Creativity 521 #64 - DIY Flashcard holder

I'm not the most disciplined or enthusiastic mum when it comes to teaching my kids. I don't have a study routine, I don't revise with them on a daily basis, I don't follow a timetable and I don't print out any worksheet. For good or bad, I believe that there is so much more to learn outdoor and from everyday experience rather than from books and worksheets. Yes, I hear you, wait until they enter primary school and I will know.

However, since I insisted on Angel going to childcare for half day only for the past two years and as a result she did not attend any Chinese lesson, I decided it was probably time for me to buck up on teaching her this important language which will benefit her for life.

So, I started making flashcards for her, not based on what teachers are teaching in school but based on what I think she should and can learn at this age. What I did was simply to print the words onto thick white paper, cut them out and viola - flashcards!

The thing is, they don't last! So last year, I finally laid my hands on a very affordable pouch laminating machine (cost me around S$40 with 100 pouches) from Popular and it has come in handy on many occasions ever since. I mainly use it to laminate the kids' drawings and also the flashcards. Yes, this year we are starting on 成语!

Although the laminated flashcards are much firmer and more lasting, I ran into another problem. I like to stick the flashcards onto the wall or the door so that they are always in sight. The thing is, I need to keep putting and taking out Blu-Tac every time I changed a set of cards. Plus, because I don't put enough Blu-Tac on all sides, they start to look crooked or drop off and we have to readjust them from time to time. What a hassle, right?

So, last week, a spur of inspiration hit me and I thought, why not make a simple DIY Flashcard Holder? And this is how I did it.

Materials:

1) Vanguard sheets
2) Transparent plastic wrap for books
3) Double sided tape
4) Washi tape
5) Long ruler
6) Pencil
7) Scissors
8) Measuring tape
9) 3M hanging strips
10) Sample flashcards

Firstly, I stuck two pieces of the vanguard sheets together lengthwise and secured them with sticky tape on the front and back.

Next comes the fun but tedious part - measuring and marking! On a piece of rough paper, I drew out the dimensions of the vanguard and determined how many rows of plastic sheet I could fit, how tall they should be, how far apart they should be and also the space for the borders.

Then I measured, drew lines (use a pencil lightly so you can rub it later) and cut out the plastic sheets accordingly. I also used a pencil and ruler to make small dots on the vanguard sheet so that I know where to place the plastic sheets.

Make sure that the flashcards can fit into the plastic sheet and once you are happy with it, stick down the two sides and bottom using double sided tape. Just to jazz things up a little, I pasted washi tape over it.

Note that washi tape alone is not strong enough to hold the cards, so don't skip the double sided tape. Ensure that the plastic sheet lies as flat and as straight as possible when you tape it down.

Keep on working through the rows based on your measurements and markings until you get to the end. Easy, right? If you like, you can also add in some decorations around the vanguard sheet or put in stuff like your child's name and so on. I like to leave mine clean for now and let the flashcards be the focus.

Use the 3M hanging strips and some Blu-Tac to secure the finished piece to the wall or door and ta-dah! Here's our finished DIY Flashcard holder!

I just love how clean everything looks now and the best part is we just need to take out and slot in new cards whenever we want to change a set of words. Yayyy! (The words with the star stickers are those that Angel had trouble recognising during the first few rounds of practice.)

When the girl came home from school, I surprised her with the new flashcard holder on her door and she was really delighted to see it! In pink no less! Hopefully this will motivate both of us to continue learning and reading in Chinese!

For our DIY tutorials and craft inspiration, visit my gallery here.

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To fellow bloggers who have a fun craft session, DIY tip or creative idea to share, come join in the party! Highlight and press Ctrl + C to copy my button above, include it in your post/sidebar and add your link below. I will be hosting Creativity 521 on the 5th and 21st of every month, do hop over for more inspiration. Remember: The sky's the limit when it comes to creativity!