20 bingo variations for the classroom
Bingo is the easiest review game to run, and changing the winning pattern or what you call keeps it fresh all year. Make a set of cards with your own words (every card different), print them, and pick a variation below. Each one says how to call it, what you need and the grades it suits.
New winning patterns
1. Four corners
Only the four corner squares win. It is quick, so use it when you have five minutes left and want two or three rounds.
Grades K–8You need Printed bingo cards and countersUse Bingo card generator
2. Blackout
Every square must be covered to win. Save it for a long review session, because it uses almost the whole word list.
Grades 1–8You need Printed bingo cards and counters
3. Letter X
Both diagonals must be covered. Draw the X on the board before you start so younger students know what they are aiming for.
Grades K–8You need Printed bingo cards and counters
4. Picture frame
Every square around the outside edge must be covered. It takes longer than a line, so it suits a twenty-minute review.
Grades 1–8You need Printed bingo cards and counters
5. Postage stamp
Any two-by-two block in a corner wins. Students have to watch four places at once, which keeps them looking at the whole card.
Grades K–5You need Printed bingo cards and counters
6. Plus sign
The middle row and the middle column together win. With a free center square, it needs eight more calls.
Grades K–8You need Printed bingo cards and counters
7. Mystery pattern
Don't announce the winning pattern. Draw it on paper, keep it hidden, and reveal it when someone's card might match. Everyone stays in the game longer.
Grades 2–8You need Printed bingo cards and counters
New things to call
8. Definition bingo
Call the definition, not the word. Students cover the word it defines, so they have to know the meaning, not just recognize the spelling.
Grades 3–8You need Cards made from your vocabulary listUse Bingo card generator
9. Math answer bingo
Make cards whose squares are answers (12, 24, 42), then call the problems ("six times seven"). Students work it out before they cover.
Grades 1–5You need Cards with answers as the squaresUse Bingo card generator, Multiplication chart
10. Sight word bingo
Make cards from one sight word list and call the words aloud. Show the word on the board after a few seconds for students who need it.
Grades K–2You need Cards made from a sight word listUse Sight word lists
11. Rhyme bingo
Call a word and students cover a word on their card that rhymes with it: you call "cat", they cover "hat". Use short-vowel word families.
Grades K–2You need Cards made from simple rhyming words
12. Beginning sound bingo
Make cards with letters in the squares. Call a word, and students cover the letter it starts with. Say the word twice and stretch the first sound.
Grades Pre-K–1You need Cards with single letters
13. Question and answer bingo
Put the answers to a unit's review questions on the cards, then read the questions. It turns a review sheet into a game with no extra prep.
Grades 3–8You need Cards made from unit answersUse Review game board maker
14. Seasonal word bingo
Use a ready-made themed set for a season or topic, with the call list printed for you.
Grades K–5You need A themed bingo setUse Fall bingo, Space bingo, Ocean animals bingo
New ways to run it
15. Find someone who
Squares say things like "has a pet" or "likes to draw". Students walk around and write a classmate's first name in each square they match. Use it in the first week.
Grades 2–8You need A grid of "find someone who..." squaresUse Back to school bingo
16. Student caller
The first winner becomes the next caller. Callers read the word, and for definition bingo, read the definition too.
Grades 2–8You need The call list
17. Partner bingo
Two students share a card and must agree before they cover a square. It gets quieter students talking and slows down guessers.
Grades K–3You need One card per pair
18. Silent bingo
Show each word on the projector instead of calling it aloud. Nobody speaks until someone holds up a winning card. Good for the last period on a Friday.
Grades 1–8You need The call list on the projector
19. Spin the call
Paste the call list into the wheel and spin for each call, so students see that the calls are random.
Grades K–5You need The wheel with your call listUse Wheel spinner
20. Speed round
Call one word every ten seconds with the timer running for a fast round at the end of a review. Check the winner's card slowly, word by word.
Grades 3–8You need The 30 second timerUse 30 second timer
Making it work
- Make every card different. The bingo card generator shuffles each card from your word list and prints a call list.
- Use counters you can sweep up: dried beans, scrap paper squares or plastic chips. Dot markers make cards single-use.
- Check a winning card by having the student read back the covered words while you look at the call list.
- Keep a second winner in play: "Bingo for second place" stops the rest of the class losing interest after the first win.
- For review, choose 24 words or more so the cards differ enough. A short list gives everyone nearly the same card.
Questions teachers ask
- How many words do I need for a bingo game?
- At least 24 for a five-by-five card with a free center, and 30 or more if you want every card to look different. With fewer words, use a three-by-three or four-by-four card.
- How do I stop everyone winning at once?
- Use a longer pattern (picture frame, blackout), a bigger word list, or more cards with different words. The more words you have beyond the card size, the fewer ties you get.
- Is bingo a good review game?
- It works best when students have to think before they cover: definition bingo, math answer bingo and question and answer bingo all ask for recall, not just matching a word they hear.
Written for teachers by Peabody Teach. No ads, no affiliate links. Something wrong or missing? Tell us.