I absolutely love using task cards in kindergarten! Students can work on them independently and review skills that you’ve already taught. Task cards are very versatile and can be used in many different ways in the classroom. Here are my top 5 favorite ways to use task cards in kindergarten.
#1 Early Finisher Activities
It’s no secret that early finisher activities are near and dear to my heart. I feel very passionate about the early finisher system that I created. I struggled for so many years to figure out a system that would allow students to continue learning independently when they finish their work, allowing me time to work with any students that might need some assistance.
Task cards really fit the bill for early finishers for these reasons:
- They are easy to keep organized in photo storage boxes.
- You only need a couple of simple supplies to use the cards.
- Kids view task cards as game-like activities so they look forward to using them.
- Clean-up is quick and easy so you can move on to your next activity.
If you want to learn a little bit more about how I use task cards as early finisher work check out the posts below:
- Early Finishers – Setting Up for Success
- How to Introduce Early Finisher Task Cards
- 5 Reasons Why You Need an Early Finisher System
#2 – Small Group or One-on-One Activities
Task cards work perfectly for guided reading and math groups. If you have a group that is working on beginning sounds you can quickly grab a couple of boxes and have them work on that particular skill.
If you have a more advanced group you can grab some short vowel boxes and work with isolating medial sounds in words.
The nice thing with task cards in small groups is that everyone sees the groups working with the task boxes and they have no idea that students are all working at different levels!
If I have a couple of extra minutes I also like to grab a task card box and work one-on-one with a struggling student to get in some extra practice and do a quick informal assessment!
#3 – Task Cards in Kindergarten Centers
Task cards can easily be transitioned into a center. I personally like to work with a set of task cards in small groups and then add those same cards to a center a couple of weeks later so that students can independently practice the skills.
With my early finisher task cards, you can have students complete the cards and then check their answers on an answer key. If you want, you can have them take a picture and add it to Seesaw or another recording option to see how they did.
Alternatively, you can pair the task cards with the companion worksheets for a little extra practice, assessment, and fine motor skills.
Like with small groups, using task cards in centers is an easy way to differentiate. Students see everyone working on task cards, but they could be working on remedial Pre-K skills all the way up to 1st-grade and 2nd-grade skills.
#4 – Parent Volunteers
I don’t know about you, but the parent volunteers in my class can be a little unreliable. Sometimes they show up, sometimes they don’t. They often don’t come exactly at the time they say they will. Hopefully, you don’t have this problem and your volunteers are perfectly punctual : )
Task cards are perfect for parent volunteers. Whenever you do get that extra assistance it’s nice to be able to just grab a student and a couple of boxes and send them on their way with the volunteer for a little extra practice.
The nice thing about the task cards is that they have instructions right on the box, and they need very few supplies to be used.
Using task cards in kindergarten and getting your students used to working with them will make your parent volunteer time fun and impactful!
#5 – Task Cards as an Informal Assessment
Task cards are perfect for informal assessments. Let a student work on a box independently while you take notes on how easy (or not) it is for them to complete the work.
I like to keep a running list of skills that every student needs to work on. This makes it easy for me to quickly grab a box and work with students one-on-one or to have them work with a volunteer.
When I’m planning center time, I can quickly group students based on what skill they need to work on and provide them with targeted practice.
Well, have I sold you on task cards in kindergarten yet? : ) They really were a game-changer in my classroom! If you are interested in getting started in the task card game check out the resources below:
Skills-Based Task Cards
- Beginning Sounds Task Cards
- Ending Sounds Task Cards
- Short Vowel Task Cards
- Long Vowel Task Cards
- CVC Words Task Cards
- Beginning Blends Task Cards
- Beginning Digraphs Task Cards
