Bingo for Teachers
Explore printable bingo card templates and games for kids created by teachers to play in math class, reading centers and more! Get students excited to learn with the fun game that dates back hundreds of years and yet feels brand-new to every class of kids!
This collection of printable and digital bingo cards was created by the expert teachers on the Teach Starter team and includes curriculum-aligned activities designed to promote active learning and elementary student participation.
Do you think of retirees with their daubers, or maybe a certain kids' song when you hear the word "bingo?" Maye you haven't used a bingo game in your classroom and want to know more about how to play, where these games come from and what makes them so fun for kids? Read on for a primer from our teacher team, including tips to add this game to your classroom activities!
What Is Bingo? The Popular Game Explained
Bingo is probably best known as a game of chance that involves a special card or grid with numbers, letters, words or objects on it. Participants play by marking off the items on their cards as they're randomly called out.
The goal is to complete a predetermined pattern to win.
What you may not know is this popular game played in schools all around the country dates back to the 1500s, when Italians played what was then known as "Il Gioco del Lotto d'Italia" — an Italian lottery. The Italian version of the game was played with a set of numbered squares, and participants would place their bets on specific numbers.
As part of the original bingo game, a person known as the banker would draw numbered tokens from a bag and announce them. This is similar to today's game's bingo "caller" or announcer. Players would then mark off the called numbers on their game cards, and the winner would be the first person to complete a specific pattern.
Bingo cards are always set up in grid form as seen above.
The game made its way to the US sometime in the 1900s, and teachers quickly recognized it as a way to engage students to reinforce learning, work on listening skills and plenty more.
How to Play Bingo in the Classroom
If you've never played bingo, don't worry. This is an easy game to learn, so you don't have to study a ton of directions before adding it to your lesson plans.
Here's a fast guide from our teacher team!
Supplies
- Bingo cards
- Small items for students to use to cover the squares in their grid (math manipulatives work well here!) OR pencils to use to mark on their grids
Instructions
- Print out the bingo cards you need for your game, and provide students with their own cards. Students should have different grids to make the game fun.
- Call out items based on your bingo card game theme (for example, if you're playing Multiplication Bingo, you may be calling out the products of particular multiplication facts).
- As the item is called out, students should check their cards to see if the item appears. If it does, they should make a mark on that grid or place an item on top to cover it.
- The game continues with the teacher calling out items until a player completes the required pattern and shouts "Bingo!" to signal their win.
How to Make a Bingo Card for Your Students
This collection is stocked with dozens of pre-made bingo cards that are ready to print, but maybe you want to put your own spin on them?
Here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Bingo cards are typically 5x5 grids, but they can be any size.
- Each square on a bingo card should contain a number (or word, depending on the variation). If you decide to leave the center square blank, it should be marked as "free" and can be considered a pre-filled square.
- Winning patterns can vary, such as completing a full row (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally), filling in four corners or achieving a specific shape on the card.
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Absolute Value Bingo
Practice solving equations and finding the absolute value of a number with this whole-class Bingo game.
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Fall Bingo Game
Celebrate and review the symbols of fall with a fun Bingo game.
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Order of Operations Bingo
Review vocabulary and solve expressions with this Order of Operations Bingo game!
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Fire Safety Bingo
Review Fire Prevention Week vocabulary with a fire safety Bingo game.
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Patriotic Symbols – Bingo Game
Identify symbols associated with patriotic holidays with this Bingo game.
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Our Physical Environment Bingo
Build and master the ability to identify land and water formations in the physical environment with a game of Physical Environment Bingo!
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Community Helpers Bingo
Practice identifying community workers with a few rounds of Community Helper Bingo!
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U.S. Rivers and Mountains Bingo Game
Practice identifying the major rivers and mountains in the United States with a Bingo Game.
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Need vs. Want Bingo Game
Enhance your primary grade economics lessons with a few rounds of Needs vs. Wants Bingo!
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Goods and Services Bingo
Practice identifying examples of goods and services with a few rounds of Goods and Services Bingo!
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Continents and Oceans Bingo - Geography Game
Turn geography into a fun and educational learning experience by using our Continents and Oceans Bingo Game!
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United States Government Bingo
Review concepts of the U.S. Government using a Bingo game.
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Sight Word Bingo - Sight Words for 3rd Graders
Practice sight words with a lively classroom game of Third Grade Sight Word Bingo.
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Abbreviations Bingo
Build vocabulary and spelling skills and have fun with abbreviation word games.
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Contractions Bingo Game
Build vocabulary and have fun with contraction word games!
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Idioms Bingo Game
Build vocabulary and have fun with a classroom game of Idiom Bingo.
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New Year Bingo Game
Celebrate all the best things about New Year’s Eve with this set of 20 BINGO game boards and 24 themed word cards.
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Snowman BINGO
Celebrate everyone’s favorite winter friend with this set of 20 snowman bingo game boards and picture cards.
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Final e BINGO - O_E
Decode final e words with the long o vowel sound using this set of 20 bingo game boards.
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Final e BINGO - I_E
Decode final e words with the long i vowel sound using this set of 20 bingo game boards.
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Final e BINGO - A_E
Decode final e words with the long a vowel sound using this set of 20 bingo game boards.
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Beginning Sound Bingo
Practice applying letter-sound correspondence with a set of 20 BINGO game boards and cards.
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Inauguration Day Bingo
A bingo game to play around Inauguration Day.
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Sight Word BINGO (Fry Word List 201-300)
Practice learning sight words 201-300 on the Fry Sight Word List with our set of 22 Sight Words Bingo cards.
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Neighborhood Bingo
A set of 6 bingo cards for kids to use when outside in their neighborhood.
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Backyard Bingo
A set of 6 bingo cards for kids to use when outside in nature.
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Read Across America Bingo
Encourage your students to read different types of books with this Read Across America bingo card.
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Prepositions Bingo
Practice recognizing and using prepositions with this set of 20 bingo game boards and preposition cards.
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Prefix Bingo
Match prefix words to their definition by identifying the meaning of the prefix and the root word with a fun game of BINGO.
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Multiplication and Division Facts Bingo - Number Sentences
32 different bingo cards to practice multiplication and division facts to 12.
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Multiplication and Division Facts Bingo - Products and Quotients
32 different bingo cards to practice multiplication and division facts to 12.
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Place Value Bingo Game - Numbers 0-999
A set of 32 bingo cards to practice place value up to 999.