The best way to teach specific skills in an early childhood education classroom is in a small group or one-on-one setting. The reason basically comes down to the fact that you will have a very wide range of abilities in any group of preschoolers. This is why differentiation is key. This initial sound bingo game has two versions, and even with two versions, this may not be right for your PreK class, but that’s OK. Teach the child in front of you. I have created this game for my students, so you may want to download it or use it as inspiration to make your own! Sometimes, phonemes can sound different in different regions depending on your accent and inflection. The 25 images I have used all reflect the most common phoneme for each letter with my regional accent ( minus i and x because the board only has 24 spaces). Adjust as needed for your class’ needs.
How to use bingo and games to learn letter sounds
Games are a powerful tool for learning. It is so powerful that I often teach teachers about it in my popular Make It A Game workshop. I won’t go too deep into how games boost literacy and math skills or why games are so powerful. Still, I’ll share this quote from 2023 research by Jaime Balladares, Martín Miranda & Karen Cordova that points to why we should all be using games in our preschool classes: “…games could provoke intrinsic motivation for playing while at the same time permitting the opportunity for structured guidance that enhances learning.” From my experience, games like this initial sound bingo game allow children to play, and making mistakes seems more tolerated in play than when they feel like they must perform. “You’ll get it next time.” is easier to accept when they get a next time in just a few turns.
Cut out and laminate (optional). I will be laminating these in my classroom, but I haven’t yet because they create a reflection when I take photos.
Before you play, choose markers for the game and ensure each child has enough. I like to use mini erasers because they stay put on the sheets once they are laminated. Today, however, I was not in my classroom, so I used Valentine’s candy instead. I don’t suggest anyone do this in their class!
I plan on using this bingo game focused more on matching sounds ( phonemes) than matching the letter ( grapheme) to the image. It’s a subtle difference in how to play but a big difference in skill. To play, the teacher draws a letter from the stack ( Aa for example) and makes the sound, saying, ” Can you find the picture that makes this sound? /a/.
Once my students are ready to move towards more phonics, as I pull the letter I will show them the letter and say “Aa makes the /a/ sound. Find the picture that starts with /a/.”
If you want to focus on phonics only, do not make the sound and simply show the children the letter, have them make the sound, and find the image. Most PreK students won’t make it to the third stage, but if you teach Kindergarten, you may want to use it this way.
The children find the image that begins with that phoneme and place their markers down.
That’s IT!
Notes about the download – DOWNLOAD HERE FOR FREE
The beginner version has images and letters next to each image, so students can use the visual match and initial sound as tools to find the match. The image-only version has four different game boards with images in different spots. You can print all four and have students use different ones for a true bingo game or use all the same one for some peer scaffolding! You do what’s best for your students.
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