Get to know you bingo
Get to know you bingo is a first-week classroom activity: every square is something a classmate might have done, like reading a book this summer or having a younger sibling. Students move around the room, ask each other and collect names. Download 30 different cards, or edit the prompts for your grade. More sets for other groups are on the icebreaker bingo page.
Download 30 cards (PDF) Paper and print options
30 different numbered cards, two to a page. Free, no sign-up. The same link prints the same cards next time.
Card 1 - every card is different
Get to Know You Bingo
The 48 words on these cards
- Has a younger sibling
- Read a book this summer
- Went swimming this summer
- Has a pet
- Is new to this school
- Likes math
- Plays a sport
- Has a birthday in summer
- Can ride a bike
- Has been to a zoo
- Plays an instrument
- Has the same favorite color as you
- Likes to draw
- Went camping
- Has an older sibling
- Can speak two languages
- Learned something new this summer
- Likes broccoli
- Has been on a plane
- Has lost a tooth this year
- Likes to dance
- Has a library card
- Walks to school
- Rides the bus to school
- Likes to cook
- Has built a sandcastle
- Can do a cartwheel
- Has visited another state
- Likes science
- Has a favorite book series
- Has a birthday this month
- Likes scary stories
- Has planted something
- Is wearing sneakers
- Has a name with 5 letters
- Has been to a museum
- Has caught a fish
- Likes to sing
- Is left-handed
- Has a collection
- Went to a summer camp
- Likes reading comics
- Can whistle
- Has made a video
- Wants to be a scientist
- Is excited for this year
- Has a nickname
- Likes rainy days
Running it in the first week
Give every student a card and a pencil. Model one square with a volunteer first: Did you read a book this summer? Which one? Then set a timer for 10 minutes. Students find a classmate who fits a square and that classmate signs it. Each classmate can sign only one square on each card, so students meet as many people as possible. The first full line calls bingo, and you can keep going for a second line or until the timer rings.
Classroom rules that help
Say the rules before anyone stands up: walk, do not run; ask, do not just hand over your card; and say thank you. For younger grades, let students sign with initials to save time, and allow two squares per person if the class is small. Students who are new to the school get a reason to talk to everyone, which is half the point.
Debrief: learn the names
Sit the class in a circle and ask the winner to read their line. Each named student stands and answers one follow-up: what book, which camp, what is the pet called. Then go around and ask for one thing they learned about someone else. Write a few on the board; it makes a good first display for the wall.
Which grade?
These prompts suit grades 2 to 8: short and easy to read. For kindergarten and first grade, cut the list to the simplest prompts and print a 3x3 or 4x4 card, or play it as a whole-class show of hands. For high school, swap in prompts about part-time jobs, music and clubs, and remove the ones that feel young.
Make it your own
The form below holds all 48 prompts. Add facts about your school (has been to the school play, knows the principal's name), pick the card size and print as many different cards as you need, up to 500. Cards are numbered, so you can collect them and use them again later in the year to see who remembers whose name.
Questions
What is get to know you bingo?
A bingo card where every square describes something a classmate might have done, like Read a book this summer. Students ask each other questions and write a classmate's name in each square that fits them.
What age is it for?
These prompts suit students in grades 2 to 8. Younger children can play with a smaller card and fewer prompts, and high school classes do better with prompts about clubs, music and jobs.
How long does it take?
About 10 minutes for the game and 5 to 10 minutes for the debrief, so it fits into the first morning of the year.
Can I use it as back to school bingo?
Yes, that is what it is for. The prompts lean on summer and the new school year. Edit them in the form on this page for your own class.
Do students need to know how to play bingo?
No. They only need to find a classmate for each square. Explain that a row, column or diagonal of names wins, and the free space in the middle counts for everyone.