If you’ve come across this post, you’re probably curious about all of this hype surrounding “Boom Cards.” I know when I first heard of them I was confused, too. I get it. Boom Cards are interactive task cards, all housed on the Boom Learning. You can access them through the website or through the app on a tablet or phone. There is a store full of decks that target every speech and language skill under the sun! All decks are made by teachers and speech-language pathologists like myself.

Over the past couple of months, my love for Boom Cards has grown SO much that just a quick blurb wouldn’t suffice. So, here it is, my love song to Boom Cards!

I love Boom Cards because they are:

1. Interactive: The game-like features of the activities keep kids engaged and wanting more. Some activities are more simple with a checkmark or X-mark, while others are more complex with following directions, feeding virtual animals, and even decoding secret messages! I’ve used decks with kids as young as 2 years old in my sessions.
2. Self-Grading: Both the SLP and child get instant feedback on whether the response was correct or incorrect. This is especially true for language decks! With certain speech decks, the SLP listens to the child’s production of the word and marks it correct or incorrect. It’s fun because correct responses get a “Ding!” sound with a green circle and incorrect responses get a “Whoops!” sound with a red circle. Kids think the “whoops” is funny and are eager to try again. So many kids benefit from visual feedback like this!
3. Paperless: No more printing, cutting, or laminating! This saves time, money, and the planet! All of the decks are housed in your Boom library online.
4. Clutter-Free: No physical materials means no storage and no clutter! I think anyone can get excited about that one. Especially if your speech room is the size of a closet!
5. Clean: Simply wipe down your iPad between kids if you’re seeing them in-person. I could do without more grimy, bent articulation cards.
6. Ideal for Teletherapy: Simply share your screen so the child can see the Boom Card decks you’ve chosen for the section. Some platforms even let you give the child mouse control, so they can drag the objects around the screen and make selections for themselves.
7. Versatile: Boom Cards are easy to pair with any game or activity, just like you can with any paper articulation or language cards. However, a lot of decks are activities in and of themselves!
8. Instantly Accessible: You get instant access to any decks that you buy and they are housed in your Boom library forever! You don’t have to wait for shipping.
9. Homework: You can easily assign decks to children as homework! Just go to your Boom library, find the deck you want to assign, then click the blue ‘Action’ button and ‘Fast Pin’. It will automatically generate a link and PIN you can copy+paste and send to the parent. Then they can use the deck at home with their child without needing to purchase it!
10. Cost-Effective: Boom Card decks are significantly less expensive than paper card sets. Most of my decks cost between $1-$2. I just looked it up, and a set of Super Duper articulation cards for the “S” sound cost $14.95. I charge $1 for a deck of “S” words. That’s a huge savings!

There you have it! There’s so much to love. Why do YOU love Boom Cards?! Comment below to share.