Practice that feels like a game
Bingo makes children read every word on their card again and again while they listen for the next one. It works for a whole class, a small group or a family game night.More word games
Try the word search maker, the crossword maker and sight word worksheets.In NZ classrooms
- Te WhārikiPicture bingo suits the Mana tangata | Contribution strand, where children grow their skills for playing and learning alongside others.
- First 6 monthsNew entrants read simple words by blending sounds, and learn to spell common words such as I, the and a.
- Year 1Children read and spell some common tricky words, such as was, of and said.
Bingo isn’t named in the curriculum, but it gives quick, repeated reading of the words it does ask for. Under structured literacy, ākonga decode most words from their sounds and learn a small set of tricky words by heart. For a junior class, put CVC words made only from sounds your class has been taught on the cards, or type your school’s own list of tricky words.
The ready-made pre-primer and primer sight word lists come from the United States, so a list from your own phonics programme will usually match your teaching more closely. Number bingo works well for numerals to 20 in the first months of school.
Year placements summarised in our own words from the Ministry of Education’s guide to the New Zealand Curriculum, Years 0–8, and Te Whāriki (2017).
