Pick one topic and gather all the relevant cards in a pile. Then make two decks – one with pictures and the other with words. You can play a game of matching the two cards with the same meaning.
Or, you can only use the deck with word cards. Look at the first card and try to remember what it means in your native language (this is the easier version), but if you use the deck with picture cards, try to remember the words in the foreign language you're learning. When you remember the correct word, continue with the next card. Put the cards you named correctly back into the box. Put the ones you got wrong back at the bottom of the deck, so you can keep on practicing the words you find difficult.
You can use sticky tape to stick the word cards onto actual objects around the house. If you want to learn colours, stick the cards to things with the same colour.
Pick one topic, for example ''describing people'' or ''describing clothes'', and gather all the relevant cards into a pile (for ''describing people'' you can use family members, occupations, parts of the body, and adjectives, whereas for ''describing clothes'' you can use clothes, colours, and adjectives).
Use only word cards for the easier version, or picture cards for the harder version. Make a separate pile for each themed deck you include (''describing clothes'' requires 3 piles—clothes, colours, adjectives), then turn them all face down. Draw one card from each pile and create a sentence with all three words. For example: This white shirt is cheap.
Make a selection of cards (you don't have to stick to one topic unless there's one you specifically want to practice) and place the cards in a pile, face down. Then pick a number of cards and place them face up on the table. If you choose only one card, this might be ''mother Catherine''.
In this case you can talk freely about mothers in general, you can talk about your own mother, you can describe mother Catherine on the card, and of course, everything you say can be made-up. If you choose to pick three cards, you should include all of them when you talk.
For example: you turn over the cards ''painter'', ''grey'', and ''hand''. So you come up with a story about a painter who had only one hand, but he painted the most beautiful portraits. But he only painted with grey paint because he didn't have enough money to buy other colours. So he made a plan to get new colours . . . You can also draw 6 cards and decide to make a short story that has to include all six words.
These are only a few of the many ways you can use Lingopoly cards for self-learning. The most important thing is that you enjoy yourself and feel relaxed. Learning a language in a relaxed environment makes learning seem effortless, and you remember more. Now, are you asking yourself, “but why Lingopoly?” Read more here.
Barbara Mikolič
