Teaching With Flashcards

I have had a few questions about how I teach Adeline the things she has learned.  Today I wanted to share how I have taught her hundreds of words, colors, numbers, shapes, and letters.  Since children with Down syndrome are usually very visual learners, flashcards work great.

I printed my cards using the Brillkids program but you could also make your own.  Just make sure the cards are nice and large and the word is on one side of the card and the picture is on the other.

I try to teach words in categories such as; animals, clothes, colors, parts of the body, actions, food, transportation, things around the house.  Use categories of things that your child is familiar with.

Here are some pictures of our flashcards.  This is the word side.

 Here are the same cards turned over.

 
When I show the cards to Adeline I first show her the word and say the word.  I then turn over the card and show her the picture and say the picture which is the same word.  We will work on a category of 5-10 words a week.  I try to show them to her three times a day for a week.  We will then review the following week with some new words added so she will not get bored.  Show the cards quickly so that the child do not get overwhelmed or tired of the process. 

Here is a video of me showing some cards to Adeline.