Orienteering Bingo
Each team has a 4-by-4 bingo card whose squares match controls on the map; the goal is to complete lines by visiting controls, choosing as a team which ones make sense based on distance. Students work on route planning, teamwork, and quick navigation.
How to play
- Set out 16 control markers around the playground, each with a code card, and make a 4-by-4 card where each square is a control; the square order changes on every card.
- Make teams of 4 with one map per student and one card and pencil per team; give them 2 minutes to decide which line to go after first.
- On the signal, students head out alone or in pairs to their chosen controls, write down the code, and return to their team base to cross it off.
- Each complete line, across, down, or diagonal, is worth 5 points and a full card adds 20 bonus points; the team shouts "bingo" and the teacher checks it.
- The game lasts 14 minutes; halfway through, give 1 minute to replan based on what is left.
- In the final 4 minutes, each team explains which way of splitting up the controls worked best.
Rules
- Only the student who brought the code may cross it off.
- A wrong code means going back to that control.
- Safety: walk into the base and stay out of other teams' areas.
Variations
Easier
Use a 3-by-3 card with closer, more visible controls.
Standard
A 4-by-4 card, 5-point lines, and 20 points for a full card.
Harder
Put the center squares' controls in the farthest area and make them count double in any line that uses them.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: the student runs the base and strategy and finds controls in the nearby accessible area.
- Autism or shyness: the student always goes out with the same partner and has a fixed list of controls.
- Fitness level: the team assigns far controls based on each member's fitness.
Learning goals
- Plan as a team which controls to go after based on distance and the goal.
- Navigate quickly to specific controls on the map.
- Work together to split up tasks and reach a shared goal.
Equipment for a class of 25
- maps: 25
- control markers: 16
- code cards: 16
- pencils: 6
Teacher tip
Make at least four different cards so teams do not all head to the same controls. Spread team bases apart so students do not collide on the way back.
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