Abakada Flashcards: The Essential Guide To Teaching Kids Filipino Faster (Using One Powerful App) – Discover how to turn any word, picture, or story into fun Abakada flashcards in seconds.
Abakada flashcards on your phone, with pictures, audio, spaced repetition, and study reminders so kids actually practice Filipino and don’t forget so fast.
How Flashrecall app helps you remember faster. It's free
Why Abakada Flashcards Are Still So Powerful Today
If you’re trying to teach a kid Filipino (Tagalog) — or you’re learning it yourself — Abakada flashcards are honestly one of the easiest ways to start.
You get:
- The basic Filipino alphabet
- Simple syllables and words
- Visuals that make it stick
But here’s the problem:
Traditional paper flashcards are a pain to make, easy to lose, and kids get bored of them fast.
That’s where Flashrecall comes in.
👉 Flashrecall is a modern flashcard app that makes it insanely easy to create and study Abakada flashcards on your iPhone or iPad:
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/flashrecall-study-flashcards/id6746757085
You can:
- Turn pictures, text, PDFs, and even YouTube videos into flashcards
- Use built-in spaced repetition so kids review at the right time
- Get study reminders so practice actually happens
- Use active recall and even chat with the flashcard if you’re unsure about something
Let’s walk through how to use Abakada flashcards properly — and how to make them way easier with Flashrecall.
Quick Refresher: What Is Abakada?
Abakada is the traditional Filipino alphabet, originally with 20 letters:
A lot of parents and teachers still use Abakada to:
- Teach reading in Filipino
- Build basic vocabulary
- Help kids connect sounds with letters and syllables
Flashcards are perfect for this because:
- Kids can flip through them quickly
- You can mix pictures + words
- They work great for short, daily practice
Why Use an App Instead of Paper Abakada Flashcards?
You can totally use paper cards — but if you’re busy (and who isn’t?), digital flashcards save you so much time.
Here’s why Flashrecall works especially well for Abakada:
1. You Can Turn Anything Into a Flashcard
With Flashrecall, you can instantly create cards from:
- Pictures – e.g., a picture of “aso” (dog) with the word on the back
- Text – type simple words or syllables like “ba”, “ka”, “la”
- PDFs – if you have Abakada worksheets, turn them into cards
- YouTube links – kids’ Filipino alphabet songs, stories, etc.
- Audio – record yourself pronouncing the letter or word
- Or just manually create cards if you like full control
So instead of printing, cutting, and laminating, you just snap a photo or paste text and Flashrecall does the rest.
2. Built-In Spaced Repetition (So Kids Don’t Forget)
Flashrecall has spaced repetition built in — that’s a study method where the app automatically shows cards right before you’re about to forget them.
You don’t have to:
- Track which cards are “easy” or “hard”
- Decide what to review each day
- Remember when to repeat older sets
The app sends study reminders and schedules the reviews for you. Kids get short, focused sessions that actually work.
3. Active Recall Makes Learning Stick
Each flashcard is designed for active recall — instead of just rereading, the kid has to try to remember the answer before flipping.
For Abakada, that might look like:
- Front: Letter “A” → Back: “a” + picture of “aso”
- Front: “ba” → Back: “ba” + example word “bata”
- Front: Picture of a “gatas” → Back: “gatas – ga / tas”
That “thinking first, then checking” is what makes the brain remember.
4. Works Offline (Perfect for Travel or Commutes)
Flashrecall works offline, so you can practice:
- In the car
- On a plane
- At grandma’s house
- Anywhere without WiFi
Super useful if you’re raising kids bilingual and want to sneak in quick review sessions.
How To Set Up Abakada Flashcards In Flashrecall (Step by Step)
Here’s a simple way to get started.
Step 1: Install Flashrecall
Download Flashrecall here (it’s free to start):
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/flashrecall-study-flashcards/id6746757085
It works on both iPhone and iPad, so you can use whatever device you already have.
Step 2: Create a Deck Called “Abakada”
Flashrecall automatically keeps track and reminds you of the cards you don't remember well so you remember faster. Like this :
Inside the app:
- Create a new deck named something like “Abakada Basics” or “Filipino Alphabet for Kids”
- Later, you can create more specific decks:
- “Abakada – Letters Only”
- “Abakada – Syllables (ba, ka, la…)”
- “Abakada – Simple Words”
Keeping decks organized makes it easier to track progress.
Step 3: Make Simple Letter Cards
Start super simple. For each letter:
Big letter, e.g. A
- “A – as in aso (dog)”
- Add a picture of a dog
- Optional: record yourself saying “A, aso”
You can:
- Type the text
- Add a picture from your gallery or snap one
- Add audio directly in the app
This makes the card visual + auditory, which is amazing for younger kids.
Step 4: Add Syllable Cards (Ba, Ka, La, etc.)
Once letters feel familiar, move to syllables, which are key in Abakada reading.
Examples:
- Front: BA
Back: “ba – as in bata (child)” + picture of a child
- Front: LA
Back: “la – as in langit (sky)” + picture of the sky
You can batch-create these fast in Flashrecall by:
- Typing them in
- Or copying from a text list
- Or using a PDF with syllables and turning parts into cards
Step 5: Add Simple Word Cards
Now connect it all with real words.
Examples:
- Front: Picture of a sun
Back: “araw – a / raw”
- Front: Picture of rice
Back: “bigas – bi / gas”
- Front: Picture of house
Back: “bahay – ba / hay”
This helps kids:
- See the object
- Read the word
- Break the word into syllables
How Often Should Kids Review Abakada Flashcards?
You don’t need long study sessions. Consistency matters more.
With Flashrecall’s spaced repetition and reminders, you can aim for:
- 5–10 minutes per day for younger kids
- 10–15 minutes per day for older kids or beginners
The app will:
- Show new cards slowly
- Mix in old ones right before they’re forgotten
- Adjust based on how easy/hard each card was for the learner
You just open the app, hit study, and go. No planning.
Fun Ways To Use Abakada Flashcards With Flashrecall
Here are some ideas to keep it fun and not just “study time”.
1. Picture Hunt Game
- Ask your kid to find objects around the house: aso (dog), bola (ball), libro (book), etc.
- Take photos of each object with your phone
- Turn each picture into a flashcard in Flashrecall
Now your Abakada deck is literally built from your home and their toys — way more engaging.
2. Story Time + Flashcards
- Play a Filipino story video on YouTube (e.g., short kids’ stories)
- Paste the YouTube link into Flashrecall
- Turn important words into flashcards: “bahay, bata, lola, aso, gubat…”
This way, the words come from real stories, not just random lists.
3. “Guess the Word” Game
- Front: Picture only
- Back: Filipino word + syllables
Ask:
> “Anong tawag dito sa Filipino?” (What do you call this in Filipino?)
Let the kid guess, then flip the card to check.
4. Practice Pronunciation With Audio
You can record your own voice saying:
- Each letter
- Each syllable
- Each word
Then when the card shows up, the kid can:
- Say it out loud
- Tap to play your recording
- Compare their pronunciation
Learning Support: “Chat” With Your Flashcards
One cool thing about Flashrecall is you can chat with the flashcard if you’re unsure.
Example:
- You’re learning Filipino yourself
- You see the card “bahay – house”
- You can open a chat and ask things like:
- “Use bahay in a sentence.”
- “What’s the difference between bahay and tahanan?”
It’s like having an on-demand tutor built into your study deck. Super helpful if you’re not fully fluent but still teaching your kid.
Why Use Flashrecall Specifically For Abakada?
There are a lot of flashcard apps out there, but Flashrecall is especially nice for Abakada and language learning because:
- It’s fast and modern – you won’t spend hours just formatting cards
- It supports images, text, audio, PDFs, and YouTube – perfect for kids
- It has built-in spaced repetition and active recall – no manual scheduling
- It sends study reminders – so you don’t forget to practice
- It works offline – handy for trips, commutes, or low-internet areas
- It’s free to start – you can test it without committing
- It runs on iPhone and iPad – use whatever device you already have
And it’s not just for Abakada:
- Great for languages (Filipino, English, Japanese, Spanish, etc.)
- School subjects (math, science, history)
- University, medicine, business terms, anything you need to remember
Once you set up Abakada decks, you can easily expand into:
- Filipino phrases
- Sight words
- Grammar patterns
All in the same app.
Simple Starting Plan (You Can Copy This)
If you want a no-stress plan, try this:
- Create a deck with the 20 Abakada letters
- 5–10 minutes a day reviewing letters + pictures
- Add basic syllables: ba, ka, la, ma, na, pa, sa, ta, wa, ya
- Keep reviewing letters + new syllables
- Add 10–20 simple words with pictures: aso, pusa, bahay, bata, gatas, isda, bola, mesa, saging, libro
- Practice reading the words out loud
- Add words from your kid’s daily life
- Use YouTube stories and PDFs to create new cards
- Let Flashrecall handle the review schedule
Final Thoughts
Abakada flashcards are still one of the best ways to teach Filipino reading — but you don’t need to spend hours cutting paper or printing worksheets.
With Flashrecall, you can:
- Build Abakada decks in minutes
- Use pictures, audio, and real-life examples
- Let spaced repetition and reminders do the heavy lifting
If you’re teaching a child, or learning Filipino yourself, it’s a super easy upgrade from old-school flashcards.
You can grab Flashrecall here and start building your Abakada deck today:
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/flashrecall-study-flashcards/id6746757085
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the fastest way to create flashcards?
Manually typing cards works but takes time. Many students now use AI generators that turn notes into flashcards instantly. Flashrecall does this automatically from text, images, or PDFs.
Is there a free flashcard app?
Yes. Flashrecall is free and lets you create flashcards from images, text, prompts, audio, PDFs, and YouTube videos.
How do I start spaced repetition?
You can manually schedule your reviews, but most people use apps that automate this. Flashrecall uses built-in spaced repetition so you review cards at the perfect time.
What's the best way to learn vocabulary?
Research shows that combining flashcards with spaced repetition and active recall is highly effective. Flashrecall automates this process, generating cards from your study materials and scheduling reviews at optimal intervals.
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