Teachers know that hands-on, interactive activities are a powerful way to help young learners stay engaged — and learning high-frequency words is no exception!

This Prep (Level 1) High‑Frequency Words Bingo game provides an exciting, tactile way for students to practise essential early-reading words. With two differentiated sets of Bingo boards — Heart Words and Flash Words — students can build reading fluency while strengthening decoding skills of these high frequency words. The game includes 24 Bingo boards and 40 calling cards, making it perfect for whole‑class warm‑ups, literacy rotations, small‑group work, or intervention sessions.

Heart words are high‑frequency words that can’t be fully decoded using phonics, so students must learn at least part of the word “by heart.” These words appear on pink Bingo boards with a heart icon as a visual reminder. Flash words, on the other hand, follow predictable phonetic patterns and can be sounded out before becoming automatic recall words. These appear on yellow boards marked with a lightning bolt to show that they can be read “in a flash” using phonics knowledge.

How to Play Level 1 High‑Frequency Word Bingo

Once you’ve prepared your chosen set, playing is simple and engaging:

1. Give each student or pair a Bingo board.
2. Shuffle the calling cards and place them in a stack.
3. Draw a card and read the word aloud.
4. Students find and cover the matching word on their board.
5. Continue calling words until a student completes a row, column, or full board.
6. The first student to call “Bingo!” wins!

This fast-paced game boosts participation, builds confidence, and reinforces early literacy skills in a fun, low-pressure format.