Bingo is increasingly becoming a favourite learning tool for both Maths and English. Its simplicity and use of affordable materials are among the many factors that are fuelling its use in the education sector. In a classroom set up, the teacher acts as a bingo card caller. The bingo cards that are printed with letters or words that are selected by the teacher.

Here is how bingo in classroom can help provide a metaphor for students. It will teach students phonemic awareness where the students hold each bingo card much like in a casino but this time it has letters in each square. The teacher then calls out the words and each student is expected to identify the letter of which the words begin and find the square where on their card.

In identifying sight words, students seek to match the square according to the word called out. This exercise is to help improve students’ reading and comprehension by visually matching letters and squares. Also known as Dolch Sight Words, bingo can provide a great sensory test between audio and visual cues. To improve vocabulary, the teacher again calls the words he or she has selected.

Bingo, when used in speech lessons, again uses selected words on the cards and the students find the part of speech that has been described. All that it requires is a teacher who is keen to use this methos and of course the bingo cards. There are preprinted cards but the teacher is also encouraged to make inexpensive cards that also meet the needs of the class. To save class time, the teacher can prepare cards in advance or use a computer to generate them.

Bingo originated from Italy in the 16th Century and was considered as a money raising scheme. However, it soon became popular and one of the most frequently played gambling games across the world. Bingo as a game provides a lot of fun both in parties and other social gatherings.

The game of Bingo is popular for several reasons including the fact that it is fun filled and simple to play. It provides for social interactions and relaxation both at home and away. It can also be a money earner or a means to raise money for charity. With bingo you can spend as much as you wish, it all depends on how many cards you decide to buy.  There are various types of bingo. The UK and US bingos share much in common such as each player having cards with 15 numbers in play. The caller calls the numbers one by one and the players mark them off accordingly. US and Canadian Bingo does however contain certain variations. Instead of 15, there are 25 numbers and five columns. This bingo is played mainly in churches to raise money for charity.

With technological advancements, you can now play bingo online. This allows you to play from the comfort of your own home or office. Most of the sites are also free in the sense they do not require an initial deposit. The rule of the game is that the first person is called a ‘caller’who completes the Bingo pattern. A number is called and marked off by the players. The one with all the numbers marked off is the winner but there can be more than one winner. Jackpots can be won from both free and live Bingo games.