Letters And Sounds Flashcards: 7 Powerful Ways To Help Kids Read Faster And Remember More – Make Phonics Practice Fun, Easy, And Actually Effective

Why Letters And Sounds Flashcards Work So Well (When You Use Them Right)

Letters and sounds flashcards are one of the simplest ways to help kids learn to read… but most people use them in a pretty boring, ineffective way.

Just flipping cards and asking “What letter is this?” over and over? Kids tune out. You get frustrated. Nobody’s having fun.

That’s where using the right system (and the right app) makes a huge difference.

Instead of juggling paper cards all over the house, you can use an app like Flashrecall to turn letters and sounds into quick, fun, smart practice sessions:

👉 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/flashrecall-study-flashcards/id6746757085

Flashrecall basically upgrades normal flashcards with:

• Spaced repetition (it reminds you when to review, so kids remember better)
• Active recall (no mindless tapping – kids have to think before they see the answer)
• Instant card creation from images, text, audio, PDFs, YouTube links, or just typing
• Works offline on iPhone and iPad
• Free to start and super simple to use

Let’s walk through how to actually use letters and sounds flashcards in a way that helps kids read faster and remember more – with real examples you can copy.

Step 1: Start With The Right Building Blocks (Not Too Many!)

When you’re teaching letters and sounds, the biggest mistake is dumping the whole alphabet at once.

Kids don’t need all 26 letters on day one. That’s overwhelming.

What to do instead

Start with a small set of letters and sounds, like:

• s, a, t, p, i, n

These are common in early phonics programs because you can quickly build words like:

• sat, pin, tap, sip, pan

How to set this up in Flashrecall

In Flashrecall:

1. Create a new deck called “Letters & Sounds – Set 1”

2. Add cards like:

• Front: `s`

Back: `/s/ as in sun` (you can also add an audio recording)

• Front: `a`

Back: `/a/ as in apple`

You can even record your own voice saying the sound so your child hears a familiar voice. Just add audio to the card and it becomes way more engaging.

Step 2: Focus On Sounds, Not Just Letter Names

A lot of kids can say “That’s the letter B” but still struggle to read, because they don’t know the sound it makes.

So your flashcards should focus on:

• “What sound does this letter make?”

more than

• “What is this letter called?”

Example card setups

You can do it two ways:

• Front: `b`
• Back: `/b/ as in ball`

• Front: `Which letter makes the /b/ sound?`
• Back: `b`

Both work, and you can mix them for variety.

In Flashrecall, you can:

• Add a picture (like a ball for “b”)
• Add audio of you saying “/b/… ball”

Since Flashrecall lets you make cards from images and audio really fast, you can build a whole phonics set in minutes.

Step 3: Use Pictures And Audio To Make It Stick

Kids remember better when more senses are involved.

Instead of just text-only cards, combine:

• Letter
• Sound
• Picture
• Audio

Practical examples

For the letter m:

• Front: big letter `M` + picture of a moon
• Back: `/m/ as in moon` + your voice saying “mmmm… moon”

How to build this fast in Flashrecall:

• Snap a photo of a toy, book, or drawing
• Import it right into Flashrecall as a card image
• Tap to record your voice
• Done. One powerful multisensory card.

You can also:

• Take a screenshot from a PDF or phonics worksheet
• Drop it into Flashrecall
• Highlight or crop the letter or word you want to practice

Flashrecall can generate flashcards instantly from PDFs and images, so you don’t have to manually type everything.

Step 4: Turn Blending And Segmenting Into Flashcards

Knowing letters and sounds is step one. The magic happens when kids can:

• Blend sounds together to read: `/s/ /a/ /t/ → sat`
• Segment sounds to spell: “dog” → `/d/ /o/ /g/`

You can use flashcards for both.

Blending (reading) cards

Create cards like:

• Front: `s a t`
• Back: `sat` (and audio of you saying it smoothly)

Or:

• Front: `p i n`
• Back: `pin`

Ask your child:

> “Let’s say the sounds slowly… now faster… what word is it?”

Segmenting (spelling) cards

Flip it:

• Front: `dog` (with picture of a dog)
• Back: `/d/ /o/ /g/`

Ask:

> “What sounds do you hear in dog?”

In Flashrecall, you can:

• Make one “Blending Practice” deck
• And one “Sound It Out – Segmenting” deck

Spaced repetition in Flashrecall will automatically show the trickier ones more often, so kids get extra practice where they need it.

Step 5: Use Spaced Repetition So Kids Don’t Forget (Flashrecall Does This For You)

The real win isn’t just learning a sound once — it’s remembering it weeks later.

That’s what spaced repetition is for: showing cards just before your child is about to forget them. That’s built right into Flashrecall.

You don’t have to:

• Track which letters they struggle with
• Decide what to review each day
• Keep piles of “easy” and “hard” cards

Flashrecall:

• Shows harder cards more often
• Shows easy cards less often
• Sends study reminders so you don’t forget to review at all

So your “letters and sounds” practice becomes:

• 5–10 minutes a day
• Automatically optimized for memory
• Easy to keep consistent

Step 6: Make It A Game (Not A Test)

Kids smell “schoolwork” a mile away. Turn flashcards into a game instead.

Game ideas with letters and sounds flashcards

1. Speed Round

• Set a timer for 1 minute
• See how many cards your child can get right
• Celebrate the score, not perfection

2. Treasure Cards

• Pick 3 “special” cards in the deck
• If they get those right, they earn a small reward (sticker, high five, choosing a song)

3. Silly Voice Mode

• Each time a card is revealed, you both say the sound in a silly voice: robot, whisper, dinosaur, etc.
• Easy to do with Flashrecall since you just tap through cards quickly

4. Chat With The Card

• If your child is unsure, you can literally chat with the flashcard in Flashrecall to get explanations or extra examples
• For example: “Explain the difference between /b/ and /d/ for a 6-year-old”
• You get kid-friendly explanations on the spot

The point: keep it light, fun, and low-pressure. The tech should help, not stress anyone out.

Step 7: Grow From Letters To Words, Then Sentences

Once your child is confident with individual letters and sounds, you can level up your flashcards.

Phase 1: CVC words (consonant–vowel–consonant)

Create cards like:

• Front: `cat` + picture
• Back: `/c/ /a/ /t/`
• Front: `sun` + picture
• Back: `/s/ /u/ /n/`

Phase 2: Common sight words

Some words don’t follow simple phonics rules (like “the” or “said”). Make a separate deck for sight words.

Flashrecall is great here because:

• You can type or paste word lists quickly
• Or pull them from a PDF / worksheet
• And let spaced repetition handle review timing

Phase 3: Short sentences

Now combine known words:

• Front: `The cat sat.`
• Back: Picture of a cat sitting

Ask your child to:

• Read the sentence
• Point to each word as they say it

You can use Flashrecall on iPad in landscape mode to make the text and images big and easy to see.

Why Use Flashrecall Instead Of Just Paper Flashcards?

Paper flashcards work… but they come with problems:

• They get lost
• Hard to organize by level
• No reminders
• No audio or interactive features
• You have to manually decide what to review

Flashrecall fixes all of that:

• Instant flashcards from:
• Images
• Text
• Audio
• PDFs
• YouTube links
• Or just typing
• Built-in spaced repetition so reviews are automatic
• Active recall built into the design (you see the front, think, then flip)
• Study reminders so you don’t forget to practice
• Works offline – perfect for car rides, waiting rooms, travel
• Chat with the flashcard if you or your child needs a clearer explanation
• Great for everything, not just early reading:
• Languages
• School subjects
• Exams
• University
• Medicine
• Business

And it’s free to start on iPhone and iPad:

👉 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/flashrecall-study-flashcards/id6746757085

So you can try it with a small letters-and-sounds deck and see how your child responds.

Simple Starter Plan You Can Use Today

If you want a no-stress way to begin, here’s a 1-week plan:

• Create a small deck: `s, a, t, p, i, n`
• Add pictures + audio where you can
• Do 5–10 minutes in Flashrecall

• Add simple CVC words using those letters: `sat, pin, tap, sip`
• Practice blending and segmenting

• Add 3–5 new letters (like m, d, g)
• Keep daily reviews short but consistent

• Review everything
• Celebrate progress (even if it’s small)

Flashrecall’s spaced repetition will automatically adjust which cards show up more, so you can just open the app and go.

Final Thoughts: Letters And Sounds Don’t Have To Be Boring

Letters and sounds flashcards can either be:

• A dull chore everyone dreads

or

• A quick, fun daily habit that quietly builds strong reading skills

The difference is how you use them and whether you have a tool that supports you.

If you want:

• Easy card creation
• Smart review scheduling
• Audio, images, and interactive help
• And something that grows with your child as they move from letters → words → real reading

Then give Flashrecall a try:

👉 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/flashrecall-study-flashcards/id6746757085

Start with a tiny deck today. Five minutes. A few letters. That’s all it takes to get the habit going.

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 is active recall and how does it work?

Active recall is the process of actively retrieving information from memory rather than passively reviewing it. Flashrecall forces proper active recall by making you think before revealing answers, then uses spaced repetition to optimize your review schedule.

Related Articles

• Jolly Phonics Cards: 7 Powerful Ways To Help Kids Read Faster (Most Parents Don’t Know This) – Turn Any Phonics List Into Fun, Smart Flashcards On Your Phone
• GoodNotes 5 Flashcards: Why Most Students Struggle (And the Better, Faster Alternative) – Discover a smarter way to turn notes into powerful flashcards and actually remember what you study.
• Abeka Letter Picture Flashcards: The Complete Modern Guide To Teaching Phonics Faster (And Making It Way More Fun)