4 Ways to Make and Study Flash Cards

Flash cards are one of the classic study tools. They promote studying through active recall, one of the practices through which our brains learn and retain information most effectively.

If you’re studying yourself or homeschooling your children during the lockdown, flash cards are an excellent addition to your homeschooling supplies and equipment. We have a look at four ways to create your own flash cards.

1. Make Your Own Flash Cards

While there are plenty of pre-made flash cards available and apps that let you download decks to get you studying, by making your own, you’ll serve your brain better by making your own.

One of the most important and integral parts of the learning process is the act of:

• Intaking new information
• Retaining the information
• Creating something new with it – your own words, pictures, and methods of explaining that information

The process of making your own flash cards will help create strong neural pathways so you will be able to more easily retrieve what you have learned at a later date.

2. Mix Pictures and Words

Your flash cards will be more memorable by adding pictures, A concept in cognitive psychology, the Picture Superiority Effect, describes how people tend to remember imagery better than they remember words.

However, do not completely replace the words on your cards with pictures. A combination of words and pictures works better than words or pictures alone. Add descriptive sentences or terms alongside the pictures to increase your brain’s ability to recall what you’re studying.

3. Use Mnemonic Devices to Create Mental Connections

Mnemonics are an excellent way of remembering information. A classic mnemonic is ROY G BIV, or Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain, which relate to the colours of there rainbow (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet)

As well as acronyms and rhymes, associative images can make great mnemonics too. For example, if you’re trying to learn the periodic table of elements, then consider a picture of a diver saying ‘Oh no!’ because he’s running out of Oxygen, or C-3PO greeting Carbon-based lifeforms, or a NEon sign is helping Marlin find NEmo.

Often the weirder and wackier the associations, the more easily they will be remembered, so go wild!

4. Say Your Answers Out Loud When Studying

Whether you’re studying alone or with others, saying your answers out loud will help you retain the information. Ask friends or family to quit you on your flash cards, which is also a great way to eliminate any illusions of competence, as you will not be able to cheat yourself with the answers.

However, if you don’t anyone around to quiz you, you can get a lot of the same benefits by simply saying your answers out loud before flipping your flash cards. That way, you’re committing to your answer before checking it.

Keep in mind that flash cards are only one of the many methods of studying and reviewing material. Depending on your subject, there may be others that are more effective.

If you’ve made your own and want to print flash cards online, visit our site today!