The feeling of fall is in the air, and one of the most convincing realities of that is that the school bells are ringing! Back to school is here whether we like it or not. This back to school bingo card set is a great activity to do on the first day or week of school. The colorful bingo is a great way to get to know your students or just play a fun game to kick off the year.
You could even play this game with your homeschool crew! I have found that even if you only have two of three people to play, kids will enjoy a good game of bingo!
In this back to school bingo free printable you will get 10 unique cards and 24 unique calling cards (on one page) to use in your back to school rituals and routine.
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You wouldn’t know it now, but my career was education. In the last quarter of my college education, I realized I had pursued the wrong age category of education. I ended up tutoring reading at an elementary school and not only was I truly good at it, but I connected with those little kids in a way that I had never connected with my Middle School and High School students. I loved being in ‘little kid’ land and after graduating I switched gears and taught in PreK schools. I genuinely loved it.
My favorite class I ever taught was called “Literacy Adventures”. I got to be creative, teach reading, and co-teach with the most amazing and gifted teacher ever. One way we encouraged literacy skills was by playing Bingo. Can I be honest? Growing up, I hated Bingo. Truly! I never won and ended up resenting the game. I know it seems silly, but sometimes childhood has ‘silly’ things in it.
Fast forward to when I started to teach in my PreK classrooms and I realized that surprisingly Bingo has a lot of benefits for students! There are many different versions of Bingo besides just the traditional ‘number’ bingo. We played alphabet bingo, picture bingos, number bingos, and many more. We even did a Reading Bingo for Christmas and Thanksgiving breaks.
Benefits of Bingo for Kids:
- Builds social connections
- Increase hand-eye coordination
- Grows cognitive abilities and focus
- Promotes language development
- Help kids explore the alphabet and numbers
How to Play Bingo
The Back to School season is a great time to play a fun game of Bingo, but beware! Bingo can also be highly competitive if you get within the right crowd. Here are the basic rules.
- Print out a Bingo card for each player (the download comes with 10 different cards- you can also purchase an expansion pack). Cut out the calling cards and place those cards in a bowl or container.
- Pull a card out of the bowl or container one card at a time. Call out what is on the card. For example, you could say “Round science beaker” Lay the image aside so you don’t duplicate it again.
- Some of the images may be advanced for younger Preschool students. They may not know what a “science beaker” is, but they can look at the picture and match. In the expansion pack, full-page images are available for this purpose.
- The players will cover the image with a marker. You can also get markers made for Bingo here. These are specifically great for school settings. Other ideas for bingo markers include:
- Cheerios
- Small candies
- Buttons
- To win the game, someone must cover 5 spaces in a row. This can be done horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. Once they cover 5 spaces they shout “BINGO”! before any other player.
How to Print
We use this Epson printer for all our printer needs. I like to buy XL ink cartridges which last a long time! Make sure that you use the highest settings on your printer to get the best results
Top Tip – Although it’s entirely optional, I highly recommend that if you plan to re-use your cards you laminate them. I laminate almost all my preschool printables and love this laminator and these 3m sheets.
Supplies needed
- Bingo Cards (10 included in the free download)
- Bingo Calling Cards (included in the free download)
- Markers
- Laminator (optional)
- Cardstock (optional)
Back to School Bingo – Free Printable
Ready to Download the Back to School Bingo?! Use the button below to head right to the Dropbox folder where you can download everything you need. If you end up using these in your Back to School routine, let me know over on Instagram! Or send me a photo through email! Tag me in an Instagram story or just send me a DM of how you used them. I would love to see your Back to School Bingo in action!
What do you get? This is an 11-page download with 10 individual Bingo cards and 25 sets of calling cards.
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Bingo Expansion Pack!
Need more than 10 Bingo cards? Grab the expansion pack that contains 30 unique cards! This also includes individual page calling cards (great for preschoolers!) and our Bonus Thanksgiving Reading Bingo!
Christmas Reading Bingo
A preschool Christmas Reading Bingo is a perfect way to encourage the joy of literacy throughout the Christmas break.
Find more Printables at my Etsy or Gumroad Shops. If you shop through the Etsy App, make sure you check your email for the download!
There are many 5-star reviews at my Etsy shop and if you make a purchase, I would appreciate yours!
Please remember that these cards are my own design and work. They are for personal use or classroom use.
Don’t forget to Pin for Later!
