Printable bingo cards
Alphabet bingo cards
Letter bingo for children who are learning the alphabet. The 26 capital letters are dealt onto small cards, the adult calls a letter by its name or its sound, and the children hunt for it. A round is short enough for a carpet session.
Alphabet bingo
Alphabet bingo
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Calling letters with young children
- Decide whether you are practising names or sounds and stick to it for the round. Calling the sound, as in mmm for M, links the game to phonics; calling the name suits children who are still learning to recognise the shapes.
- Draw the slips from a bag and write each called letter on the board after the children have searched, not before. It lets everyone check their card and keeps a record for confirming the winner.
- Only two grid sizes are offered here because the alphabet has 26 letters; a five by five card would hold nearly all of them and every card would look alike. Four by four is the stronger game.
- For lower case, retype the box as a to z, or type pairs such as Aa and Bb on each line. For a class that has met only some letters, delete the others, keeping at least 22 lines for the four by four grid.
- Large buttons, bottle tops or counting bears are easy for small hands to place. Give sixteen to each child in a cup, and count them back in at the end as a bonus number activity.
The 26 letters
Capital letters A to Z, one per line. A four by four card shows 16 of them, so every card is missing ten letters and children have to look carefully before deciding a letter is not there.
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
- K
- L
- M
- N
- O
- P
- Q
- R
- S
- T
- U
- V
- W
- X
- Y
- Z
Questions
How do you play alphabet bingo?
Each child has a card of letters. The adult draws a letter and says its name or sound. Children who have it cover it. Four in a row on the four by four card, in any direction, wins the round.
Can I make lower case or mixed case alphabet bingo cards?
Yes. Replace the lines in the letter box with lower case letters, or with both forms together such as Aa. The cards print whatever each line contains, up to 20 characters.
Why is there no 5x5 option for alphabet bingo?
A five by five card needs 24 or 25 different squares, and there are only 26 letters. Every card would carry almost the full alphabet and all players would win together, so the page stops at four by four.
What age is alphabet bingo for?
It is aimed at three to six year olds, from the first weeks of letter recognition to children who know their sounds. Three by three, eight letters and a free middle, is the gentlest start.
More bingo cards
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Fifty common early-reading words, or paste in this week's list from school.
Number bingo 1-30
Numerals 1 to 30 scattered on small cards, for number recognition and quick sums.
First day of school bingo
Find a classmate who walks to school, has a pet or lost a tooth. Names fill the grid.