Can we talk about how Bingo is the most underrated game for the classroom? It gets no love even though my students tend to love it! A brain break, a reward, a social event, and occasionally even a tool to educate – Bingo does it all. I’ll detail how and why, and then I’ll break down how to make a game of your own so you can play on the fly with minimal prep needed.
Why Bingo?
Let me quickly break down why Bingo is my favorite game for students (high school students in particular). It really is a game that just about anyone can play.
-They need to know five letters and numbers 1-75. Most students have this knowledge locked down.
-It’s not based on reaction time. Students who need a bit more time processing have just as much of a chance to win.
-It’s not based on skill. Pure luck gives everyone a chance to be a winner.
-It’s thrilling. Even though there’s no skill involved, it’s still a confidence booster to win.
-It’s easy to set up and implement (more on that later).
Bingo Brain Break
Anyone who teaches block schedules knows that students sometimes struggle once they hit that hour mark. It’s not their fault; they aren’t meant to sit and focus for such long stretches at a time. Here’s where Bingo can help break it up. Quickly hand out cards you have pre-printed and ready to go for just such a moment. Project the numbers being called using the slides randomizer add-on in Google Drive, or display it on your computer screen and turn it for the kiddos to see. Or, if you’re 100% technology-free, one-time-only write out the numbers on folded-up index cards and have students pick them out and call them.
Reward or Social Event
Bingo is the ultimate equalizer for students. Everyone can access it, and students don’t need to focus too much so they can socialize while playing. Both make Bingo the perfect reward after a difficult test or grueling day in general, or as a social scenario to try to get kids to interact with each other.
I like to get a giant bag of little candies from Costco and pull from that throughout the quarter (about how long it lasts) for prizes.
Bingo as an Educational Game
For regular Bingo I can only think of using this in foreign language classes to practice numbers. Though it is possible to do this for any subject as well. Here’s how:
- Decide what will be on their cards. Names, dates, events, book titles, vocabulary, elements from the Periodic Table, whatever. Just so long as you have at least 24. For the rest of the instructions here, I’ll just the word terms.
- Print out blank bingo cards and have students create their own by filling in the terms. I call them out one at a time and tell students to write it randomly on their cards.
- Have index cards with the definitions already created and folded up, ready for students to pick. For example, if the term is “simile,” the index card will say “comparison using like or as.” When the card is picked students must know that’s a simile and then they mark their cards.
A Word on Running Bingo Games
Do not try to reuse cards. Just have students use markers, highlighters, or pencils to mark their cards. If you use something students can place on their cards to mark them (slips of paper, pennies, whatever) they will throw them, sneeze them off their card, or dump a giant box of them on the floor by accident when you’re not even playing the game. I implore you to spare yourself the misery and use cards only once.
Set-Up
Nothing is completely prep-free and Bingo is no exception. But this is something you can prep way in advance so you have it ready in a pinch. Even if you have only a moment’s notice you’ll need to use it.
Print out a bunch of Bingo cards in advance. You can usually find them online, though I have some for sale as well. What makes mine better than what I’ve found online? Everything I saw had one large card on each piece of paper. For younger students, this may work out well, but my older students didn’t need anything that large, and it seemed like a bit of a waste of paper. With two cards per page, you have options. You can cut them to have smaller individual cards. You can keep two to a card and have students play two cards each round which is similar to how Bingo is normally played and can be more engaging for the kiddos. Or you can keep them two to a card and play two rounds without having to hand out multiple sheets.
Don’t have time to create your own?
I’ve got you covered!
Click HERE to check out my Bingo! product on Teachers Pay Teachers.
