After creating a basic set of pictures cards you can do tons of different things with them. It keeps kids interested and the vocabulary is retained better when presented in many different ways!

Creating the cards:

If you are an artist, just draw! I am not. I use clip art, print and laminate. My basic cards are depicted below. I have then used these images in various shapes and sizes.

Go Fish!

The goal is to have as many pairs as possible. Each child has seven cards. The rest of the cards are face down in a heap on the floor/table. The child whose turn it is asks another one “Do you have dog?” (If they are learning British English “Have you got dog?”) If the other child has the card requested, they must hand it over. If not, they say, “Go fish!” The first child’s turn ends when he fails to make a match. The child with the most pairs at the end wins.

Old Maid:

There are two of each card except one (whichever you chose). This is the old maid. The cards are divided evenly among the players. Any pairs are removed and laid down. The child whose turn it is takes one card from the person sitting clockwise from her. This continues in a circle, with any pairs being laid down. Whenever a pair is laid down, I ask the child what it is in English. When a child has no more cards in her hand she is finished. The game continues until one person is left holding the only card without a pair-the “old maid”. It is up to you if that means that they won or lost. I switch it up, and instead of the old maid call it the superhero card, strong enough to stand alone, and that child wins.

A tip for small hands: Little people sometimes have a tough time holding the cards. I taped two pieces of cardboard together to create card holders for all my younger players.

You could use the same cards, or I use a smaller version of the cards for memory and pictionary. I think both games are self-explanatory. For pictionary you can use a board if in a classroom, or paper, or I have a mini whiteboard the kids love. With very young kids I try to have a fairly small and simple set of cards for pictionary, as their drawing is often quite rudimentary. However, I am often amazed at what the other kids can guess!