Games in the Classroom: Bingo for Teachers

Think of all the boring days when you were stuck in your chair, listening to the never-ending drone of your teacher's voice as she explained the wonderful intricacies of the moth's life cycle. Fun, wasn't it?

Ok, guess not. Fortunately,now, kids hare having more fun in the classroom than ever before, thanks to the various resources available to teachers from books and from the Internet, and bingo is among the many games used by creative teachers to spice up their learning activities.

Bingo has long since been used as a fun and interesting teaching tool in the classroom. Teachers have an endless array of ideas at their fingertips on how to deliver lessons to their kids using the game.

The main reason why this game is a favorite of teachers is that it is flexible, and can be adapted to any type of lesson that the class is currently having. Math teachers can use the numbers in the cards as answers to math problems. A problem is called out, and the students cover the space that has the answer, and whoever completes a line wins.

Vocabulary words can also be used in the place of numbers. The teacher calls out a particular definition, and the students cover the spaces that contains the right word. Whoever makes a complete line first wins.

It is up to the teacher to bend the game whichever way she likes to make the game more interesting and educational. Trivia answers can be used in the place of vocabulary words, and the game can be modified and turned into "Black Out', a version of the game where whoever covers all the spaces first wins.

Preparing for the game is easy too. Game cards can be designed and printed from the Internet for free or at a very minimal cost, or simply bought from the local game store. Some teachers create the cards and other equipment themselves, which allows them to design the cards in any way they chose.

An even better idea is to include the kids in the preparation of the cards. It will stimulate their creativity, and will be a good use for their spare time. Aside from the fun and learning that kids will get from the game, they will also benefit from the sense of accomplishment that comes from knowing that they have helped in creating it.

So if you're a teacher and you're out of ideas on how to keep your kids from dozing off in one of your lectures, think of bingo. It's a fun and better alternative.