For some kids, math is fun, while for others, it’s a subject kids would rather avoid if they could. With the increasing focus on STEM careers (Science Technology, Engineering, and Math), parents want their kids to be proficient in math, without necessarily needing to reach for a calculator.
By making Math fun and by turning it into a game, nearly every math topic can be turned into something that’s enjoyable for your child. A number of studies have shown that parents and teachers have found that when kids are having fun, they are much more likely to have less anxiety and are able to learn math more easily.
Many parents in general seek quality educational foundations for their children, highlighting the demand for a top-tier kindergarten in Hillsboro that integrates innovative math programs.
Math Bingo
Bingo offers the perfect way for your child to learn math painlessly. Whether they are playing bingo with physical bingo cards or playing bingo games online, this game can be easily adapted to the grade appropriate grade level.
There are a number of sites where kids can play bingo while learning math.
- Matho – Varsity Tutors has assembled a number of math topics into bingo games to play online. Children can choose the subject and the level of difficulty and have fun while learning math. The games may also be downloaded as an app for iPhone and Android devices.
- ABCYa Math Bingo – Choose from grade levels Kindergarten through fifth grade and play bingo to learn addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
- Online Math Learning – Children from first through eighth grade can either play online, or print bingo cards to play offline instead.
In the beginning, a child may use bingo games to learn to recognize numbers by sight. Later, bingo can be used to teach math subjects including addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, or fractions. As math subjects become more complex in later grades, junior high and high school, bingo can also be used as a fun way to teach algebra or geometry as well.
Bingo in the Classroom
Teachers and parents who homeschool can also utilize these and a number of other sites which offer bingo game cards that can be printed out and used in the classroom. These bingo games are often used for small classes for up to 20 students.
The parent or teacher simply makes up the desired number of bingo cards with the numerical values which correspond to correct answers to a set of math problems. After calculating the correct answer, students see whether the correct number is on their card and can mark it off if it is there. The game continues until a student or team of students gets a line of correctly solved problems in a row which goes either up and down, diagonally or horizontally.
Classroom Preparation
- Have a bingo card available for each individual or group of students playing as a team. This task will need to be completed before class time so that everyone can stay focused on the game. Make sure that the cards are random and that the correct answers aren’t necessarily found on every card. This helps to ensure that each student has a chance to win. Pennies, beans or other small objects can be used as bingo tokens to mark off the cards for problems that have been solved.
- A teacher or a student may serve as the bingo caller. This person will need to have a copy of the problems to be solved and the answer key.
- Students continue to play bingo until players reach five correct answers on their card in a line that either goes vertically, horizontally or diagonally.
- Students can play until one or more winners are determined.
Bingo is an incredibly versatile game which started out as a teaching game almost 200 years ago. It’s only natural that it continues to be one of the best ways to teach your child math by turning into something that’s fun for them, too!