Homemade Letter Bingo

What You Do:

1. Keep it Fun: Don’t forget, parents, this is a game. You want to challenge your child, and help him learn his letters and numbers, but not bring him to the point of frustration. If your child does not know the letter or number that you’ve called, show him the card. That way your child can find the matching letter on his bingo card.
2. Make It Sturdy: This bingo game will take a beating. If you use the templates, consider printing them out on card stock, or other thick paper. You can also make your bingo cards "by hand": use a ruler and black marker to make the boxes and print the letters or numbers inside the boxes.
3. Templates not quite to your liking? No problem. Your computer’s word processing program is an instant-bingo-maker. Simply insert a table with as many rows and columns as you like. Add the letters or numbers in the boxes, choosing a font that looks most like the letters your child is accustomed to seeing (I used the Comic Sans font). Print the bingo cards onto heavier paper and you're ready to begin!
4. Tailor Things: Since you’re creating your bingo cards from scratch, you can control the level of fun and challenge. Use the amount of letters and numbers that are appropriate for your child. You may want to start with as few as four letters or as many as ten. Gradually increase the amount of letters and numbers as your child learns more.
5. Make It a Family Night: Bingo can be played with just two players but it’s really a lot more fun if you can get the whole family (or a bunch of friends) involved. One person (the caller) calls out the letters and numbers. Players look for what’s called and place a marker (punched out circles or pennies work just fine) on the letter or number if it’s on their card. Whether you play until the whole board is covered, until someone gets all four corners, or until the first person has a complete row, is up to you. Don't forget to yell “Bingo!”