Nowadays, everyone is looking for the best alternatives to the brightly colored, flashing lights, noise-making children’s toys that quickly become junk around the house or garage sale items within a few years. From Montessori style wooden toys and games to gifting experiences instead of toys, everyone is on the hunt for wholesome alternatives to the traditional toy store run two days before you need that birthday party gift. And of course, there’s always the fallback of ordering a great children’s book on Amazon :). But what about good old fashioned flashcards?! Here are 5 reasons why I think flashcards should be at the top of your shopping list if you’re looking for a great gift for a toddler.
1. They’re education wrapped in fun
Babies are never too young to start learning the alphabet, recognizing shapes and colors or even making neural connections by looking at black and white images. Flash cards can literally be used to teach anything and they’re the perfect way to get shot-attention spans to concentrate on one thing at a time.
2. They’re great on the go
You can take flashcards anywhere and as long as they’re super thick and durable like these ones, they make the perfect entertainment. Reaching for that cellphone to entertain your toddler in line? Grab a compact set of flashcards instead. Kiddos can look at the images, practice words and colors, all while you’re running errands. Most flashcards even come with a binder ring so that you can keep them all together without carrying around the box or bag that they came in! Imagine taking on-the-go education to the extreme with Whitney and her family who homeschool’s on the road.
3. They make great nursery or playroom decor
If you’re not taking them out and about, flashcards make the most adorable nursery or playroom decor. You can use them for practical purposes like hanging above a changing table to keep little minds occupied during diaper duty. Or you can use them as an adorable border around the room, hanging mosaic, or even and inexpensive alternative to framed prints. You can easily decorate a room with just one set!
4. They grow with your child!
You’re never too old (or too young) for flashcards! Babies can use them as something to look at on the floor during tummy time. Or you can hold them up during bottle feeds or activity time! Toddlers get a kick out of laying them out or flipping through them with mom or dad and trying to identify objects and words. And as they grow and learn, concepts can become more challenging. Or you can even start asking kids to not only identify the object, but spell the word, spell it backwards, or identify it after only a few seconds of seeing it. If you get a little creative, you can easily make the same set of flashcards span years of learning and development!
5. Great for bilingual language learners
Whether you have a bilingual household or you’re just trying to introduce new languages at an early age, flashcards can be a great way to expose children to the sounds and syllables of multiple languages. And they’re a great reminder for mom and dad to be teaching basic words in alternative languages! Investing in multiple language development is critical in a child’s early years, so what better way to do it than a good set of multilingual flashcards!
So there you have it! Flashcards are probably the last gift on any child’s mind, but they’re such a great activity to introduce of love of learning and play at an early age. So if you’re looking for a toddler Easter gift or you have a first birthday party coming up, consider including a set of these flashcards in your Montessori inspired toddler gift basket.