Play Bingo

Education Category: Games
Ages:

BINGO Instructions:

    PREPARE:  Print out different BINGO cards for each child plus a call sheet.  Cut out the call sheet and put the squares into a hat or bowl.
      
    DISTRIBUTE:  Hand out one Bingo card to each child (each card should be different).
      
    CALL:  The caller should pull out one image, describe it and show it to the children.
               
    MARK IMAGE:  The children will then place pennies, rocks, fun foam pieces or something similar on the called image if it is on their card.  (You can also make your own markers.)
      
    WINNING:  Once a predetermined pattern is made on a card, the child with that card calls out BINGO.

OPTIONAL EXTRAS:  here are some ideas for making BINGO more educational:
   You can also add to the game by requiring an answer or an action.

   Example:  Caller picks the next image/number from the hat.  It is a heart.  Everyone with a heart gathers together in a little group.  The caller looks on her question sheet.  The next question on the sheet is 'What does 2 + 4 equal?'   Everyone in the 'heart group' discusses the question and comes up with an answer. If they get it right, they return to their seat and mark their square.  If they get it wrong,   they return to their seat and the heart goes back in the hat (to be chosen again)

PREDETERMINED PATTERNS:

BLACKOUT BINGO

All images must be marked to get a BINGO

This is the most common way to play BINGO

This is how we usually play 3x3 grids

LINES BINGO

Must make a horizontal, diagonal OR vertical line to get a BINGO

This is how we usually play 4x4 or 5x5 grids

T's BINGO

Fill the card in the shape of a right-side up, upside down or sideways capital T.  For example... fill the center column plus the top row.

We use this pattern during our daugher Tasha's birthday.  We call it Tasha BINGO.   You could use the same idea at Thanksgiving and call it 'Turkey' BINGO...

U's BINGO

Fill the card in the shape of a right-side up, upside down or sideways U.   For example... fill the left and right most columns and the top row.

SQUARES BINGO

Fill the card in the shape of a square  (top, left, right and bottom).
When we're playing the game with a number of kids, we play all the variations at once.

We have a small prize for each 'combination' (a prize for lines, a prize for T's, a prize for U's, a prize for squares and a prize for Blackouts... if we have more than 5 children, we'll do a separate prize for a vertical line, a diagonal line, a horizontal line, a right-side up U, an upside down U, etc, etc).

We have a rule that a person can only win one prize. The game ends when everyone has won something. If two children win the same prize at the same time, we draw straws or 'guess which number I'm thinking' or play 'rock paper scissors' to see who wins the prize and who keeps playing for the next prize.  

Source: http://www.dltk-cards.com/bingo/instructions.htm