I can’t wait to do this PreK zoom activity with my class. When I shared this alphabet bingo with a friend looking for ideas for her kindergarten class, she loved it, and so did her students. Preschool hasn’t started for me yet, and I want to know my students and where they are at with letter recognition before I jump to this. What I love about this idea is it’s so easy to differentiate, switch it to other learning targets like shape or number recognition or even sight words for older kiddos. You can also use this idea do for remote learning, in-person preschool for a whole group, or in your literacy center.
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Prek Zoom Activity Prep
Gather your materials – you will need some bingo cards. Feel free to download these for free. You can print them out or have parents print. For beginners, make sure you print in color; you’ll see why in a few minutes.
Start by printing out or having your remote students print out a bingo card at home. Print two out for yourself, keeping one in one piece and cutting the other into individual letter cards to pull out of a bowl. In addition to the cards, each child will need bingo chips or buttons ( don’t use paint or bingo daubers if you want to use these cards more than once).
Ways To Play Alphabet Bingo On Zoom
I made the bingo cards in both upper and lowercase letters. You can use them in multiple ways:
- Use uppercase bingo cards and matching individual uppercase letters. As you call each letter, call out the color and show the card to the camera. The color is a hint for beginners.
- Use lowercase bingo cards and matching individual lowercase letters. As you call each letter, call out the color and show the card.
- Use lowercase bingo cards and individual uppercase letters or vice versa. This is a challenge for children who have mastered basic letter matching.
- For a more significant challenge, print everything out in black and white depending only on the students’ letter recognition to play. This way, there are no colors to act as scaffolds.
- For an even greater challenge, you can play letter sound bingo calling out words that begin with the letters on the cards.
Bingo can be called when all letters of one color are covered. For a longer game, you can do blackout and call bingo only when every letter is covered.
How To Play Alphabet Bingo On Zoom
Before you get started, ask the students to give you a thumbs up if they have their bingo cards and buttons ready. When you have everyone’s thumbs-up, you are ready to play.
Explain the game and how bingo is called.
Start calling out the letters, showing each letter to the camera for children to see as you say the letter name.
Celebrate when everyone gets bingo! “We did it!”
PreK Zoom Activity Tips:
- Make sure you are in a well-lit room. Use a light like this ring light if you need to.
- Take your time. Hold the letters up to the screen for a long time while your students search for the letters on their bingo cards.
- Sandwich this sit down game with active songs or games like Simon Says so your students are moving before and after.
How To Use Alphabet Bingo For Centers & Asynchronous Remote Learning
If you want to use this alphabet bingo in an asynchronous way or in your literacy center as an independent activity, skip the buttons and set it up as a matching game. You will need two copies of the bingo card. Cut one up into letter cards, putting them in a pile at the top of the tray. Have the children match each letter card to the letters on the full sheet.
Of course, you can use all the variations I shared above.
* If you are sending this home for remote learning, have the letter cards pre-cut. I know it’s tedious, but parents are much more likely to use a game ready to go than one they need to prep.
More Remote Preschool Ideas
For more printable materials, lesson plans, and craft ideas, check out my Build Preschool Thematic Units!
Remember to choose activities that won’t overwhelm parents. Some parents are eager and enjoy this role of teaching at home, and others are trying to balance working at home full time and caring for young children. It’s tough, know your audience. My thematic units have been super helpful for me as I plan because they have printable materials that are easy to send home ( don’t worry, these aren’t worksheets). Directions for activities are already written out so I can easily share them with families.
Check out my library of affordable thematic units here.
Neha Suchak says
Perfect and very useful resources for remote learning