People ask me all the time, “What are Boom Cards?”. Boom Cards blasted onto the scene as teachers scrambled to meet the needs of students during COVID-19 school shutdowns. While I cannot stop raving about them, many people are still asking me—what ARE Boom Cards?
Simply put, Boom cards™ are digital, self-checking task cards. Unlike their paper counterparts, Boom Cards™ are interactive. Students can drag and drop, unscramble letters, use digital manipulatives, and solve puzzles all in one place. Best of all, they do not require teacher prep! Students must simply be on a computer, tablet, or phone and must have access to the internet to use Boom Cards.
Games in the Classroom
Boom Card™ decks give students practice problems through a game-like experience. Once the student submits an answer on the card, they receive instant feedback. If they are incorrect, they keep playing until they get the answer correct (or resign the card). If they are correct they can move on to the next card in the deck.
Say what?! You mean I don’t have to grade them? NOPE! If that excites you, then this next part will blow your mind. While the student is working through the deck, the platform is recording their successes and missteps. Upon completion, you can review the skills your students mastered and the skills that need improvement.
Where Do I Buy Boom Cards?
Boom Learning and Teachers Pay Teachers are two great places to explore the specific decks that will suit your needs. One of the things I love about purchasing directly on Boom is that you are able to try the first 4 cards of every deck for free. Want to try it out? You can try out a deck here! Just remember to click “full-sized preview” to get the whole experience.
How Much Do Boom Cards Cost?
Great question! Boom Learning offers free membership for teachers or parents. There are also tiered levels of membership. You can see more information on pricing here HERE.
There are many free decks for teachers to try out. The cost of paid decks ranges in price based on the level of complexity and the number of cards in the deck. However, for reference, most of my decks are under $4 and include audio on each card (because my little people can’t read yet). Another benefit of buying directly from Boom Learning is that they offer discounts based on the number of points you buy. If you know that you are going to stock up on decks, it may be worth considering pre-purchasing points to save a little extra money.
If you choose to use the free membership with your students, you can still use Boom Cards with your whole class by assigning a “FastPin”. You can paste that link anywhere you would like. Just keep in mind that each FastPin is only valid for 14 days. Once FastPin expires, you can still access the deck, you would just need to generate a new pin for students.
Do you want more information on ways to use Boom Cards in Your classroom? Check out this post here to learn 7 Ways to Use Boom Cards in Your Classroom.