Children are like sponges, constantly learning and absorbing information about the world around them pretty much since birth – and in some limited cases – in-utero! As knowledge truly is power, it’s never too early to start your children on their educational journey, exposing them to as much age-appropriate stimulating and beneficial information as possible.
Flashcards are a great way to reinforce the things your children are learning about the world around them. In fact, from a very early age, they can make a connection between words and pictures – both spoken to them and written down, as you’d find on a flashcard.
What age can children start using flashcards? Read on to find out all you need to know!
What Age Should You Start Flashcards?
You may assume that flashcards are something that should be used with older children, but in fact you can start educational flashcards with a child as young as six months old. Using flashcards at this age will help to stimulate the development of the right side of the brain.
What is the right brain? The two sides of the brain are divided into left and right hemispheres. The left side of the brain is generally thought to be responsible for language, information processing and analysis. The right side of the brain is connected to visual imagery. A strong right brain will help a child to develop skills later on, such as reading and memorization – plus it will help them think in a more efficient way.
By starting flashcards with a child as young as six months old, you’ll take advantage of a critical formative period for right brain development that begins around this age and continues to about six years old.
When you start flashcards with a child this young, you should begin slowly. Remember, they don’t have a very long attention span, so you should use colorful and bright cards to engage them in short sessions!
How Do You Start Flashcards For Toddlers?
Toddlers may not be easily convinced to do a lot of things with their fierce independence streak, but you may be able to easily engage them with flashcards.
Flashcards help to make learning fun for a toddler! Simple concepts related to shapes, colors, numbers and letters will help them to learn and get a leg up on their peers at this age.
Try using flashcards in short sessions with toddlers in which you show them the card and ask them to repeat what you’re saying. This repetition, play and encouragement will help to solidify learning concepts early on.
How Do Flashcards Work?
As mentioned, flashcards are a great tool to help stimulate the right brain. They have many benefits for children who are developing rapidly over a relatively short period of time, from six months old to six years old.
The benefits of flashcards for kids in this age range include:
When flashed quickly to a child, the cards stimulates the right brain to process the information rapidly. This helps to exercise this right side of the brain and build connections that can help them as they continue to grow.
Another advantage to using flashcards is the development of memory in a child. As they work to recall the information in a flash, they are triggering their ability to memorize things.
- Connections Between Both Sides Of The Brain
When you use flashcards, you should show the card and say the phrase on it. This works to stimulate both the right and the left sides of the brain, merging the two hemispheres to encourage whole brain development.
How to Use Flashcards
When it comes to flashcards, you should start small and build from there. You don’t need to begin with complex material at first. In fact, your goal in the beginning should be to simply encourage your child to have fun with it!
For younger kids, short sessions are key. But as children get older, you’ll want to incorporate games into your flashcards to help inspire them to remember the material you’re covering.
Remember, when using flashcards with your child you should first serve as the guide in using them. Once your child has grasped the concept, you can throw off those training wheels and allow them to use flashcards on their own! Teaching children how to learn through flashcards is something that can stick with them their whole lives – translating later into good study habits that will serve them well and bring them success!
Featured image by Stephen Andrews on Unsplash