What Are Task Cards and How Can I Use Them in My Homeschool?
Published:
April 13, 2020
Contributor:
Jeannette Tuionetoa
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I have to admit that I didn’t know very much about task cards until a couple of years ago. In the first few years of homeschooling, I was so busy just trying to make sure my kids learned something. I decided to just stick with what worked.
Task cards are useful learning tools for children and you might want to consider incorporating them into your homeschool. Look no further for answers to these questions: What Are Task Cards and How Can I Use Them in My Homeschool? Find a big list of free task cards below.
What are task cards?
I used flashcards at the beginning of our homeschool journey, even before then, when helping my kids after school. I used multiplication cards and letter cards when they were little. However, that was the end of it.
Now, I know task cards to be so much more. They are a hands-on and engaging tool to use with your lessons… any lesson.
You can accomplish the same objective with task cards that you do with worksheets. Instead, with task cards, kids are more engaged and may even get a more in-depth understanding of a lesson than with a worksheet.
Task cards are cards with a short assignment on them for your kids to complete. You can utilize blank ones and makeup tasks for a specific topic or you can have ready-made ones. I provided a list of some ready blank task card templates for you below.
Here are some blank task card templates for you to use:
FREE Task Card Templates in Powerpoint | Science With Mrs. Lau
Task Card Frame Templates – Four FREE Samplers | Tangstar Science
FREE Blank Task Card Recording Sheets | Teaching With a Mountain View
Task cards come in sets to target specific skills or subject areas. In a subject area where kids have some difficulty, kids tend to embrace task cards more quickly than they would a worksheet or reading assignment.
Maybe there is something about taking a task card, completing it, and moving on to the next one. Perhaps it’s more that the dullness of standard assignments is taken away. Maybe it’s that kids can be more in charge of what they are learning.
Whatever the reason, kids seem to get excited or at least get more motivated to complete task cards rather than completing worksheets. One task per card cuts away the overwhelm of full-on assignments. Each completed card is a sense of accomplishment for a child.
Grab this FREE ebook from Rachel Lynette, Everything You Need to Know Task Card Handbook, which provides some more details for you about using task cards at home.
Whether you have one child or more in your homeschool, you will find that task cards are useful.
Check out a few reasons why I think task cards benefit kids:
Independence – Task cards allow kids to follow directions and work independently. Children can learn to work on their own and at their own pace with task cards.
Lesson Reinforcement – No matter the method or homeschooling style in your home, task cards provide a way for kids to study, to practice, and to reinforce things they have learned from their lessons.
Even if you unschool or are more eclectic with your educational methods, task cards can let you know that your kids are grasping concepts and are an alternative to actual paper tests.
High-energy kids thrive using them – High-energy kids have freedom with task cards that they don’t usually get with texts. Texts or long assignments can seem somewhat confining or restrictive to high-energy kids or kids who learn differently. Kids can take the cards anywhere, move around with them – it is A-OK.
Team building – Task cards can be used with large families or with children individually. Larger families can use task cards for kids to work as a team. They can assign different tasks to each other to collaborate for a single assignment.
Modifications – Task cards provide a way for you to make modifications to your teaching style and your child’s learning style. Your kids may feel overwhelmed with work or test-taking. They might get anxiety with test grades, and in completing assignments. Task cards take that pressure off.
Task cards give kids an interactive and more sensory-rich way of completing tasks, vice traditional methods. Many children can learn more with a combination of learning styles — like reading and touch.
How Can I Use Task Cards in My Homeschool?
There are so many ways to use task cards in your homeschool. Here are a few ideas:
1. Check understanding.
Use cards as a review and understanding of topics before moving on to the next topic or progressing the level of a subject matter.
2. Early-finisher assignments.
Sometimes one child can finish their assignments earlier than the other kids. Other times your kids end assignments sooner than you are ready for them to finish.
Whether you are trying to finish lunch/dinner or your work from home and need some extra time to complete your project, task cards provide a way for your kids to manage their time while they wait productively.
3. Life event quicksaves.
We all know how life can throw us curve balls. Whether there is truly an event that occurs to take you away for a time, you have an unexpected doctor’s appointment or kids are in bed sick, task cards are a way for kids to keep on learning no matter the curve balls life throws at us.
4. Game time, learning fun.
Kids love games. Even I have grown to love gaming with my kiddos. There is a bond with laughs and memories to take with us always when we learn while we are playing. Here are some FREE task card games your kids will enjoy:
Scoot or Read the Room | JDs Rockin’ Readers
BOOM! A FREE Game to Use with Task Cards | Minds in Bloom
10 Task Card Games to Engage Your Students | Everything is Nerdiful
Rounding SCOOT! FREE Game, Task Cards or Assessment | live.love.teach
5 Different Ways to Use Task Cards for Learning |The Owl Teacher
5. Morning routine work.
Have a task card for each of your children to complete on their desk/computer every morning. Having a task to get them ready for the day creates a more quiet morning. Get your coffee or have a stretch while the kids complete their quiet time activity from the task card.
6. Scavenger hunts.
Who says learning has to be boring or in one area always. Shake things up a bit with a scavenger-hunt task card activity. Hide task cards around the house (even outdoors, weather permitting) for your kids to complete.
7. Assignment display.
Post a set of task cards across a wall with clothespins for the week. At the end of the week, kids will need to complete each task on the cards (all of them!). They can do them at their leisure, as long as they are all completed. This allows your kids to practice managing their time, prioritizing, responsibility, and independence.
If you have more than one child, your kids can choose amongst themselves, who will complete what card THis provides an opportunity for them to work together.
8. Interactive notebooks.
Kids can attach the task cards to their notebooks where they can see the task card and flip the card up to see the answers.
Here are some FREE interactive notebook resources with task cards:
Scientific Method Layered Flip book | Lynda R Williams
Connotation and Denotation: FREE Bonus Lesson for Interactive Reading Notebooks | Lovin It
Early Explorer / Exploration Research Cards (Interactive Notebook) **FREEBIE | Teaching on Lemon Lane
9. Quiz or assessments.
Paper tests are just fine. However, one quiz question per task card can be a good alternative for your kids. Task cards can be used as multiple-choice or a question for a short answer.
10. Break the monotony in any subject.
I use unit studies to break up the monotony in my homeschool and now I use task cards as well. Shake things up and get your kids more engaged with your assignments.
Check out this list of mostly FREE task card resources to use in your homeschool.
Mathematics Task Cards
(FREE) Pythagorean Theorem Word Problems Task Cards | Math Geek Mama
FREE Line Plot Task Cards, Indoor Scavenger Hunt Distance Learning 2nd Grade | Promoting Success
Math FREE Task Cards, Interventions & Worksheets |Rhoda Design Studio
FREE Math Problem Solving Addition Subtraction Task Cards | Planning in PJs
Area & Perimeter FREE Task Cards | The Curriculum Corner
FREE Fractions Review Task Cards | Jennifer Findley
FREE Telling Time Task Cards | Fern Smith Classroom Ideas
Measure to the Half Inch FREE Downloadable Task Cards | Hooty’s Homeroom
FREE Grocery Task Cards Money Games |123Homeschool4Me
Counting Coins Task Cards (FREE) | SumMathFun
FREE Set f Place Value Task Cards | The Curriculum Corner
Flower Subtraction FREE Task Cards | 3 Dinosaurs
FREE Measurement Task Cards | Minds in Bloom
Set of FREE Multiplication Task Cards | Shelley Gray Teaching
Multiplication Task Cards: FREE | Believe to Achieve by Anne Rozell
Hands-On Fraction Activities (FREE) | SumMathFun
Social Studies/Geography/History Task Cards
American History Quote of the Week – Task Cards & Literacy Strategies FREE | The Clever Teacher
Bill of Rights Activity – Constitutional Amendments – US History – Task Cards | Secondary Social Studies Diversified
FREE Landform Task Cards | Priceless Ponderings
Indigenous Cultural Research Task Cards | Tipiac Shop
Chinese History Writing Task Cards: FREE Preview | Integrated Social Studies
U.S. Presidential Election FREE Printable Cards | Research Parent
FREE Election Building Task Cards | In All You Do
Middle Ages European Game & Task Cards / Poke Cards | Play Discover Learn
Women in History Scoot or Task Cards With QR Codes FREEBIE | Teach Me, T,
Ancient Egypt Vocabulary Task Cards | Tim Robinson – Preparing Lifelong Learners
Depth and Complexity Task Cards for History/Social Studies | Teacher Thrive
Science Task Cards
Scientific Method Task Cards (Differentiated-3 Levels) | The Trendy Science Teacher
FREE Scientific Method Task Cards 5th 6th Grade Science Distance Learning Games | Promoting Success
Ecosystem FREE Task Cards 4th 5th Grade Science Distance Learning Games| Promoting Success
States of Matter FREE Task Cards | Jennifer Findley
STEM Task Cards
STEM Challenge Task Cards | Teach With Ashley
FREE STEM Cards | Kinder Gals
Weight STEM Challenge Cards | the STEM laboratory
Endless STEM Challenge Bundle | Playdough to Plato
Linear Measurement STEM Cards| Playdough to Plato
Wooden Plank STEM Challenges | STEM Activities for Kids
Pattern Block STEM Challenge Cards FREE Printable | Life Over Cs
English/Language Arts Task Cards
FREE Writing Task Cards | The Teaching Rabbit
Parts of Speech FREE Clip Cards | the Reading mama
FREE Grammar Task Cards | The Candy Class
Multiple Meaning Word Task Cards – Intermediate Grades! FREE Test Prep | The Owl Spot
Writing Prompt FREE Task Cards – Primary Grades | Best Teacher Resources
Idioms: Worth Their Weight in Gold FREE Task Cards | Right Down the Middle with Andrea
Reading and Comprehension Task Cards
Fact and Opinion FREE Task Cards | Classroom Freebies Too
Poetry Analysis Task Cards for Any Poem | The Daring English Teacher
FREE Visualizing Reading Skill Task Cards Mini-Set | Teaching With a Mountain View
Inferencing FREE Riddle Task Cards | The Curriculum Corner
Character Analysis Task Cards for Grades 4-6 RL.1 FREEBIE | Erin Beers from Mrs Beers Language Arts Classroom
Reading Test Prep Task Cards FREE | The Brighter Rewriter
FREE Author’s Purpose Digital Task Cards | Book Units Teacher
24 Context Clues FREE Task Cards | The Curriculum Corner
Young Learner Task Cards
20 Task Cards for Handwriting, Sight Word, and Spelling Practice | Babbling Abby
FREE Math Task Cards Kindergarten
Building Shapes STEM Cards| the STEM laboratory
FREE Clip Cards Shapes in Everyday Objects | The Measured Mom
Short A Kindergarten FREE Task Cards | Joyful in Kinder
FREE “What Doing” Task Cards | The Autism Helper
How Many More and Less FREE Task Cards | the Reading mama
Various Learning Task Cards
Research-Based FREE Task Cards | Library Patch
FREE Pipe Cleaner Task Boxes | Autism Adventures
Talking About Energy FREE Task Cards | Two Teaching Taylors
FREE Revising and Editing Task Cards | Rose Kasper’s Resources
There are so many free task card activities to us in your homeschool for learning out there. I literally can go on for ages. Use them in your home to break up the monotony of worksheets, testing for knowledge and so much more.
