Your child will play bingo to practice reading common words.
Learning Area(s): Reading and Writing
MATERIALS
- word list (see Tips)
- index cards, sticky notes, or small pieces of paper
- bingo boards
- 20 coins, checkers, or favorite snack food to serve as bingo markers for each player
LET'S PLAY
Before you play, create two or more bingo boards with five columns and four rows for a total of 20 squares. Select 20 different words from the word list in Tips and randomly fill in the squares, writing one word per square. Make sure the boards are not the same! Write the 20 words on index cards, shuffle, and place in a pile.
Give each player a bingo board and 20 markers. One at a time, draw a word card from the pile and have your child read it. If your child can’t read the word on the card, try using it in a sentence to see if they can figure out what it is. Players who have the word on their board cover it with a marker. The first person to cover an entire row or column wins!
TIPS
- If the game is too easy for your child, add words from a word list above your child’s grade level.
- If the game is too hard for your child, try using some words from the grade level below and help your child to read any words they don’t know.
- High frequency words and sight words are common words that children can read without having to sound them out. To find the appropriate words for your child based on their grade level, look at the Dolch word lists or the Fry word lists. If your child has a weekly spelling word list, you could use those words on your bingo board. Don’t forget to add some words from the grade levels below if your child has not mastered the words.
- Different schools use different research-based word lists. Don’t worry if your child isn’t familiar with some of the words!
- Invite other family members to play along! Make each person their own bingo board to play with.