Colors & Animals Game Cards

Unleash the Fun with Colors & Animals Game Cards

The Colors & Animals Game Cards from Montana Family ASL are more than just a set of flashcards—they’re an interactive tool designed to make learning ASL phonology a playful and engaging experience for deaf children and their families.

This versatile deck is divided into four categories of cards:

1. Animal Cards: Each card features an animal in a specific color, where the color of the animal uses the same handshape as the sign for the animal. For example, a red worm, where the handshape for "worm" matches the handshape for "red."

2. Handshape Cards: These cards depict the handshapes that correspond to the animal and its color.

3. Color Sign Cards: Illustrated cards that show the ASL sign for the color.

4. Color Circle Cards: A card featuring a circle filled with the color and the color name written in English.

With such a rich variety of cards, the possibilities are endless. Whether you’re looking to strengthen ASL skills or just have fun, there are countless ways to play!

Here are some exciting games you can play with this deck:

1. Match & Flip

Objective: Match pairs of cards by turning them over two at a time.

How to Play:

- Use the animal cards (that have two sets of each card)

- Mix up the cards within your chosen category and lay them face down on a table.

- Take turns flipping over two cards at a time. If the cards match, the player keeps the pair. If not, they flip them back over, and it’s the next player’s turn.

- Continue until all matches have been found.

Level Up:

Combine two categories for a more challenging game. For example, mix animal and color cards, but only use one card from each category. To match, players must turn over a corresponding pair, like a red card and a worm card. This variation adds a fun twist by requiring players to remember connections between different types of cards.

2. Go Fish with a Twist

Objective: Collect sets of matching cards to win.

How to Play:

- Deal 5-7 cards to each player, depending on the number of participants. The rest of the deck becomes the draw pile.

- Players take turns asking each other for specific cards to match those in their hand. For example, a player might ask, "Do you have a handshape card that matches the red card?"

- The goal is to collect either identical pairs or complete sets of four (animal, color, handshape, and color sign) to create a fully matched group.

- If the asked player has the card, they must give it to the asker. If not, the asker must "Go Fish" by drawing a card from the deck.

- The game continues until all sets are completed.

Level Up:

Start with matching identical pairs for younger players. For an advanced version, challenge players to collect full sets of four (e.g., worm, red, the red sign, and the handshape associated with the color red).

3. Scavenger Hunt

Objective: Find the corresponding cards hidden around the room.

How to Play:

- Hide the cards around a room or designated area.

- Draw an animal card from the deck and show it to the players.

- Players must then race to find the corresponding color, color sign, and handshape cards hidden around the room.

- The first player to find all the correct cards wins the round.

Level Up: To increase the difficulty, hide the cards in more challenging spots or use a timer to add a sense of urgency.

4. Match & Build Sentences

Objective: Match cards and use ASL to build sentences.

How to Play:

- Start by matching a set of cards—such as red, worm, and the corresponding handshape.

- Once a match is made, add another ASL sign that uses the same handshape. For example, if you’ve matched red and worm, you could add the sign for "suspicious" or "ask," both of which share the same handshape.

- Challenge players to create simple sentences using the matched signs and handshapes. This game is a fun way to practice ASL while also encouraging creativity and language development.

Open-Ended Fun: Create Your Own Games!

The Sign & Learn: ASL Adventures deck is open-ended, meaning you can come up with your own unique ways to play. Whether you’re making up new rules or combining elements from different games, the possibilities are limitless. If you create a game, we’d love to hear about it! Share your ideas and experiences with us.