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!
What Is Bingo?
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, where 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.
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 Make a Bingo Card
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.
Bingo cards are always set up in grid form as seen above.
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.
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Multiplying with Decimals - Bingo Game
A bingo game to practice multiplying decimals and whole numbers.
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Equivalent Fractions Bingo
Match fraction models with an equivalent fraction with an exciting game of Bingo!
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3D Shapes Bingo
Learn the names of the most common 3D objects with this whole-class Bingo game.
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Counting On Bingo
Engage your students with a whole class bingo game while using the counting-on strategy to add within 20.
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Pizza Fraction Bingo - 1/2, 1/3, 1/4, 1/5
32 different bingo cards using halves, thirds, fourths, and fifths.
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Suffix Bingo - Vocabulary Game
Match words with suffixes to their meaning in this BINGO game.
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Adding and Subtracting Decimals – Small Group Bingo
Review how to add and subtract decimals with a small group bingo game!
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Dividing Decimals Bingo
Master the ability to divide with decimals by playing a whole-class bingo game.
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Bingo Game – Coping Skills for Kids
Review calming strategies and coping skills for kids with a game of Bingo!
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Missing Angle Small Group Bingo
Practice how to find the measurement of a missing angle with this small group Bingo game.
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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.
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Telling Time Bingo (:00, :15, :30, :45)
A set of 30 Bingo cards to practice telling time.
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Equivalent Fractions Pizza Bingo - Whole, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8
32 different bingo cards to practice finding equivalent fractions involving 1, 1/2, 1/4, and 1/8.
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Prefix, Suffix, and Root Word Bingo
Examine prefixes, suffixes, and root words and identify their morphological meanings in this BINGO game.
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Phoneme Segmentation Bingo - Printable Phonics Game
Help students master phoneme segmentation through targeted listening with fun and engaging phonics games.
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Insects for Kids - Bingo Game
Learn about creepy crawly insects with a Bug Bingo Game for preschoolers.
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Order of Operations Bingo
Review vocabulary and solve expressions with this Order of Operations 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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Snowman BINGO
Celebrate everyone’s favorite winter friend with this set of 20 snowman bingo game boards and picture cards.
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Arrays Bingo
A set of 16 bingo cards to use when learning about arrays.
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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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Read Across America Bingo
A Read Across America bingo card to encourage reading different types of books.
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Place Value Bingo Game - Numbers 0-999,999
32 different bingo cards using place value to hundred thousands.
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Two-Digit Place Value Bingo Game (Digits and Base-10 Blocks)
32 bingo cards using place value up to 99.
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4x4 Bingo Board Templates - Plus Pattern
A set of 5 colorful 4x4 bingo board templates to create your own bingo games.
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Homophones Bingo
Make learning about homophones and their definitions an engaging whole-class activity with this homophones bingo game.
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Blank Bingo Cards (No Free Space)
Blank bingo cards that can be customized to any activity.
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Contractions Bingo
Thirty-two bingo cards using contractions.
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Alphabet Bingo - Upper and Lowercase Recognition
A set of 32 alphabet bingo cards to assist with upper and lowercase letter recognition.
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Angles Bingo
Generate excitement about angles in your classroom by playing this whole-class types of angles bingo game.
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Telling Time to the Minute Bingo
A set of 32 bingo cards using analog clocks to practice telling time to the minute.