Thirty-six fall words, from falling leaves and apple picking to the equinox and geese flying south, on unique printable cards for September, October and November.
36 items · a 5 × 5 card with a free space needs 24 or more. More items make the cards differ.For review bingo, type answer | clue (“56 | 7 × 8”): the card shows the answer, the caller reads the clue. Two columns pasted from a spreadsheet work too. Start a line with an emoji (“🐶 dog”) for a picture square.
Showing 4 of 31 pages. (Print always prints every page.)
To save a PDF, choose Print, then “Save as PDF” as the printer. Only the sheets print.
30 different cards. No two are the same. The card number and set number on every card let the caller check a winner (press C while calling).
About this set
This set is about the season, not any one holiday, so it suits every classroom from the first cool morning in September to the week before Thanksgiving. The words cover what children see (acorns, squirrels, scarecrows, hay bales, the first red maple), what families do (apple picking, a hayride, a corn maze, raking, a bonfire, football) and the science of the change: the autumn equinox, migration, the shorter days and the green color that fades from leaves so the orange and yellow show. Younger students match pictures of leaves and acorns, and older students can define equinox and migrate before they cover them.
Grades: Pre-K to 4th grade. Best in: September, October, November.
The words on the cards
Autumn · Acorn · Rake · Leaf pile · Squirrel · Scarecrow · Hay bale · Hayride · Apple picking · Apple pie · Apple cider · Corn maze · Pumpkin patch · Sweater · Boots · Football · Marching band · Bonfire · S’mores · Campfire · Pine cone · Maple tree · Orange · Brown · Harvest · Equinox · Migrate · Geese · Chilly · Crisp air · Sunflower · Fog · Cornstalk · Shorter days · Jacket · Chrysanthemum
How to play, and five ideas
Nature walk: take the cards outside and let students cover each square they can find on the playground (acorn, leaf pile, pine cone, squirrel) as a bingo hunt.
Science stop: when “equinox” or “migrate” is called, pause for one minute and ask the class what they already know before you give the answer.
Leaf markers: use real fallen leaves or paper leaf cutouts as markers, one color per table.
Five senses: after the game, students sort the squares by sense: what you see (orange), hear (crunchy leaves), smell (apple cider), feel (sweater) and taste (apple pie).
Sentence starters: the student who wins writes “In fall, I like ___ because ___” using the word that gave them bingo.
Is this the same as the Thanksgiving or Halloween set?
No. Neither holiday is in it. There are no turkeys, pilgrims, costumes or ghosts, so it suits classrooms that do not celebrate either one, and it can be played from September.
Which words suit the youngest students?
Acorn, rake, leaf pile, scarecrow, sweater, boots, squirrel, orange and brown are the easiest to picture. Make 3 × 3 cards from those.
Can I change the words?
Yes. The 36 words are in the box above the cards. Delete, add or edit any line and the cards are rebuilt at once. Nothing is saved on our servers.
How do I call the game?
Press “Call the game”. Each press of the space bar tumbles the ball cage and pops out the next item in very large type, with the list of items already called beside it. Press C and type a card number to check a winner, P to change the win pattern, V to have each call read aloud, and F to fill the projector.
How do I save the cards as a PDF?
Press Print and choose “Save as PDF” as the printer. Each page can also be saved as a PNG picture from under its preview.
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