“50 Primeras palabras- First Words” is a well thought-out set of flash cards that is bilingual for children who speak both English and Spanish, or those that speak only one language but might like learning a second language for enrichment. The cards themselves are large and laminated with pictures and words on each side in both languages.

Some of the images are photographs and some are drawings. For example, one card features a photo of a yummy chocolate chip cookie on a white background, while on the reverse side of the card is a bright yellow image of a banana (plátano) on a bright yellow background. One toddler was fascinated by the yes/no card showing a drawing of a boy refusing an apple (no) and on the reverse the same boy eagerly holding his hands out for the apple (yes). Each card has one side that is white and the other a bright color.

The words are written in large letters that have dots inside of the lines for the kids to trace with the dry erase pen that is included. The cards wipe clean easily, and even for kids who are too young to begin tracing the letters, they like drawing on the cards, and it helps hold their interest while learning new vocabulary.  There are two cards that show the alphabet, one with capital letters and the other with lower case letters. On both cards the “ñ” is included. On the backs of those two cards are different lines for kids to trace — some are zig zag, some are curved or with loops, but kids can trace and then erase for a lot of fun.

Included with the cards is a booklet with ideas about how to use the cards. The booklet is in both languages and includes auditory, visual, and kinesthetic learning activities. The booklet also has a few pages that kids can do with a pencil, but because the booklet is not laminated, once a child has drawn in it, that use is finished. It’s a shame that the pages in the booklet were not also laminated so that it could be used over and over again, erasing between uses.

Please note: This review is based on the set of flashcards sent by Scholastic for review purposes.