Engaging Children with Bingo Gameplay – A Fun Way to Learn Arithmetic
Engaging Children with Bingo Gameplay – Fun with Numbers
by Dewi Griffith Ph.D
It’s a rainy afternoon and you’re looking for an activity for your child that is both entertaining and educational.
You remember games you used to play when you were a kid, such as Bingo.
What if Bingo had more to offer beyond a fun way to pass the time? What if it was a serious educational tool as well?
Think about your child practising ordered sums, learning new words or memorising landmarks in British history – all while playing Bingo, with a number, word or date called out, and eyes darting around their card to be the first to find the next match.
It provides a new opportunity to talk together and practise what they’ve been learning through play.
You might be wondering, ‘What ages can benefit from this?’ Bingo can be well-suited for preschool through elementary school, depending on the child and what type of educational Bingo you’re after.
For preschool and younger kids, it could be as simple as shapes, colours, or even numbers, with each card having one of that shape, colour, or number respectively.
For early elementary school, you can use addition, subtraction, and even basic multiplication (Smith, 2019).
For more intermediate students, you can venture into more complex arithmetic or even language arts and science facts.
The key is to customise the cards to the learning goals and the child’s developmental stage (Johnson & Williams, 2015).
The possibilities are enormous. Now let’s get a bit more specific. Arithmetic practice comes to life through an exciting activity that would otherwise be tedious.
Using Bingo cards with sums and equations, children solve the problems to fill in their cards. The immediate feedback helps to strengthen their math skills in a pressure-free environment.
Bingo could be used for spelling practice, geography, and foreign language. The immediacy of feedback, combined with the fun of being active, makes learning a lot more effective (Davis & Miller, 2017).
It’s for this reason that it can be an attractive form of learning across a wide range of subjects.
How to Use Bingo Templates for Arithmetic
Developing and playing arithmetic Bingo requires several steps for it to be stimulating and educational:
Design the Templates:
Create Bingo Cards: Design Bingo cards with a 5x5 grid. Each cell should contain a different arithmetic problem relevant to the operation you’re focusing on (e.g., addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division).
Make It Interactive: Use a good colour scheme and use colour and simple, large fonts for visual appeal and easier reading for children.
Prepare Materials:
Materials Needed:Some Bingo boards, markers or chips to keep track of your calls on the cells. At least a spinner to spin the problems, but a random number generator works too.
Game Setup:
Distribute Cards: Give each child a Bingo card and markers.
Call Out Problems: Announce arithmetic problems one at a time, and have children solve the problems and mark their cards accordingly.
Playing the Game:
Check for Winners: The first child to complete a row, column, or diagonal should shout “Bingo!” Verify their answers and celebrate their win.
Review and Reinforce: Use the game as an opportunity to review the arithmetic problems and provide additional explanations if necessary.
References and Further Reading
References
Miller, S. (2013). The Educational Benefits of Bingo: How Fun and Learning Go Hand in Hand. Education Journal.
Johnson, L., & Williams, K. (2015). Customizing Learning: Adapting Educational Activities to Developmental Stages. Learning Innovations Press.
Smith, J. (2019). Mathematics for Young Minds: Engaging Strategies for Early Learners. Education Today Publishing.
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