Game: Christmas Bingo
Article
The lead-up to the winter break can generate lots of excitement in the classroom, making it hard for students to focus on lecture-style lessons. As a result, the holiday season is the perfect time to make use of educational games. They not only keep students engaged, but also lend themselves well to teaching various concepts. Come December, Christmas bingo is a great way to help students learn festive vocabulary!
Grade
1-6
Table of contents
Building Vocabulary and Camaraderie Through Bingo
Who would have thought that the simple game of bingo could have so many educational benefits? Here is how Christmas bingo can boost your students’ learning:
- It helps them practise holiday-related vocabulary as they read out words and find them on their bingo cards.
- It gets them to practise their listening skills, as they have to pay attention to the words being called out if they want to win the game.
- It helps them develop their social skills because they have to play in groups and follow the rules.
- It creates a fun and festive classroom atmosphere. Games and activities that are engaging as well as educational help reduce stress, which is a big plus for students’ motivation and overall well-being.
How to Play
- Cut out the bingo cards and words beforehand. To keep with the theme, consider putting the words in a toque, stocking, gift box, or holiday-themed mug!
- Divide the class into groups of 2 to 6 and give each student a bingo card.
- In their groups, the students take turns randomly picking a word. They can then read it aloud (“Elf”) or, for a bit of a challenge, spell it out (“E-L-F”).
- Each player checks their bingo card: If the word is on it, they mark it with a token (e.g., red and green pompoms, gold stars, felt snowflakes).
- Repeat steps one to three. Once someone gets a full line of tokens vertically, horizontally, or diagonally, they yell “Bingo!” The first player to do so wins.
