Sight word bingo cards to print

How to play sight word bingo with a class

The page opens with the Pre-K and K list loaded on 3x3 cards. Use Start from above the word box to switch to the Grade 1, Grade 2 or Grade 3 list, or clear the box and paste your own. Press Generate cards, then print the cards and the caller sheet. The caller sheet lists every word in a shuffled order, so you are not tempted to call your favourites.

Read the word, never show it

The point of the game is that children recognise a word they see in print from a word they hear. So the teacher reads each word aloud once, uses it in a short sentence ("said: Mom said hello"), then reads it again, and does not hold the caller sheet up or write the word on the board. Each child hunts for it on their own card, puts a marker on it and says the word out loud, so you can hear who found it and who is still looking. When someone calls bingo, they read the whole winning line back to you; if a word is misread, the game simply carries on. That read-back is the most useful minute of the game for spotting which words a child does not know yet.

Start on 3x3, move up when they are ready

A 3x3 card has nine words, which is about as many as a four- or five-year-old can scan without losing their place, and the generator prints them in large, bold type in the middle of each square. The default has no free space, so all nine squares are words to read. In 1,000 simulated games per setting with the Pre-K and K list (49 words), the first line on 3x3 cards came after a median of 11 calls with 12 children and 9 calls with 25. On 4x4 cards that becomes 15 and 13 calls, and on 5x5 with a free space 17 and 15. The 65-word Grade 1 list runs longer: 14 and 11 calls on 3x3. At one word every 20 to 30 seconds, a 3x3 round with a class of 25 takes about four minutes, so you can fit three or four rounds into a 15-minute literacy slot. Move to 4x4 once most children find a called word within a few seconds; keep 5x5 for Grade 2 and Grade 3.

One card per child, reused all week

Set Cards to your class size; the page defaults to 25. Every card is different, so neighbours cannot simply copy each other. With 4 per page a class of 25 needs 7 sheets of paper; 3x3 cards stay easy to read at that size. Slip each card into a clear page protector and children can mark words with a dry-erase marker, wipe the card with a tissue and play again tomorrow. Counters, small erasers or dried beans work as markers if you print on card stock instead. A Download PDF button gives you one file for the school copier.

Use your class's own weekly words

Many teachers follow the Dolch or Fry high-frequency word lists, or the list that comes with their reading scheme. The four lists here are our own selection of common English words, grouped by rough level, and they are not a copy of any of those lists. If your class has a word list for the week, paste it into the word box instead, one word per line or separated by commas. A 3x3 card needs at least 9 different words, and you need a few more than that for every card to be different: 12 words already give 220 possible cards, so a short weekly list of 12 to 15 words is enough for a whole class. Mix in last week's words to keep them fresh. Your edited list is saved in this browser, so it is still there next time you open the page.