ABC picture flashcards

Raising bilingual children is no-easy task, especially when the dominant language is not based on the alphabet. No need to make it a chore either, though! Making your own flashcards helps associate the letter, word, sound and picture for your child. Using photos of family members or pictures of things that naturally interest them also creates a stronger connection to language. This works for any age. My youngest is just beginning to learn her letters while my older children helped write the words and context sentences.

Supplies: postcards/ index cards, old magazines, postcards or photos, scissors, glue and markers/ crayons

Directions:

1.Cut out lots of colorful, interesting pictures.

Go through and organize by letter, trying to get all 26 letters. If you can`t find a picture for a letter, you can draw something or look specifically for a word beginning with that letter.

2. Paste onto postcard.

3. Write letter and word on back of postcard. We did this so we can have quizzes and games like karuta, but you can write it under the picture if you prefer.

Here are some examples of what we came up with!

Animals:

B is for bunny, E is for elephant, W is for whale, G is for ghost

Food:

C is for coffee, N is for nori-maki rolls, V is for vegetables,  I is for ice-cream

Family:

K is for Kai, R is for Rina, S is for Sophia M is for Miles

Location:

 J is for Japan, F is for Fuji-san, A is for anchor, O is for Oga (the name of town we live in with a map of our town)

We could`t find a good picture for U. I was thinking something cool along the lines of Universe, but someone came up with the idea of underwear. Drawing cute underwear was the highlight of the whole activity.

U is for underwear!!!!!!

Afterwards, we wrote sentences for each letter, such as `Mom gets grumpy if she doesn`t drink coffee in the morning.`!  What will you and your children come up with?