Play and Learn
Bingo
(the educational version)
To play Bingo, you will need a set of Bingo cards (enough for one child each) and some counters/buttons (approx. 9 each). Although the initial creation of all of the cards may be time-consuming, once they have been made, they can be used again and again.
The Bingo cards can be made by yourself or the children using pieces of A4 card. Each A4 sheet should be divided into four rectangles, with 9 numbers in each rectangle (ranging from 1 to 50), as in the picture. The cards should then be cut out and it might be a good idea to laminate them so that they will last for even longer.
Once you have the cards and the counters, the class can play. The difference between this Bingo game and normal Bingo is that in this game, the teacher calls out the numbers in the form of sums.
So instead of saying “two little ducks” (i.e. 22), you could say “What is 11 ґ 2?” The children can then work out the sum, and cover the number 22 if they have it on their card. When a child has all of the numbers on their card covered, they shout BINGO! and win the game.
This activity can be differentiated by having different sets of cards. One set of cards with numbers ranging from one to ten could be used for very young children, while children at the top end of Key Stage 2 could have cards with numbers going up into the thousands and beyond.
Object of the Day
This activity gets children thinking about everyday objects. These can be objects found in the classroom, strange and unusual objects you have collected, or objects which the children bring in from home.
1. Choose an object.
2. During a spare moment during the day, take some time to discuss and look closely at the object. Pass it around the classroom and get the children to examine it closely.
3. Talk about the following things in relation to the object:
1) What materials the object is made from.
2) Why those materials have been used to make the object (links with Materials and their Properties - Science)
3) How the materials were combined/changed to make the object.
4) How the object works.
5) How well the object has been designed.
6) Would the children modify the object in any way to make it more effective in doing its job?
Depending on the object, and with the owner’s permission, the children could take apart the object, in order to look more closely at it. The children could also be set some extra work based on this activity, i.e. designing an object which does the same job.
I Like To . . .
Children like to play games, although they don’t like games which they know they are learning from. This is a good memory game, which also improves self-esteem.
First you tell the children to sit in a circle and hold hands. You, the teacher, start the game. First, you explain what they need to do . . . pick something they love to do. It could be singing, dancing, playing with toys, etc.
You tell them what you like to do, for example: I like to cook.
After you have said this, you squeeze the hand of one of the children sitting next to you. This means that this child has to say what you like to do, then what he likes to do.
For example: Mr/Mrs . . . likes to cook, I like to dance.
After that, he squeezes the hand of the child next to them. This child says what the teacher, the previos child, and he likes to do.
For example: Mr/Mrs . . . likes to cook, Sarah likes to dance, I like to play computer games.
You do this until you have gone around the whole class, or until someone forgets part of the sequence. If someone does make a mistake, that child could be “out”, or you could just start again, from a different part of the circle.
This fun game shows that it is OK to like what you do. It also recognizes that there are other people in the world and they can like what they like.