Names of Months Flashcard Memory Games

Names of months flashcard memory games

Notes for teachers

This game can be played with any set of 12 flashcards, but the flashcards below are designed to go with (fairly) realistic questions like “How is the weather in January?”, “When is it (most) rainy?” and “Can you get strawberries from your garden in January?” 

Choose one set of cards below or make or find cards with the vocabulary that you want to revise or introduce. If students might have problems reading the words or knowing what the words on the cards mean, add pictures or replace the word flashcards with pictures. When you photocopy, make sure that the words/ pictures can’t be seen through the back of the cards by using thick paper, making paler photocopies and/ or playing the game on a dark surface such as a dark brown table. Cut up one set of flashcards per class (or one set per group of two to four students if you want to do it as groupwork later).

Drill the names of the months as you lay the 12 cards face up in a line on the table. I tend to do this in random order without worrying about which activities are likely to go with which month in real life, so swimming in the sea in April is fine (and maybe more amusing for students). 

Drill the vocabulary on the cards once as you point at each flashcard in order. Then drill the names of the months and the vocabulary on the cards together as you turn the cards over so that they are face down on the table, perhaps as a full sentence like “It is usually rainy in January”. Test students on their memory of which card is where with the questions at the top of the relevant page (“What sport do people do in March?” etc). Turn the card face up to check. If they are right, the card stays face up (in the same place). You could also give points, but students tend to enjoy the game enough without any need for points. If the answer, the card is turned face down again. Continue until all the cards are face up.

You can then play more games where they test each other with the same kinds of questions, either in groups or still as a whole class. You could then perhaps get them to make similar cards with other vocabulary on the same topic or other topics to get other students to play the same game with.

The game can also be played with any other set of twelve flashcards, e.g. twelve kinds of fruit and vegetables, twelve actions, or twelve feelings. With some of these it might still be useful question formation practice for students to ask each other “Can you eat your tomatoes in January?” etc, despite these being questions they will rarely come across in real life. The other possibility is just to avoid the questions and answers and to have simple exchanges such as “July?” “Happy” and “Jump?” “November”.

 

Places around town practice

Suggested questions

“Where do people (usually) go in…?”

“When do people (usually) go to…?”

“Do people (usually) go to… in…?”

 

Cards to cut up

outdoor pools

the park

church

the palace

their parents’ house

the beach

the mountains

ski slopes

the woods

their ancestors’ graves

the countryside

the riverside

the ski rink

Seasonal activities vocabulary

Suggested questions

“What do people (usually) do in…?”                     “When do people (usually)…?”                             “Do people (usually)… in…?”

“What’s the most popular activity in…?” “When is …ing (most) popular?” “Is …ing (most) popular in…?”

“When did you last…?” “Did you… in…?”

“When are you going to…?” “Are you going to… in…?”

 

Cards to cut up

pick mushrooms

watch fireworks

watch outdoor movies

look at the blossom

have a barbecue

visit their relatives

ski

swim in the sea

make snowmen

plant seeds

pick fruit

take exams

Sports vocabulary practice

Suggested questions

“What sport is most popular in…?” “When is… most popular?” “Is… (most) popular in…?”

“When did you last play/ go/ do…?” “Did you play/ go/ do… in…?”

 

Cards to cut up

beach volleyball

ice skating

skiing

petanque

cricket

tennis

sumo wrestling

rugby

tug of war

football/ soccer

ice hockey

hiking

 

Weather vocabulary practice

Suggested questions

“What is the weather (usually) like in…?” “When is it (usually)…?” “Is it (usually)… in…?”

“How was the weather in…?”                  “When was it…?”                        “Was it… in…?”

 

Cards to cut up

rainy

cloudy

sunny

hot

cold

windy

snowy

freezing

boiling

humid

foggy

misty

 

Food vocabulary

Suggested questions

“What can you get from a farm/ your garden in…?”                       “When can you get… from a farm/ from your garden?”                     “Can you get… from a farm/ your garden in…?”

“What did you get from your farm/ garden in…?” “When did you (last) get… from your farm/ garden?” “Did you get… from your farm/ garden in…?”

“What will you be able to get from your farm/ garden in…?” “When will you (next) be able to get… from your farm/ garden?” “Will you be able to get… from your farm/ garden in…?”

Cards to cut up

mushrooms

watermelons

apples

pears

green peppers

potatoes

strawberries

blueberries

lettuce

spring onions

tangerines

persimmons