So, you're sitting on your couch scrolling through Instagram or Facebook and everybody is talking about Boom Cards! Are you wondering what they are? Boom cards are my new favorite digital tool in my classroom! Let me tell you why….
What Are Boom Cards?
When I think of boom cards, I think of a task card….only digital! Boom cards are simple games that kids can play on their own, on any device. These digital task cards are created by teachers – for teachers! They can be on any subject, lesson or standard.
I stumbled upon boom cards one day as I was searching for some kid friendly activities that my firsties could do on our classroom computers. As I was scrolling along I found so many sites that were inappropriate for my students. Too many ads, pop ups, and inappropriate content! Then I discovered boom cards.
I loved them right from the start. These digital games are no prep, no copying and self checking, so they save me a ton of time!
Boom Cards For Whole Group
I use boom cards in so many ways in my classroom, but one of my favorites is whole group. I can open a boom game on my smart board and we can play together as a class.
Sometimes I divide the class into two groups and we play a game against each other, keeping score of how many each team got right. The kids love the competition and they love making learning into a game!
Boom Cards For Small Groups
I also use boom cards in my small groups for reading and math. My students get so excited when I pull out the tablets during small group to practice a skill. They know that we'll be using boom cards and they love it.
Sometimes we'll all work on the same game or I can assign a different game to each student in my group. As they are working on their game I can observe their progress. If they're struggling with a skill, I can step in and do a mini lesson right there in our small group to help them out.
Boom Cards For Independent Work
We use boom cards in so many other ways in our classroom. I have Boom Learning loaded on to all of the computers and tablets in our room. The students can login to our boom learning classroom, choose their avatar and login to their assigned decks.
Boom Learning has made it so easy for kids to login too! They can have a picture password! If you teach kindergarten or first grade you know that's a lifesaver. No more spending 30 minutes trying to get your entire class logged in or being interrupted in small group to help a student login. Kids simply click on their picture password and they are ready to play! Can I get an amen!
My students use boom cards at our classroom learning centers, for morning work, and fast finisher work.
Boom Cards For Distance Learning
When the world got thrown for a loop and we were all struggling to find ways to teach our kids from home, I was so happy that I had discovered boom learning. Kids can use their computer, tablet or smart phone to login anywhere.
It was so simple for me to add activities to our boom learning classroom, assign them to my students and they play the games at home. For a small fee, teachers can have a paid boom learning account which gives you access to student reports.
I loved being able to login to my boom learning classroom during distance learning and look at the data on each of my students. I could see the different games they had played, which cards they got right and wrong and how long they took to answer each question. It really helped guide my instruction as I moved forward in distance learning with my first grade class. And of course, I use this data in my regular classroom as well!
Where Can You Get Boom Cards?
Boom cards are sold on both teachers pay teachers and the boom learning website. You can also join Firstieland's Boom Resource Room Membership Club to receive monthly decks at a discounted rate. Check out more below to find out about this club for teachers.
Teachers can create a free account on the Boom Learning website where they can use boom learning with up to 5 students. This is a perfect account if you only want to use the decks whole group or with a few students.
For a small yearly fee, teachers can have a paid account and this will allow you to assign decks to up to 200 students and have access to all the student reports. Teachers spend money on so many things for their classroom and I think this is one of my best purchases ever!
Firstieland's Boom Resource Room Membership Club
I love boom cards so much and I know you will too! I wanted teachers to be able to access high quality boom decks without breaking the bank each month. Let's face it – kids don't want to play the same decks over and over and your skills are ever changing all through the year.
The decks you purchase in September won't be the same skills your students are working on in November. It can get pricy buying new decks all the time.
That's why I created The Boom Resource Room Membership Club. As a founding member of the club you'll get access to new Math and ELA decks each month at a fraction of the normal cost. Holiday and seasonal decks will also be added to make it more fun for the kids!
Each deck will be curated for first grade and aligned to the common core. New decks will be released each month and coordinated with skills that are commonly taught throughout the year in first grade.
