How We Have Used Flashcards With Adeline

I have had many questions recently about how we are use flashcards with Adeline and how she is learning to read.  I thought I would write this post to share with everyone.

When Adeline was a newborn I found many black and white cards on line that I printed up for her.  I taped them to the walls and she would look at them while she layed on the floor.  Here is a link for a really neat baby mobile in black and white.

Around 7 months we switched to a pack of Baby Bumble Bee cards.  These cards are very sturdy and withstand a lot of bending and chewing.  I would show Adeline about 10 cards in a sitting.  I would move through the cards telling her the names of each item.  We would do this twice a day.  Each week we would add more cards.  Within a month we were able to hold up two cards and ask Adeline "where is the baby?" and she would grab the baby.

Once Adeline knew her pack of the Baby Bumble Bee cards I moved on to the See and Learn Program.  I only did the first set of the program.  These cards were helpful and gave Adeline even more receptive language.  She learned how to match using this program.  Once the child has learned the pictures there is a matching board where they match just two pictures together, later it moves up to four.

I did not go any further with this program, though I think it is a great program.  We were given a set of the Your Baby Can Read and we started working with this program.  I was surprised at how much Adeline loved this program and how fast she learned the words.  I am on a forum called Unlimited Potential and meet a mom who is using the Brillkids program.  After hearing about how successful her daughter was doing with this program I wanted to give it a try.  We signed up for the Brillkids forum and free trial.  Adeline loved it!  After being on the forum for about a month we applied for the scholarship that they have available for children with special needs.  You can read more about this here at Down Syndrome Up Up And Away.

This program has been one of the most important tools we have used with Adeline.  She is learning how to talk and read at the same time.  Children with Down syndrome and many other challenges are usually visual learners.  This program has given Adeline the visuals need to learn so much vocabulary.  Because of the repetition she is learning the pictures and the words.  She also has books that go with the program.  These books use the words she is learning in the program.

The Brillkids program is done on your computer or I Pad.  There is also an option to print the cards.  I print them so that I can review them later and Adeline just loves to look at her cards.  Throughout the day we play games and do activities to build on the things Adeline has learned.  We play colors and numbers games  to encourage her to transfer the information she has learned to "real life".

Honestly I had never really used flashcards with any of my other children.  I wasn't until researching how children with Down syndrome learn visually I knew I was ready to give it a try.  We have had very little speech therapy because of our insurance but I believe because of these programs Adeline's speech is developing and growing.

If you are interested in checking out the Brillkids program there is a link on my right side bar.