Bingo Games 3 - Count 'Em Bingo & a BONUS TIP

Count 'em Bingo 

Calling Cards - By gridding out a sheet and making all the cards together it is much faster to cover with clear Contact paper or laminate. Then quick to cut apart.

 The pictures were cut from a simple math page in one of those workbooks for children you can buy most anywhere...but don't forget the best spot to find these is FREE boxes at rummage sales.

Playing Cards - Use a simple grid. Here I used only 16 spaces because I wanted more room.  Write the needed numbers in a mixed up order. Not every card will have each number. I added a little picture (from the same book) to each playing card just to make them look nicer. Besides sometimes it is the picture that captures the child and it will become their "favorite" card.

SPECIAL TIP - One of the most frustrating things for little ones when they play BINGO is bumping their playing card and messing it all up. SO....here is an easy solution.

Make up a plastic sleeve with pieces of velcro strategically placed so they will be in each section of the grid. You can see from the next two pictures what this looks like. 

Rather than cover or laminate the playing cards, they will be placed in plastic sleeves (page protectors). The Velcro is on the outside. In this way you can use the sleeves for all your BINGO games. Since I have several different grids I use (9 spaces - 25 spaces) I have made these plastic sleeves to match each size and spacing.

As you can see, the Velcro is placed to match up with each BINGO space. 

I have used the matching Velcro pieces on small poker-like chips so they can be used as markers. 

TIP You do not need to make dozens of these plastic sleeves with Velcro. Just make one for each type of grid you may use. Unless, of course, you have multiple young players that may need this added help.

Now you can use these for any BINGO games you may make. Since I now put all my BINGO playing cards in plastic sleeves, it is quick and easy to take one out and put it in one of these special sleeves if it is needed or wanted by a player. 

Bingo Games 1 - Beginning Bird Bingo

Beginning Bird Bingo

Using pictures or stickers of birds (or other animals) create some bingo game playing cards. Vary the position of the birds on each card. Not every bird must be on each card. 

To create the calling cards use colored card stock divided into sections as I have done here. Posterboard pieces or index cards cut in half also work fine.

I like to create full sheets like this and then cover them with clear Contact paper BEFORE I cut them apart....much less cutting time this way. The Contact paper makes them more durable. If using posterboard this is not so necessary.

Wilbur - A Favorite Learning Tool

Remember Wilbur of "Charlotte's Web" fame? 
Wilbur is a most versatile format and a favorite of young children.
Turn an old bleach bottle into a "funtastic" learning tool! 

Draw eyes and a mouth with permanent markers.
Add pink felt ears and a pipe cleaner tail.
Use egg carton sections for feet.
Decorate sides as desired.
Cut a slit about 1/4 inch wide across his head, just behind his ears.

These were the old instructions for making Wilbur and I have made many this way. But, like everything else, he got an update.  

This is the original very first Wilbur after his many face-lifts. This guy is around 30 years old. Looks pretty good for his age I think. The permanent marker needs a new paint job every few years to keep it bright. The tail has been replaced a few times and the ears have had to be reattached. 

The biggest improvement is his feet. There has been much trial and error with these. Egg cartons just glued like in the first picture was the start. Different glues were tried. Later, stones were added to give extra weight and help with balance. The stones are important, be sure to add some to each egg carton section. Finally,one day I just grabbed the good old duct tape and covered it all. Finally, a good solid base that has held up for a couple years. The next improvement will be to look for a color different than the yellow and make it more to my liking. But the key is that he now works, is stable, and has held up for some time. 

Here is Wilbur in action:  

With a stack of skill cards placed in the slot, Wilbur is ready to teach. For these cards, Charlotte counted the items and stated the number.

To view the answer, the child removes the bottle cap and peers inside.

Charlotte removed the cap and looked inside to see the answer revealed. If she is correct, she simply takes the card out and another is already in place. NOTE: Children enjoy removing the cap, so I suggest they put it back on before they change the card.

Here is what she saw when she looked inside. 

The cards should measure about 5 inches by 8 inches. 

Put the "skill" at the top edge of the card. 

The correct answer should be at the bottom center of the card.

Here are a few examples of the many possible skills that can be put on cards. 

Douglas was beginning to read and we made these card for him to recognize his name and the names of those most important to him.

Beginning letter sounds

Beginning blends and diagraphs

Fill in the missing vowel

Read the number words

Addition

Multiplication

States and Capitals - notice this set was written by one of the children. Having them make the cards is just another step for them to be learning the skill.

Questions to review a unit on bees.

Wilbur is enjoyed by ALL ages and I guarantee when you put him out with some cards, EVERYONE will have to remove the cap and take a look.

Hope Wilbur is loved at your house as much as he is at ours. 

Walk, Swim, Fly, or Hop

A game for the little ones to take a look at the way animals move.

The Game Board:

I usually use colored file folders to make games more attractive, but we need to remember that manila is a color too. In this case it seemed to be exactly the right color to set off the green stickers and the animal pictures.

THE PATH: Using 3/4" green stickers I created a path. I used pictures cut from some animal books to decorate the board. CUT A BOOK? Yes, I do cut books. I will tell all about cutting books in a future post. 

On the spaces are the letters W, S, F, or H. They, of course, stand for Walk, Swim, Fly, or Hop. 

Here is a close-up of the path:

The Cards:

More pictures CUT FROM BOOKS. 

After the pictures are cut and pasted on the cards, I cover the cards with clear Contact paper. Laminating would be good if you have one available.

To Play:

The animal cards are shuffled and placed in a draw pile.

Each player places a game piece at the beginning of the path. 

In turn, players draw a card, name the animal and then decide how that animal normally moves. He then places his game piece on the next space with the letter that begins the word that describes how his animal moves.

This is a good game to introduce children to new animals. Letting them see the pictures and figure out how the animal moves. 

Color Recognition Search

Many may know this format (way of playing) as "Memory." We have called it "Search" since my children were little. The rules are simple. Deal out any number of paired cards, face-down. Players take turns selecting two cards in an attempt to find pairs which they collect.

Here Diana is the only player, while I watch and encourage her. We also name the colors as she turns over a color. Diana turns up a yellow card. She then looks for its match.

She finds the match. The two yellows make a pair which Diana collects...

...and sets aside.

After collecting all the pairs, Diana is ready to play again.

Diana played several games and it was interesting that she always turned up the upper left-hand corner card first every time. Here she finds a yellow.,

Having made the pair of yellows, she selects the new upper left-hand corner card. This time finding a blue card and looking for its match right below it. However, this must not have matched...

...as she later finds the match in another spot.

Finishing up that game, Diana is ready to play again and again and again.

Learning colors can be so much fun! She also loves the attention and time with Grandma.

Playing Search was a new format for Diana. As she learns this way of playing a little better, we will add more cards for her to match.

Name the Number - Numeral Recognition

Finding good activities to occupy the younger ones, while I work with their older brothers can sometimes be a challenge. So thinking of this simple game using the "big boys' " cards was a winner for me.

Letting Wesley, age 4, be the teacher, gave him a sense of being the older one, instead of always being the LITTLE brother. He looked the part as he was wearing a tie this day. He took his position very seriously and worked patiently with his young sister, Diana, 2.

Wesley flipped one card at a time asking Diana "What number is this?" She knows several of the numbers up to 12, but has a few she needs work on. He carefully traced numbers she didn't know or he held up fingers and had her count them as a way of figuring it out. I didn't give him this idea so I was so pleased to see that he thought of it.

While this is a very simple little activity, it was an important one for Wesley and Diana seemed to enjoy the time playing with her BIG brother.

Poor Piggy - Counting Pennies

Poor Piggy plays like Old Maid. 

The Cards:

On white paper I drew out a pattern for the cards. I drew the piggy banks with numbers on 10 cards. The Poor Piggy card has no money slot, so he doesn't match up with any coins. The coin cards were stamped using penny coin stamp I purchased years ago at a teacher's store.

Years ago I did this on white paper as an original so I could xerox it on colored cardstock for myself and to be able to share the game with others. How technology has changed!

I found these card holders in a card game at a garage sale. I was so excited to get four of them for only 50 cents. They are much higher to purchase separately.

To Play:

After the cards are shuffled, they are all dealt out to the players. One player will have more cards than the other, but that is OK.

Players sort their cards making all pairs they can and setting them aside.

 It is often easier for young players to place all their cards face up on the table to help them find their pairs.

 Wesley took a little time making his pairs.

Players can either hold the remaining cards in their hands or use one of the handy card holders.

In turn, players draw one card from the other player and match it to the pair in their hand. They then set this pair aside with their other matches.

 OOOOOOOOOOOPS! Douglas drew Poor Piggy. So he just mixes it with the other cards in his holder and hopes that Wesley will draw it back.

Wesley drew a penny card. After learning how many pennies, he will match it to its piggy bank card and set them aside.

 Douglas drew and made this match.

Oh, no! Wesley, don't draw that card. 

But he did and Douglas made the last match, leaving Wesley with the Poor Piggy. Since we didn't make a big deal of this, Wesley was quite pleased to have the Poor Piggy and Douglas was happy knowing he had won.

Fun game. Easy to make. Good learning. SUCCESS!

Golf Tee Count

Here is a Golf Tee game made for little ones. For this one I have cut the holes using one of my scrapbooking templates. This way the holes are big enough for little fingers, so no need to use golf tees or other pointy objects.

The pictures used to make the cards were cut from preschool workbooks like you can buy at many stores. Some have the numbers printed next to the pictures because the child was to circle the correct number. By making them into a game instead, the child can play and play until she has learned all the numerals.

 The child counts the animals, and finds the correct number.

Then she sticks her finger in the hole next to the number.

Now she can easily turn the card over and check her answer.

The hole with the correct answer has been marked on the back. For some reason Diana called it a "cauliflower." But she got good drill on recognizing her numbers.