How to Create Bingo Cards for the Classroom

Use a classic game to enhance classroom learning.

Some of the most effective means of teaching are those that incorporate the quest for fun with the quest for learning. Classroom bingo game cards are not only simple to make, they're a classic example of this, with the strongest chances of winning the game going to those students with the most robust knowledge of their studies. Students whose knowledge of a subject is tested through this game will feel a strong incentive to improve their ability to win.

Things You'll Need

• Notebook
• Pen
• Two inch by three inch cards or old business cards
• Computer with image editor
• Printer card stock

Instructions

1. Write a list of questions and answers to use as the basis for the cards. For best results, write your questions so that many of the answers will be shared, (e.g., "Whose picture is on the US $1 bill?" and "Who was the first president of the United States?). This way, you can keep your questions fresh while still giving students a good chance of winning with the answers on their cards. Make a set of cards with 42 different answers, but as many different questions to those answers as possible; the more questions you have, the more valuable your bingo cards will be as an educational tool.

2. Make a set of key cards for the caller. Write each question and answer on one side of its own two inch by three inch card. These cards will be shuffled for each game, the questions asked during the game, then the used cards set aside to determine whether the first person who calls "bingo!" is truly a legitimate winner.

3. Design a graph to use as the template for the bingo game. In an image editor, use a line drawing tool to design a page with three columns of five squares each; this design should cover the whole page. If you like, mark the center square with the words "free space" or "bonus space."

4. Create a set of unique bingo cards. Shuffle your key cards well, then pull cards one at a time and use the answers to fill in the answers in the graph. Once the card is filled, print it on card stock, then clear out all the words from the graph template and start again. Continue until you've gone through all your answer cards, then shuffle the deck and start over. Do this until you've made as many cards as you want (this will depend on the size of your classroom; make enough for each student to have two).