Flash card packs
Every pack is free to print or to play on the board as a guessing game. Open a pack to see all its cards.
- AlphabetOne picture for every letter from A to Z, in alphabet order.
- First wordsEveryday things young children know and name first.
- Australian animalsKangaroos, koalas, wombats and the rest of the bush, the sea and the sky.
- Farm animalsThe animals on a farm, for songs, sounds and stories.
- Zoo animalsBig animals from around the world, for a zoo excursion or a story.
- Sea animalsOcean animals from the rock pool to the deep sea.
- MinibeastsBugs and small creatures to find in the garden.
- Feelings and emotionsFaces for naming feelings, for morning circle and social and emotional learning.
- Action wordsVerbs to act out: run, jump, clap, eat and more.
- OppositesPairs such as big and small or hot and cold, shown side by side.
- Positional wordsIn, out, up, down, on and under, for position and direction.
- Body partsName the parts of the body, from head to toe.
- FamilyMum, dad, brother, sister, grandparents and the baby.
- Community helpersPeople who help us, from firefighters and nurses to the postie.
- Fruit and vegetablesFruit and vegetables for healthy eating and the shop corner.
- FoodLunchbox food, treats and Australian favourites.
- ClothingWhat we wear, sun-safe hats and gumboots included.
- Around the houseThings in the kitchen, the bedroom and the rest of the home.
- Classroom objectsThings in the classroom, for the first weeks of school.
- TransportWays to get around on land, on water and in the air.
- Weather and seasonsDaily weather and the four seasons, drawn the Australian way.
- SpaceThe planets, the stars and the people who explore them.
- Moon phasesThe eight phases of the Moon in order, from new moon to waning crescent.
- AustraliaAustralian places and symbols for HASS and Australia Day.
- Australian eventsAnzac Day, NAIDOC Week, Christmas and Easter, the Australian way.
- Shapes2D and 3D shapes for early maths.
- ColoursThe colours, one big swatch each.
- NumbersNumbers one to twenty with dots to count.
- CVC wordsThree letter words such as cat, dog and sun, for sounding out and blending.
- L sound wordsWords that start with L, for speech practice of the L sound.
- Minimal pairsWords that differ by one sound, for fronting and stopping practice.
Want a whole set ready to go? Australian teachers sell flash card packs with games, posters and matching activities, most for under $10.
Flash cards by Aussie teachers
Picture flash cards made in a minute
Pick a pack, or search every picture and tick the words you want, add your own, and print them four, six or nine to an A4 page. Choose from five card styles and five colours, a state school font, a dotted word to trace, and Japanese, Chinese, Italian, French, Indonesian or Spanish words. The word can sit under the picture, go on the back for double-sided cards, or be left off for naming games. Cut lines are printed on every page. Every picture is drawn in the same simple style: one thing, a thick outline and flat colour on white, so it reads from the back of the room.
How teachers and speech pathologists use flash cards
- Naming and vocabulary: hold up a card and the class names it, then sort the cards into groups (animals that hop, things we eat).
- Guess the picture: play a pack on the board at the start of a lesson. Shy speakers can answer together before anyone answers alone.
- Sounds and letters: sort pictures by their first sound, match them to letters, or blend CVC words and check with the picture.
- Speech practice: print a set of target words for home practice, or use the cards for drill games such as memory, go fish and posting cards in a box.
- EAL/D and new arrivals: pictures with words for the classroom, the body, food and family give a shared vocabulary from the first week.
Flash card packs
- Alphabet flash cards
- First words flash cards
- Australian animals flash cards
- Farm animals flash cards
- Zoo animals flash cards
- Sea animals flash cards
- Minibeasts flash cards
- Feelings and emotions flash cards
- Action words flash cards
- Opposites flash cards
- Positional words flash cards
- Body parts flash cards
- Family flash cards
- Community helpers flash cards
- Fruit and vegetables flash cards
- Food flash cards
- Clothing flash cards
- Around the house flash cards
- Classroom objects flash cards
- Transport flash cards
- Weather and seasons flash cards
- Space flash cards
- Moon phases flash cards
- Australia flash cards
- Australian events flash cards
- Shapes flash cards
- Colours flash cards
- Numbers flash cards
- CVC words flash cards
- L sound words flash cards
- Minimal pairs flash cards
Questions teachers ask
Are these flash cards free?
Yes. Print as many as you like for your class, centre or clinic. There is no sign-up and nothing to download.
How do I print double-sided flash cards?
Set Word to On the back. Every page of pictures is followed by a page of words, laid out back to front so each word lands behind its picture. Print on both sides and choose flip on the long edge, then cut along the dashed lines.
How do I save the cards as a PDF?
Press Print and choose Save as PDF (or Microsoft Print to PDF) as the printer. The PDF keeps the A4 layout and the cut lines.
Can I add my own words?
Yes. Type them into Your own words. Each one gets a card with a blank box to draw or stick a photo in, which suits class names, excursion words and topic vocabulary. Your own words are printed but never saved in the link.
Can children trace the words?
Yes. Set Tracing to Word and dotted for the word with a dotted copy under it, or Dotted only. Choose the school font your state teaches (NSW, QLD, SA, TAS or VIC) and the dots follow that font, the same letters as the handwriting worksheets.
Can I make flash cards in Japanese or another language?
Yes. Choose Japanese, Chinese, Italian, French, Indonesian or Spanish under Language. The word prints in that language with the English small underneath, which you can turn off. Chinese cards show pinyin above the characters, and Japanese cards are in hiragana or katakana.
How does Guess the picture work?
Open Guess the picture on the classroom screen and one big picture shows at a time. The class calls out what it is, then a tap, the space bar or the right arrow shows the word, and the next tap moves on. Opposites such as big and small show side by side, and the taps show the left word, then the right. Choose a pack or the cards you ticked, and shuffle them or keep them in order.
Are the pictures suitable for speech therapy?
The pictures are simple, clear and one object each, which suits naming, articulation and language work. There are packs of L sound words and CVC words, and any set of pictures can be printed or played for a session.
More free tools for early literacy
- Speech sound word lists: words for every sound, by position, for speech practice.
- Sight words: flash high-frequency words on the board.
- Spelling list maker: weekly lists and look, say, cover, write, check sheets.
- Guess the picture: these flash cards as a whole-class game on the board.