Movement Bingo: A Line for Everyone
Each team has a giant bingo card on the floor with nine movement pictures; the teacher draws cards from a bag, the whole class does the movement, and the teams that have it run to cover it with a beanbag. Every completed line is celebrated with a dance by the whole class.
How to play
- The teacher places four poster boards on the floor, each with nine pictures in a grid (jump, crawl, spin, freeze, frog, clap, tiptoe, squat, hop on one foot), arranged differently on each board. Each team sits by its board (2 min).
- Beanbags ready next to each board. The teacher draws the first card, shows it, and everyone does that movement (2 min).
- After the movement, one child from each team that has that picture runs to the board and covers it with a beanbag; teams without it clap (4 min).
- When a team gets three in a row, they shout “Bingo line!” and the whole class does the line dance: three jumps, a spin and hands up (4 min).
- Keep going until all four boards are full; when the last one is done, we all shout “Bingo for everyone!” and celebrate sitting down with a big round of applause (2 min).
Rules
- Everyone does the movement, whether it's on our board or not.
- A different child on each team places the beanbag each time.
- A line on any team is a party for the whole class.
Variations
Easier
For 3-year-olds, four-picture boards, the teacher helps find the picture, and we celebrate every beanbag.
Standard
For 4-year-olds, nine-picture boards and celebrating lines.
Harder
For 5-year-olds, the teacher just names the movement without showing the card, and boards include numbers of reps.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: put the board on a table at the child's height so they can place the beanbag from the wheelchair; they do an arm version of each movement.
- Hearing loss: hold the card up high, and the teacher models the movement at the same time.
- Autism: a teammate signals when it's their turn to cover, and the teacher previews the line dance before starting.
Learning goals
- Do a variety of movements from a picture.
- Recognize and match identical pictures.
- Celebrate others' successes as their own.
Equipment for a class of 25
- cartulinas grandes: 4
- tarjetas con dibujos de movimientos: 12
- bolsa de tela: 1
- saquitos: 36
Teacher tip
Make the boards with the same pictures in a different order, so all the teams fill up at about the same pace. Let the child placing the beanbag call out the name of the movement.
PatioLab has "Movement Bingo: A Line for Everyone" and 8714 more activities ready to drag into your lesson and run from your phone in the gym.
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