Bingo for Teachers
Explore printable bingo card templates and games for kids created by teachers to play in maths class, reading rotations 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 Australian curriculum-aligned activities designed to promote active learning and primary 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? 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.
Bingo cards are always set up in grid form as seen above.
As part of the original bingo game, a banker would draw numbered tokens from a bag and announce them. This resembles 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.
When the game made its way to Australia, teachers here quickly recognised 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 many directions before adding it to your lesson plans.
Here's a fast guide from our teacher team!
Supplies
- Bingo cards
- Students can use small items to cover the squares in their grid (maths 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 give students their 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 it appears. If it does, they should mark 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 centre 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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Sight Word BINGO (Fry Word List)
A set of 25 BINGO cards to practise reading the first 100 words on the Fry Sight Word List.
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Numbers and Words Bingo – Numbers 0–50
34 different bingo cards using addition and numbers from 0 to 50.
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Blank Bingo Cards with Free Space
Blank bingo cards that can be customised to any activity.
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4x4 Bingo Board Templates - Plus Pattern
A set of 5 colourful 4x4 bingo board templates to create your own bingo games.
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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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Meet The Teachers - Template for Back to School BINGO!
Encourage your students to explore their new classroom and meet the teachers with a game of Bingo!
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OA Vowel Digraph Bingo Game
Practise 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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AY Diphthong Vowel Digraph Bingo
Practise decoding words that include the AY long /a/ vowel team sound with this BINGO game for up to 20 players.
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AI Diphthong Vowel Digraph Bingo
Practise decoding words that use the AI vowel team convention with this BINGO game for up to 20 players.
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Objects in the Sky Bingo
Learn about different objects in the sky with a 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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Neighbourhood Bingo
Six different bingo grids, similar to a treasure hunt, for use at home with kids.
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Backyard Bingo
Six different bingo grids, similar to a treasure hunt, for use at home with kids.
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Auslan Alphabet Bingo (With Letters)
A set of 30 bingo cards and 26 Auslan alphabet flashcards (that include the corresponding letter) to help students recall the Auslan alphabet.
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Auslan Alphabet Bingo
A set of 30 bingo cards and 26 Auslan alphabet flashcards to help students recall the Auslan alphabet.
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Vowel Digraph Bingo
Thirty different bingo cards using vowel digraph graphemes.
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4x4 Bingo Board Templates - Bright Chevrons
A Bright Chevron themed 4x4 bingo board template to create your own bingo games.
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Double Minus 1 – Game Boards
30 game boards to use when working with near doubles.
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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
Recognise and order the months in a year with a printable Bingo Game!
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Getting to Know You – Back to School Bingo
Start your year off right with an engaging back to school bingo game designed for foundation and year 1 students.
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Water Cycle Bingo
Learn water cycle vocabulary with this fun game of Bingo!
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Rounding Bingo — Using a Vertical Number Line
Review how to round numbers to the nearest ten, hundred, thousand, and ten thousand with a vertical number line 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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Easter Bingo Game
Play Easter Bingo with your class for some end-of-term fun!
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International Women's Day Bingo
Learn about inspirational women in history with this International Women’s Day Bingo.
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St. Patrick's Day Bingo
Discover the lingo of St. Patrick’s Day with this BINGO game set.
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Phoneme Segmentation Bingo
Help students master phoneme segmentation through targeted listening with this fun and engaging bingo game.
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Christmas Bingo Game
Play Christmas Bingo with your class for some end of year fun!
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Silent Letters Bingo
Help students master silent letters with this engaging game of Bingo.
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Ordinal Numbers Bingo Cards
32 different bingo cards using ordinal numbers.