Index cards are not just an item relegated to school supply lists. They have a plethora of uses for both kids and adults. While it may seem surprising that index cards serve a use other than being shoved to the back of your child’s school locker, this guide will illustrate how you can finally make use of all those accumulated index cards.
What Is An Index Card?
If you look up the meaning of index card, you’ll find that it is ‘a small card on which information is recorded’. With a description that broad, it is obvious that they are a multifunctional item with lots of applications.
You can choose between blank cards and lined cards depending on what you would like to use the index cards for. When being used as note cards or study cards, lined ones may better serve the purpose of neatly recording information. However, when creating flash cards, blank index cards serve as a better canvas.
Common Index Card Sizes
When it comes to school purposes, the 3×5 index card size is usually the most popular choice. They fit easily into all index card boxes and are a perfect size for younger children to fill with whatever information their teachers relay. The second most popular size are 4×6 inch index cards. This size is still small enough to be organized in a box, yet large enough to fit more material.
There are no rules when it comes to choosing the index card size that you prefer. There are even more sizes to choose from, such as, 5×7, 5×8, and 6×9 inch options. They can all be viewed here. Select your ideal size based on the project you intend to use them for.
What Are Index Cards Used For?
Index cards are so multifunctional and can help you organize your life in a multitude of ways. Some uses may seem more obvious while others may inspire you to dig out that index card box from the back of your supply closet.
Scholastic Use
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Starting with the most obvious use first, index cards are a great classroom tool for the school setting. For younger grades, educators like to use index cards as a means to create flashcards when teaching academic basics. Flashcards have been proven to be very effective in helping children grasp basic concepts. As children grow, they can create their own flash cards with their teacher’s assistance to aid them in learning any new material.
This concept carries over to high school and college as well. During these academic years, students utilize flashcards as a means to organize class notes. The index card method has been proven to be very effective when studying for big exams. Additionally, due to the small size of index cards, students can easily study wherever they are without bulky notebooks or textbooks weighing them down. |
Speeches
| Continuing with the theme of index cards being a very practical size, they make a great tool for anyone with a public speaking agenda. Their small handheld size offers convenience for anyone standing behind a podium and not wanting to shuffle large noisy papers around.
Index cards are a great tool with which to organize the points you would like to cover in your speech. Due to their small size, it will be easy for the speaker to remember what they are up to and not get lost in the thirty plus lines of a regular sheet of paper. This note card system provides an organized and convenient way to effectively stay on point and deliver an impactful speech. |
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Recipes
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Another popular utilization of index cards is for recipe keeping. We all have that drawer or cabinet stuffed with cutouts from various publications with recipes we’d like to try. Even better, there’s usually some envelopes with recipes scribbled haphazardly on the backs of them, along with other various scraps of paper we’ve used to jot down recipe ideas. Combine all that with the screenshots we have saved on our phones of all the recipes that just look amazing and are waiting to be attempted.
What ends up happening is that none of the recipes even get attempted, or at least most don’t. The disorganization makes us forget how many quality recipes we have and finding the one we want when we want it proves to be an impossibly frustrating task. Index cards offer a solution to this confusing mess. Use a quiet afternoon to transcribe all your recipes into a collection of index cards. You can either do it by hand or use a computer and have the recipes printed directly onto your index cards. Once you have your recipes organized into a neat index card system, you can shop for a cute recipe box. There are a multitude of options available, in various sizes as well, meant to accommodate whichever size index cards you have chosen to serve as your recipe cards. |
Creative Writing
| For anyone with a flair for writing, index cards can be of great service when it comes to organizing your thoughts. Initially, they can be used for jotting down and assembling basic ideas. Those cards can then be used as puzzle pieces to structure your writing piece in a manner that makes sense. Once your outline has been assembled, you can continue to use index cards to further break down each section and keep your thoughts organized.
This same method can be used for screenwriting as well. The index cards allow the writer to break each section down to the smallest detail so that things don’t get too overwhelming or disorganized during the all important creative writing process. Use the cards to delineate the setting, each character, and each step of your screenplay. Then allow the smaller pieces to come together to create your masterpiece. |
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Photo Boxes
Index cards can also be used to organize your photo boxes. Without proper categories, it can be difficult to shuffle through hundreds of photos to find the one particular memory you are searching for. Utilize index cards as dividers to delineate the various categories of your photo collection. They can be labeled by year, by season, by trip, or however you would like.
Writing Versus Printing
Whichever utilization of index cards you seek to implement, all can be done with the tried and true age old handwritten method. However, if penmanship is not your thing and you enjoy taking advantage of all the conveniences modern technology has to offer, you can print your materials directly onto your index cards. All index cards sold here are compatible with printers. If figuring out the sizing and logistics are not your thing, we also offer printing options and can take care of all the work for you.
Whichever option you choose, allow index cards to bring organization into the chaos of everyday life. In even the smallest ways, their effectiveness makes a big impact.