Flashcard basketball is an engaging learning game because gaining knowledge should be fun. Children learn through play. They learn through being active. As a former teacher, I believe that starting young is great, but keeping it lighthearted and fun is essential.
Want more learning activities? Check out my Letter – Sound Freeze Dance.
Flashcard Basketball
When I had my own tutoring business, I’d often say, “I like to trick kids into learning.” I believe this is especially true with younger students because of their natural bent toward play and imagination.
Never wanting to be overbearing in our academic pursuits, I tried to make learning fun at every corner so they were well prepared when kindergarten hit. We didn’t send our kids to preschool. Instead, I treated our time at home with components of what my kids would be learning in preschool. They all went in feeling confident, prepared, and excited about learning.
How to Use Flashcards in Learning
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I’m also a huge proponent of flashcards. Whether you are 5, 14, or a full-fledged adult, flashcards can be one of the greatest tools for learning. Making piles that indicate “I got this” or “still working on it, help develop a sense of accompishment, while also seeing the goals still yet to achieve.
I used flashcards throughout my academic career. For beginning learners, there are inexpensive flashcards available for letters, numbers, colors, sight words, shapes, math facts, and more. This set seems to be a great set for beginning learners. Flashcards can also be made by a parent or child using index cards and crayons or markers.
For learning letters, kids can work on learning to recognize upper case and lower case letters as well as work on knowing the sounds of the letters.
How to Play Flashcard Basketball
As I recommend to anyone working with flashcards, no matter what the age, start with small piles. Try and learn five items at a time. Since the images here show letters, I will talk in terms of letters for this example.
In these photos, you see we used our instrument drum with bean bags. However, this could be any combination of basket and ball. Get creative. You could use a real basketball and hoop. Other “hoops” could be buckets, garbage cans, plastic bins, or anything that can catch items. “Balls” can be bean bags, balls, beans, stuffed animals, or really anything that kids can throw into the bin provided.
Make a pile of 5 letters. Start with uppercase. Ask your child the letter. If they get it right, but it on one side and let them shoot a basket. For bonus motivation, you can use a clicker to keep track of the number they get right. I found in tutoring, a clicker could especially be motivating for kids, although learning really is intrinsically rewarding. That said, some kids do need an extra push, and offering a small reward for goals met (clicks earned) is a fun way to motivate. It could be something like, once you get 500 clicks, you get a prize from the prize bin. This would be accumulated over time, not in every learning session.
Also, make a “still working on it” pile. These are the ones that they don’t know yet. Remind them of the correct answer, and keep revisiting the letter until they know it. Once they know the whole pile, add in another five. Now you have ten to work on. It’s great to add to the “known” pile so that kids can build confidence in their learning. It also assures that they really do know the know pile.
Keep building and practicing. Once all the upper case letters are learned, start on the lower case letters…then sounds.
The reward of being able to shoot baskets is fun in and of itself. It’s immediate body feedback, works on motor skills, and keeps their bodies moving. Learning also just feels like a game.
Don’t push it too hard. If they aren’t feeling it or don’t want to keep going after a bit, try again another time. Keep your own enthusiasm up, and it will help inspire them. Be an encourager and their biggest cheerleader.
Note: This post has recently been updated with clearer instructions and better formatting. The sweetie in this pictures is now 16.
Want More Fun Learning Activities for Kids?
Learning Letters Target Practice
