Math Games: The Many Uses of Bingo

Of all the games that can be used in the classroom setting, the game of bingo is among the most useful and effective. Below is a list of suggestions for some ways to use bingo in your math class...

Plain Old Ordinary Bingo

In the early grades bingo is a simple tool for teaching kids to recognize numbers and for helping them become comfortable with them. It's not hard to make bingo cards. Start off with a set of cards that use numbers under 25 or so and you can change out the cards over time to that the numbers become bigger.

Number-Word Bingo

Another early grades version of bingo, in this game the words of number are printed on the bingo card and students have to cover up "three" when you either say the word out loud or hold up the numeral 3.

Array Bingo

In this version of the game the squares on the bingo card have arrays of dots in them and when a number is called the children have to count the dots to find a square that matches. It can be reversed to that the cards have numbers and the teacher holds up an array of dots for the children to see. The game promotes counting ability.

Addition Bingo

This version of bingo is a good tool for helping kids in the primary grades learn basic addition and subtraction fact. The teacher calls out "seven plus two" and the students look (hopefully) for a nine to cover up. Or the teacher calls out "14 minus seven" and the students look for a six to cover up on their bingo cards. This game can also be played in reverse, with problems like 11-4 or 5+7 on the cards and the teacher calling out possible answers for the students to match with problems.

Multiplication Bingo

This game is almost exactly like addition bingo except that multiplication (or division) problems are used. If you're making cards that have answers and you're calling out problems, be sure not to put prime numbers on the cards; the student will never cover 23, 57, or 59, for example, because there are no multiplication problems that have those numbers as answers (except one times that prime number). It's an easy mistake to make.

Rounding Bingo

Using a normal bingo card, call out multiples of 10 and tell students that they can only cover up one number that can be rounded to that particular multiple of ten. You call out 20 and the student can cover, for example, 17 or 22. Of course, this is another game that can be reversed. The card can contain only multiples of 10 (or one hundred, or one thousand...) and when the teacher calls out 39 or 43, the students have to cover 40.

Factor Bingo

This is a favorite with fourth and fifth graders. Fill up a small bingo card with numbers under 20 or 30 and call out larger numbers. The students can cover up a number if it is a factor of the number you called out. So, if you called out 60, a student could cover one, two, three, four, five, six, 10, 15, 20, 30, or 60, since all of those number are factors of 60. Of course, the student can only cover one number.

Fraction and Decimal Bingo

Another favorite with fourth and fifth graders, this version of bingo is used to practice converting fractions to decimals and vice versa. The teacher calls out "zero point two five" and the students cover up 1/4 on their cards. In the reverse version the teacher calls out fractions like 11/20 and the student has to cover up 0.55 on the card.

Obviously, the game of Bingo is adaptable to almost any math operation. The kids love it. And the nice thing about it is that you rarely have to go over the actual rules for the game.

Not sure playing games in school is appropriate? Read about why games are good.

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