Shape Bingo

If your preschooler has mastered her shapes and colors, help her apply this new awareness to the world around her with this Bingo game. Who will be the first to check off a winning row or column while honing their powers of observation?

What You Need:

• Paper
• Markers or crayons

What You Do:

1. Review the area where the children will be playing this game. Look for shapes – squares, rectangles, circles, ovals, triangles – and note the colors.
2. Draw four horizontal lines and four vertical lines on four pieces of paper to make your Bingo cards. Write FREE in the center square. Add your shapes to the blank squares. Does the swing set form a blue triangle? The basketball an orange circle? Color a circle orange. Do this in different places on each card.
3. Explain to your children that they will be playing Bingo using both their colors and their shapes. Have them point out something that is red, green, blue etc. Now ask them to find various shapes – circles, triangles squares.
4. Point out the playing area. Are they finding things in the backyard? In the first floor of the house? When they find something that matches the color and shape on the card, they get to check that box off. They have to get five in a row – across, down or corner-to-corner to win.
5. Give each player a Bingo card. Call out things you see, for instance: “basketball!” What is the shape? The color? Make sure the children can each find and check off the correct square. Continue until someone has five in a row.

Hint: You can also use the Bingo cards for a shape and color scavenger hunt.