Where to get flash cards?

• Buy them - Some course books provide a supplementary pack of flash cards or they can be bought in sets.

• Make them yourself - If you don't have access to professionally produced flash cards, don't worry, it's really easy to make your own even if you're not very artistic. You can use pictures from magazines, draw simple pictures or copy from the internet or clip art. The most important thing is to make sure they are all of the same size, on card (different colours for different sets) so you can't see through them. If possible you can laminate the sets as you make them and they will last for years. The advantage of making your own, apart from the fact that they're cheap and yours to keep, is that you can make sets for your specific needs. You may like to make a set to use in conjunction with a story book or graded reader, or even to accompany project work.

• Students make them - I have recently begun to incorporate the production of flash cards into the classroom. After introducing a new lexical set, using realia or the course book, ask students to produce the flash cards for you. Give each one an item to draw. They can be mounted on card to make the set.

Activities for using flash cards

Memory Activities

• Memory Tester
  • Place a selection of flash cards on the floor in a circle.
  • Students have one minute to memorise the cards.
  • In groups, they have two minutes to write as many of the names as they can remember.

Drilling Activities 

• Invisible Flash cards
  • Stick 9 flash cards on the board and draw a grid around them.
  • Use a pen or a pointer to drill the 9 words. Always point to the flash card you are drilling.
  • Gradually remove the flash cards but continue to drill and point to the grid where the flash card was.
  • When the first card is removed and you point to the blank space, nod your head to encourage children to say the word of the removed flash card.
  • Students should remember and continue as if the flash cards were still there. They seem to be amazed that they can remember the pictures.
  • Depending on the age group I then put the flash cards back in the right place on the grid, asking the children where they go, or I ask students to come up and write the word in the correct place on the grid.