Flashcards seem to be the go to tool of how to help your child in school before looking for a tutor. But did you know that most parents use flashcards the wrong way? Sometimes flashcards can do more harm than good.
Parents buy flashcards at the store or receive a deck from their child’s teacher to help their child with a particular skill set: sight words, basic math facts, letter recognition, vocabulary words, etc. Once the cards are in the parents’ hands the hope and excitement of helping their child builds. But wait! If your child doesn’t have the basics of the information, flashcards won’t work.
Flashcards are intended for review of information. The child needs to have some concepts of her basic math facts before she can start reviewing them, otherwise flashcards won’t work and will only cause frustration. If she does not have the concept of 12+5=17, then being asked to provide the correct answers in a limited amount of time will only bring stress and frustration to the both of you.
Flashcards work best when:
- Used no more than 5 minutes per session
- Used to review material not to introduce new concepts
- Used for flashcards games (Memory, Go Fish, or War)
Tell me your best or worst flashcard story.
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