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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Money Bingo – Australian Currency
32 different bingo cards using notes and coins.
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Money Bingo – Australian Coins
32 different bingo cards using only coins.
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Telling the Time Bingo – Hour, Half-hour, Quarter To and Quarter Past
Play a few rounds of Telling the Time Bingo to practise telling the time to the quarter hours.
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Alphabet Bingo Upper and Lowercase Recognition
Give students the opportunity to practise the recognition of lowercase and uppercase letters with this set of alphabet bingo cards.
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Fraction, Decimal and Percentage Bingo
Convert between fractions, decimals and percentages with this engaging Bingo game the whole class can enjoy!
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Equivalent Fractions Pizza Bingo - Whole, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8
32 different bingo cards using whole, 1/2, 1/4 and 1/8 equivalent fractions.
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3D Object Bingo
Learn the names of the most common 3D objects with this whole-class Bingo game.
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Telling the Time Bingo – Mixed Times
Thirty-two different bingo cards using analogue clocks.
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Dividing Shapes BINGO – Equivalent Fractions (Small Group)
Practise dividing shapes to generate equivalent fractions with this small group bingo game.
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Recognising Numbers 0 — 20 BINGO Game
Help your students identify numbers 0 - 20 with this printable Bingo game!
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Place Value Bingo Game Numbers Up to 10 000
Practise place value knowledge in numbers up to 10 000 with this set of bingo cards.
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Telling the Time Bingo – Hour and Half-hour
Thirty different bingo cards using analogue clocks.
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Pizza Fraction Bingo
Practise identifying fractions with this set of 32 different bingo cards.
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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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Angles Bingo
Generate excitement about angles in your classroom by playing this whole-class types of angles bingo game.
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Multiplication Bingo – 0–12 Times Tables
Thirty-two different bingo cards using multiplication from 0–12.
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Blending Phonemes CVC Word BINGO
Practise blending phonemes to form one-syllable words with this set of 20 bingo game boards and cards.
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2D Shape Bingo
Engage your students while consolidate learning about 2D shapes, their names and properties with 2D Shape Bingo!
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Icebreaker Bingo - First Day of School Game
Kick off a new school year with a Getting to Know You Icebreaker 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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Recognising Numbers 0 — 10 Bingo (Small Group)
Play this fun number recognition game with your preschool and foundation students to help them identify the numbers 0 - 10!
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Contractions Bingo Game
Build vocabulary and have fun with contraction word games!
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Missing Angle Small Group Bingo
Practise how to find the measurement of a missing angle with this small group 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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Editable Homework Bingo Templates
Provide your students with novelty and choice by assigning them a Homework Bingo Game instead of traditional homework assignments!
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Suffix Bingo - Vocabulary Game
Match words with suffixes to their meanings in this BINGO game.
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Silent Letters Bingo
Help students master silent letters with this engaging game of Bingo.
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Two-Digit Place Value Bingo Game (Digits and Pop Sticks)
32 different bingo cards using place value to 99.
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Place Value Bingo Game Numbers Up to 1 000 000
Practise place value knowledge in numbers up to 1 000 000 with this set of bingo cards.
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Adding and Subtracting Like Fractions Bingo
Download this fractions bingo game to get your students adding and subtracting fractions with like denominators.
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Division Bingo - Numbers
32 different bingo cards using division.
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Adding and Subtracting Unlike Fractions Bingo
Download this fractions bingo game to get your students adding and subtracting fractions with unlike denominators.