How to play sight words bingo
- Print one card per player. Every card in the set is different.
- Call the words in random order, such as “big” or “go”. The caller screen on this page shows each word in big letters and remembers what was called; the PDF also has a caller’s list to cut up.
- Players cover each word on their card. The center square is free.
- Five in a row across, down or diagonally wins. Check the card against the called words.
About these cards
Sight word bingo with the 40 Dolch pre-primer words, the first words most kindergarten and first-grade readers learn. Call a word, students find and cover it, and everyone gets reading practice without noticing.
The PDF has 30 different cards, two per page, plus a caller’s list; the large print PDF has one big card per page. Cards are free for home, classroom and group use.
Ideas for your sight words bingo game
Sight word bingo is one of the easiest ways to practice high-frequency words with a whole kindergarten or first-grade class. As you call each word, show it on the board too, so early readers can match the shape of the word before they can read it on their own.
Small groups can take turns being the caller, which is great reading practice in itself. For a quick literacy center, laminate a few cards and use dry-erase markers or counters so they can be reused all year.
All 40 words on these cards
- a
- and
- away
- big
- blue
- can
- come
- down
- find
- for
- funny
- go
- help
- here
- I
- in
- is
- it
- jump
- little
- look
- make
- me
- my
- not
- one
- play
- red
- run
- said
- see
- the
- three
- to
- two
- up
- we
- where
- yellow
- you
Questions
Which words are included?
All 40 Dolch pre-primer words, the first sight words most kindergarten and first-grade readers learn, such as “the”, “and”, “said” and “where”.
Can I use my own word list?
Yes. Press “Edit the words” and type your class’s list. A 5 × 5 card needs at least 24 words; for shorter lists choose a 4 × 4 or 3 × 3 card.
Are all the cards different?
Yes. Each card uses a different mix of words in a different order, so no two cards match.