Fall Bingo Game for Preschoolers
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According to my experience, bingo is one of the games children get more excited about, and since Fall is approaching, I wanted to create this FREE Fall Bingo Game for your preschoolers.
Since young children learn with repetition and in different ways, but they also get bored if you don’t switch things around, I found out that introducing a new type of activity, manipulative or theme, most of the time is enough to engage students that are starting to lose interest in what you have to teach.
Bingo is one of those activities that you can bring in frequently if it looks different. It is amazing what you can accomplish with this simple game. It keeps children entertained and focus, to be able to yell BINGO!! and win.
Fall Bingo Game
This bingo game includes two different versions with six pages each, one version for younger learners and another one for more advanced learners. The simpler version includes six cards with nine pictures each. The advanced version also includes six cards but with 25 pictures each. I also included 32 picture cards to show the children which pictures they could mark on their bingo cards.
You can use this game as a large group activity, but also it is perfect to use it in combination with my other activities for Fall that include Fall Colors Sorting Mats, Acorn Counting Mats, Maple Leaves Letter Match, Pumpkin Patch Counting Mats, Counting Apples 1 – 10, Apple Shapes Match, and Apples Letter Tracing to create different stations where the children can rotate through.
If your preschoolers have been exposed to other bingo games, they are probably going to be able to work independently. However, new students or children who are not familiar with these types of games will need your guidance.
That is why I created two different sets, for different developmental levels. It is very important to remember that you want them to fill successful, not frustrated. Otherwise, that experience will result in a negative one and you won’t be able to accomplish what you are trying to.
Benefits of This Fall Bingo Game
This hands-on bingo game is fun and educational. Some of the most important benefits are:
- Concentration Skills and Memory Skills Development – because they need to focus to get it right.
- One-to-one Correspondence and Creating Sets Skills – when they have to match the picture you are showing them with a similar picture on their bingo cards.
- Sensory Development – because they are using some of their senses when they hear and see the card you are showing, and touch, feel, and manipulate objects.
- Eye and Hand Coordination – when they see the picture and place the bingo chip in the appropriate square.
- Social Skills – when they take turns and communicate with other players.
- Fine Motor Skills Development – when they move their hands and fingers while playing the game.
- Visual Discrimination – when they look at the pictures and are able to match them with the one in their cards.
How to Prepare the Bingo Game
This game is very easy to prepare. You really don’t need a lot of materials, just these ones:
- free Fall Bingo Game (found this at the bottom of this post.)
- Printer.
- White cardstock.
- Bingo chips (these could be Fall mini erasers, buttons, green, yellow, red, and orange pom-poms, and anything other material small enough that can fit in the bingo cards’ squares).
- Scissors.
- Laminator machine and laminator sheets.
- Dry-erase pockets (optional).
The only thing you need to do is print the Bingo Cards on white cardstock. Then cut out and laminate them. I strongly suggest you do that to protect the cards from wear and tear and have them available for your students to play over and over again.
If you want to save on lamination costs, you can stick the cards inside dry-erase pockets, but you will probably want to laminate the individual cards regardless.
When the Fall season is over, just put them in a Ziploc bag and store them for next year.
Playing the Fall Bingo Game
To start, each child chooses a bingo card. The teacher should place the picture cards in an envelope, basket, or any other container where the cards are not visible.
Then the teacher takes a random card out and shows it to the children, and whoever has that picture on his/her bingo card should place a chip on top of it.
The child fills up an entire row (which could be horizontal, vertical, or diagonal) and yells Bingo!!! to win. If the child is distracted and doesn’t shout Bingo! before another one does, he/she loses. To extend the game you can have the winner be the first to fill out their whole card.
This game is not only great to strengthen the children’s concentration, memory, one-to-one correspondence, and set creation, but it will also keep them busy for a long time while learning without even realizing it.
I really like that this game could be played in the classroom or at home by preschoolers and by older children such as kindergarteners and elementary children. Why not? Is such a matter of having fun.
Extension Activities
The individual cards are so cute and pretty that you can use them for many other learning activities as well, taking advantage of the variety in the pictures. I’m sure you will appreciate these time saver ideas. Some of the uses and activities that you can use these cards for are:
- Phonological Awareness Game – Take one of the cards and name the picture emphasizing the beginning sound, for example: “This is a pumpkin. I hear /p/ /p/ /p/ at the beginning of the word pumpkin.
- Letter Recognition – Take one of the cards and name the picture and ask the children: “Do you know what is this? “This is a branch (for example). The word branch starts with the letter “b”.
- Language Development – Select one of the cards during circle time and invite your preschoolers to talk about the picture in the card.
- Literacy – During large group or small group activity invite your preschoolers to create a story using the picture in one of the cards, while you take dictation to make a class book. Once the story is finished, type the individual paragraphs and paste them on white paper cut out like a tall Maple leave, acorn, or any other Fall shape.
Invite the students that didn’t participate in the story to become illustrators. Once all the pages are done, cut out the same shape on a piece of construction paper to make a cover. Type the title and the names of the authors and illustrators. Laminate all the pages and hold them together with a spiral or staples.
Don’t forget to make copies of the book to send home to all the preschoolers.
- Artwork – Place green, yellow, red, and orange tempera paint and crayons in the art center, and invite each preschooler to select a card and use it as an inspiration to draw or paint a picture. You can also provide green, yellow, red, and orange tissue paper and let the students rip pieces of the different tissue papers and glue them to make a Fall collage.
- The “The Missing Card” Game – This game is better as a small group activity. Take 3 to 5 cards and place them on a table. Ask your preschoolers to name the pictures on each card, then have your children close their eyes while you remove one card. Then ask your preschoolers to open their eyes and tell you which card is missing.
Fall Books
Don’t forget to read books with your children. This activity is one of the most important and educational ones you can do with them, and they absolutely love it. Below are some suggestions. You can find these books at your local library, used book store, or on Amazon. For your convenience, I added my direct Amazon links to the pictures. If you like any, just click on it and it will take you directly to the site.
Pin It For Later
If you are in a rush and don’t have time to read the post and download the printable but want to save it for later, pin this to your Math or Fall board on Pinterest to have it available when you need it.
Don’t forget to grab your FREE Fall Bingo printable! Just click on the bottom below to download both versions in one file.
Then check out my other Fall activities, to get those free printables as well and be able to expand your Fall activities collection, and help your preschoolers have fun while learning.
I hope you find these activities helpful and that you have a successful season of learning and entertainment in your preschool classroom or home.
Be happy, safe, and creative. I wish you well.
Love,
P.S. If you would like to see an article about how to make something specific, please let me know and I will try my best to write it for you.
