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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Multiplying with Decimals Bingo Game
Get your students multiplying decimals by whole numbers with this engaging Bingo game.
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2-D Shape Bingo
Engage your students while consolidate learning about 2D shapes, their names and properties with 2D Shape Bingo!
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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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Spring Riddles Bingo
Bring spring into your classroom with a fun game of Spring Riddle Bingo!
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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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Money Bingo (US Currency)
32 different bingo cards using bills and coins.
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Unit Fraction Bingo
Play a game of Bingo with your students to practice their knowledge of unit fractions.
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Icebreaker Bingo
Kick off a new school year with a getting-to-know-you icebreaker game!
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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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Place Value Bingo Game - Numbers 0-999
A set of 32 bingo cards to practice place value up to 999.
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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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Angles Bingo
Generate excitement about angles in your classroom by playing this whole-class types of angles bingo game.
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Meet The Teacher Night BINGO! Game
Encourage your students to explore their new classroom with a Meet the Teacher Bingo game!
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Multiplication With Arrays Bingo
Review how arrays and multiplication facts are related with this whole-class Bingo game.
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Rotation and Revolution Bingo
Engage your students with a lively game of bingo while learning about Earth’s rotation and revolution.
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Mother's Day Bingo
Host a Mother’s Day lunch and play some Mother’s Day Bingo!
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Multiplying Mixed Numbers Bingo
Master the ability to multiply mixed numbers with a whole-class bingo game.
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Multiplying Decimals Bingo
Solve for products of decimals to the hundredths place with a whole-class 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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Abbreviations Bingo
Build vocabulary and spelling skills and have fun with abbreviation word games.
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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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Blank Bingo Cards (No Free Space)
Blank bingo cards that can be customized to any activity.
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Fitness Bingo
32 different fitness bingo cards for all ages.
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Inherited vs. Acquired Traits Bingo Game
Understand the difference between inherited and acquired traits by playing a few rounds of Inherited vs. Acquired Traits Bingo!
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Months of the Year Bingo
Recognize and order the months in a year with a printable 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.
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Telling Time Bingo - Hour and Half-hour
Use this set of 30 Bingo cards to practice telling time to the hour and half-hour.
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Telling Time Bingo - Time to the Quarter Hours
Practice telling time to the quarter hour with a printable Telling Time Bingo Game.
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Multiplying With Equal Groups – Small Group Bingo
Download this multiplication bingo game to help students understand the concept of using equal groups.
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OA Long Vowel Teams Bingo Game
Practice decoding words with OA vowel team conventions for representing long vowel sounds with this BINGO game for up to 18 players.
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IE Vowel Team Bingo
Practice decoding words that use the IE vowel team with this BINGO game for up to 20 players.
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EE Vowel Team Bingo
Practice decoding words that use the EE vowel team convention with this BINGO game for up to 20 players.