Bingo is one game that is used by teachers to brighten up any dull lesson, and for good reason. The game is fun, stimulating, and very easy to learn; so easy, in fact, that teachers can teach any variation of the game to even the youngest learner.
Bingo can be used to help children learn vocabulary, numbers and basic math, fun trivia about science, history, etc. Learners, especially the younger ones, will likely forget that they are learning because they are enjoying the game, which is one of the advantages of using the game in class.
In the past teachers have gone through the tedious task of making cards by hand. Now the Internet is overflowing with so many online bingo and craft sites that provide free downloadable software which allows you print your own bingo cards. You can say goodbye to hours and hours of time-consuming card-making, and say hello to printable bingo cards.
There are even some sites that do not require any software download. You just need to follow the instructions from their site and print your bingo cards from there.
Different sites and software will allow you to print cards according to your own preferences. The cards usually measure 3x3 or 5x5, and some offer different themes that you can choose from. The cartoon themes are usually the most popular, although you can also find holiday themes, fairy tail themes, animal themes, and almost any other theme suitable for any occasion.
You can also make the cards as colorful as you like, since most software offer the feature that allows you to design and choose any color you want for your bingo card.
Back in the day when teachers created hand-made bingo cards, they involved their kids by allowing each one to color and decorate their cards any way they chose. You can do this with your kids even though you're getting your cards online by allowing them the option to choose a theme, a color, a design, for the bingo cards.
The game rules are very basic. Whether its bingo for a vocabulary lesson, a math lesson, or a history trivia lesson, you can either have the answers printed on the cards, and draw out the questions at random. Those who can answer first gets to mark-off that space that contains the answer in their cards, until they form a bingo pattern, just like any regular game.
You can also use 'COver-all' bingo, where the winner is the one who manages to mark-off all the spaces in the card. Either way, your students will surely have fun and learning and playing with each game.