How to Use Boom Cards for Homeschooling
We love mixing up learning activities in our homeschool. Flashcards and task cards are great ways to practice math facts or learn new concepts, but we recently found Boom Cards. Boom Cards have completely changed how we play games, brush up on math, study new vocabulary words, and more. Now we use Boom Cards for homeschooling almost every day!
In this article:
- What Are Boom Cards?
- Do I Need a Boom Learning Account?
- How Do Boom Cards Work?
- What Do Boom Cards Cost?
- Why Should I Use Boom Cards?
- How Do I Use Boom Cards for Homeschooling?
- Learn More About Boom Cards
- My Boom Learning Store
What Are Boom Cards?
Boom Cards are essentially digital task cards or flashcards. They are housed at Boom Learning and are accessible on tablets, computers, and SMARTboards.
You can purchase Boom Cards, which are grouped and sold as decks, in the online store. You can also create your own Boom Cards using the studio on Boom Learning’s website.
Boom Cards present multiple choice questions, fill in the blanks, draggable pieces and other functions. They are self-grading and provide instant feedback to the students. My girls don’t even realize how much they are learning and studying. They simply think they are playing games.
Do I Need a Boom Learning Account?
Yes, to allow your children to use Boom Cards you will need a free account. The free account allows you to have up to 5 students. It will also allow you to create up to 5 of your own decks.
If you want to be able to create more decks, track student progress, or are interested in selling Boom Cards you will need to upgrade your account. The accounts are very reasonably priced for the number of features.
Boom Cards decks are compatible with Google Classroom™. We use Google Classroom™ to store links, lessons, videos and other resources for some of our subjects. I love that I can use our Boom Cards within the classes that I’ve set up for homeschooling. This allows me to easily assign Boom Decks to the girls through their Google Accounts.
Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are ‘affiliate links’. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I may receive an affiliate commission.
How Do Boom Cards Work?
Boom Decks are accessed through a student account or via a fast play link. As the parent/teacher you have the ability to assign an entire deck or a specific number of cards to be completed.
Students are prompted with “cards” that ask a question or require them to complete a task. Questions may be:
- multiple choice
- matching
- fill-in-the-blank
- drag and drop
Some decks give instant feedback to the student while others give a score after submitting. Students earn rewards and points based on the scores and progress.
What Do Boom Cards Cost?
There are lots of free decks available in the Boom Learning store. You’re also able to purchase points that are used to buy Boom Decks.
Point purchases are as follows:
- 225 for $3
- 400 for $5
- 850 for $10
- 1,800 for $20
- 5,000 for $50
- 10,000 for $98
Point values on the decks are set by the seller and vary usually starting around 100 points. Boom Cards are very reasonably priced. Bundles are a great way to purchase multiple decks from a seller at a discount.
Why Should I Use Boom Cards?
Boom Cards are great because they:
- are low/no-prep
- cover a ton of subjects and topics
- can be differentiated for learning levels
- provide instant feedback
- are fun for students to complete
- give you and the kids a much needed break from bookwork
Also, Boom Cards are also a great tool if you’re homeschooling through the pandemic or utilizing at-home learning. They can provide additional support or practice for subjects where your child might need extra help. Plus they also provide a great break from the regular on-screen learning they’re doing.
Many teachers are using Boom Cards for distance learning and in the classroom.
They are great for
- early finishers
- morning or seatwork
- small group activities
- centers
- whole class instruction
How Do I Use Boom Cards to Homeschool?
There are many ways you can use Boom Cards for homeschooling. We find ourselves hopping onto the Boom Learning website multiple times per week to download decks that correspond to the lessons we are working on that week.
We have utilized math, language arts, spelling, reading comprehension, science, history, art, and ASL decks, just to name a few.
I normally will download and assign decks at the beginning of the week as I look through my lesson plans. Immediately, the girls are notified that they have new decks to work on. Then, throughout the week they will either ask to play on Boom or I’ll suggest it if they finish an assignment early or need some extra practice.
I would start by jotting down topics or subjects that:
- your kids are very interested in
- need some additional practice
- get redundant or boring with bookwork
- you want to introduce in a fun way
Then check out the Boom Learning website store. You can filter decks by author, subject, grade level or search using a keyword. You’re sure to find some decks that fit your needs.
If not, reach out to me to see if I can assist in creating it for you!Learn More About Boom Cards
You can check out these Boom Learning videos for more information and walk-throughs on setting up your account, assigning decks, and more.
In addition, there’s also a great facebook group for geared for those who want to create their own Boom Cards for personal use or to sell. And a group for those using Boom Cards to teach at home in a classroom.
My Boom Learning Store
You can shop the Boom Cards I have created in my Boom Learning Store. Since I’m always looking for new topics and skills to cover I’d love to hear in the comments what you’d like to see!
