Classroom bingo games
A ready set of 30 different cards about school life: places, routines, subjects and the people in the building. Print it as is, or change the words below to this week's vocabulary. For subject sets, see math, multiplication, sight words and Spanish.
Download 30 cards (PDF) Paper and print options Call it on screen
30 different numbered cards, two to a page, with a caller sheet on page one and a winner check by card number. Free, no sign-up. The same link prints the same cards next time.
Card 1 - every card is different
Classroom Bingo
The 50 words on these cards
- recess
- indoor recess
- lunch line
- cafeteria
- library
- gym class
- art class
- music class
- science lab
- reading corner
- playground
- water fountain
- fire drill
- the bell rings
- morning meeting
- calendar time
- attendance
- snack time
- story time
- read aloud
- group work
- show and tell
- spelling test
- homework folder
- exit ticket
- math facts
- field trip
- picture day
- lost and found
- hall pass
- bus line
- line leader
- quiet signal
- high five
- principal
- school nurse
- substitute teacher
- class pet
- cubbies
- backpack
- lunchbox
- pencil sharpener
- glue stick
- crayons
- scissors
- whiteboard
- chapter book
- map
- globe
- notebook
When teachers use bingo
Bingo fits the parts of the day that need structure without a worksheet. Review before a test: put the answers on the cards and call the questions. New vocabulary: call the definition, students find the word. Early finishers can play in pairs with one student as caller. It also works as a brain break between two long lessons, on an indoor recess day, and in the last fifteen minutes before a holiday, when nothing new will stick.
Running it with 25 to 30 students
Give every student their own card. Every card in the set is different, so copying a neighbor does not help, and every card has a number. Page one of the PDF is a caller sheet: cross off each word as you call it. When someone shouts bingo, ask for the card number and check it with the winner check, or have the student read the line back while you look at your sheet. If you put the online caller on the projector, students who missed a call can see the whole board instead of asking you to repeat.
Markers that work
Dried beans, pennies, counting cubes and torn scraps of paper all work, but they slide when a desk gets bumped. For single-use cards, a crayon X is quicker and leaves a record you can check. To reuse cards, slip them into sheet protectors and hand out dry-erase markers; a tissue wipes them clean for the next class.
Prizes that cost nothing
Most classes play harder for a privilege than for candy. Try: caller for the next round, line leader, picks the brain break, sits in the teacher's chair for a lesson, first to choose a reading spot, or a sticker. Keep playing after the first bingo until three students win, so the round does not end for 27 children at once.
Differentiation
Younger students or anyone who needs fewer squares can play a 3x3 or 4x4 card from the same words: change the size in the form below. Print one big card a page for students who need larger print, four a page for older classes. For students who need a challenge, play a blackout or a shape from the patterns page, or let them call the clue while you play.
Make your own set
Everything on this page can be changed in the form: type or paste up to 300 words or short phrases, pick a size, and print up to 500 different cards. Spelling lists, science terms, book characters and state capitals all work. How to make bingo cards walks through it step by step.
In this section
- Math bingo: Free printable math bingo: 30 cards with answers 1 to 30 and a list of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division problems to call.
- Multiplication bingo: Free printable multiplication bingo: 30 cards with every product of the 2 to 10 times tables, and the facts to call for each answer.
- Sight word bingo: Free printable sight word bingo: 30 unique cards with common high-frequency words for kindergarten and first grade. Swap in your own weekly list.
- Spanish bingo: Free printable Spanish bingo: 30 unique cards with everyday Spanish vocabulary and an English list to call from. Accents and ñ print correctly.
Questions
How many words do I need for a 5x5 bingo card?
24 with a free space in the middle, 25 without. Use more words than squares, around 40 to 60 for a class: the cards then differ more and the game lasts longer.
Will two students get the same card?
No. Every card in a set is different, up to 500 cards, and each one has a number you can check against.
Can I print the same cards again next week?
Yes. The download link always prints the same set, so a lost card can be reprinted and the caller sheet still matches.
Do students need a screen to play?
No. The cards are made to print. Only the caller needs a screen if you want to use the online caller on a projector; a paper caller sheet comes on page one of the PDF.
Do I need an account?
No. Making, printing and checking cards is free and needs no sign-up.