cards facing each other. When the teacher says a word (name of the card), children must as fast as they can slap the matching card. The winner is a child who first slaps the card. You can use flycatchers for slapping the cards.

Eraser Races

 Go through the picture cards that you are planning to introduce in your class. Identify the cards you think students are most likely to be familiar with. Place two of these cards on the floor at the front of the classroom. Divide the class into two teams and have them line up. Give the two students at the front of the line one eraser each. When the teacher calls out one of the cards, the two students race to put their erasers on the correct card. The first student to do so wins a point for his team. Repeat several times, and then add a third card. Play with three cards for several turns, and then add a fourth card, a fifth card, and then a sixth card, and so on. When you begin with cards that the students are a little familiar with, it allows you to slowly introduce some of the more challenging vocabulary. If you are introducing vocabulary that no students in the class know, give hints with your voice. For example, if you have a ghost card and a ballerina card, say “ghost” in a spooky voice, so the students will have an idea of which card it is.

Pass The Card 

The students and the teacher sit in a circle. The teacher starts by passing a picture card to the student on his right, saying, “This is a cat.” The student takes the card and passes it to the next student, saying, “This is a cat.” The card is passed around the circle. When the card returns to the teacher, the teacher puts that card aside and introduces a new picture card in the same manner. When the students have learned a few picture cards, the teacher has a few options:

a) wait until a card has reached the halfway mark, then introduce a second card going in the same direction;
b) introduce cards at the same time going in opposite directions,
c) send 3-4 cards around the circle in the same direction with a little pause between each. Tip: four cards are probably the maximum number of cards to work with at one time.


Musical cards 

The students and the teacher sit in a circle. While the music is playing, the teacher starts passing a picture card to the student on his right who passes the card to another student sitting in his right, and so on. The teacher is passing as many cards as he/she wants while students pass the picture cards in a circle. When the teacher stops the music, children holding the cards at that moment need to say the name of their card.

Roll The Dice

Choose six picture cards you would like to introduce and place them on the whiteboard with magnets. Give each card a number from 1 to 6, writing the numbers above the cards with your whiteboard marker. Divide the class into two teams. Give one student, any student, a big dice to roll. The whole class watches to see what number comes up. The first student to say the name of the vocabulary card with the same number as the dice wins a point for her team. If nobody knows the vocabulary card, introduce it and have the students repeat it. They’ll try hard to remember so they can answer it correctly the next time. Play until one team reaches a set amount of points. If it becomes easy, begin replacing the cards on the board with new cards.

Guess The Picture 

Take two sheets of paper the same size as the picture cards. Cut several small holes randomly spaced in one sheet. In the second sheet, cut larger holes in the same spots, so that the holes from both sheets of paper line up. Cover a flashcard with the large-holed sheet, and then place the small-holed sheet on top of that. When you look at the picture, you will only be able to see small parts where the holes are. Ask the children if they can guess what's in the picture, then slowly remove the large-holed sheet, revealing the picture bit by bit.

What’s Missing

Teacher? Place three familiar cards face up in a row. Turn around and ask the students to turn one card over. You return and try to name the missing card. Turn the card face up again, and let the students add a card to the pile. Turn around again, and the students turn one card over. Return and name the card. Gradually add more cards to the mix. Tip: Have the students turn over only one card at a time.

Kim's game?

Place four or more familiar cards face up in a row. Ask your children to close their eyes. Now, they can open their eyes and guess which one is missing. Turn that card face up again and add one more card to the pile. Ask your students to close their eyes again and turn two cards over. Gradually add a few more cards, depending on how many you have introduced at the time, and turn over more cards for students to guess what's missing.

Jumping Cards 

Choose 8-10 picture cards and hang them in a row on the board. Have students stand. Everyone stamps their feet left, right, left, right, left, right in a comfortable beat. Start chanting the names of the cards. After two or three rounds, turn one card over. Repeat the chant, but when you reach the card that has been turned over, everybody jumps. Turn over another card and start the chant again. You will jump twice now. Continue turning over cards until all but one of the cards have been turned over. Increase the pace or the number of cards if the students want a bigger challenge!