Learning sight words is an essential step towards learning to read. Once students are familiar with sight words, it’s important for them to practice them frequently, so that they can identify the words quickly and easily. Playing Sight Word Bingo is a fantastic way to get students excited about practicing and improving the speed with which they recognize each sight word.
How to Play Sight Word Bingo:
- Cut and laminate enough bingo cards for your class. (The list includes 5 board variations.)
- Print the teacher cards and cut them out.
- Give each student a bingo card.
- Provide students with bingo chips, daubers, etc. for marking answers.
- Randomly pull a word card, say the sight word.
- Students cover the word if it is on their board.
- Pick any variation of bingo to determine the winner (black out, four corners, traditional, etc.)
Modifying Bingo
Bingo is easy to modify for students that need additional support or an extra challenge. Teachers could include pictures on the bingo chart to help students that need additional support. To provide an extra challenge for students that are ready for it, teachers could have students write the sight words on their cards themselves.
Bingo as a Formative Assessment
Teachers can also use bingo as an informal formative assessment tool. To do this, a teacher would call out a sight word and watch which students are able to mark the word on their bingo card. Then, they would write the word on the board and watch to see which students mark their board after they have seen it written. By taking note of which students wait to see the word on the board before marking their cards, the teacher will have additional data to inform small group instruction or during child study meetings.
Sight Word Bingo Set
Playing Sight Word Bingo is a fun and easy way for teachers to get everyone in the class excited about learning. The time spent playing will provide extra practice and build your students’ confidence with sight words. To get started, click here for a colorful and creative Sight Word Bingo Set that includes 5 variations and a Kindergarten sight word list.
We also have a workbook where you can just cut out the color pages to play.
Enjoy the game!