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Reading bingo
By Arthur, founder of BingoCard Lab · Updated
Reading bingo is usually a reading challenge. Each square holds a prompt, like a book set in another country, and you mark it when you finish a book that fits. A full line or a full card by your end date wins. Some teachers also use the name for a called game on sight words or vocabulary.
Describe your party
Illustrations generated with AI
Reading bingo usually means a reading challenge card. Each square is something to read, like a graphic novel or a book picked by a friend, and readers work through the card at their own pace. Some teachers use the same name for a called classroom game, played in one sitting; see the last section. Below: how to size the card, how to run it for a group, and 84 ideas you can copy as text.
How many squares for your challenge
Match the grid to the time your readers have. Each square is one book, and a free space fills itself. Here is what a full card takes:
| Grid | Books for a full card | Suggested span | Pace |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3×3 + free space | 8 | A month for young readers with short books, or a whole summer for busy adults | About 2 a week, or 2 to 3 a month |
| 4×4 | 16 | One school term | About 1 a week |
| 5×5 + free space | 24 | A full year | About 2 a month |
A single line needs far fewer books: 3 on a 3×3, 4 on a 4×4, 5 on a 5×5, one less through the free center on 3×3 and 5×5. Pacific University's libraries run their winter reading bingo on 9 squares: 3 in a row for a bingo, all 9 for a blackout.
Here is a 3×3 card for a busy adult, built from the ideas on this page:
| A translated book | A debut novel | A book set where you live |
|---|---|---|
| Read on a bus or train | Free space | Picked by a friend |
| A book of poems | A book over 400 pages | Recommended by a librarian |
Settle one rule before you start: can one book fill two squares? Say yes for younger readers. Say no for more variety.
Running a challenge for a class, library or office
Give each reader a different card, all drawn from the same prompt list. If your list is too short for the count you want, the generator says how many cards it can make.
Set an end date, and check the cards together that day. Ask readers to write each title in or next to its square. The card then doubles as a reading log.
Pick a prize readers want. With Scholastic's free book bingo card, the prize for a bingo is picking a book.
For an office or a book group, use words-only cards and the adult stretch prompts.
Edit the prompts, then print
Start your reading challenge list with one sentence about your readers. "Write my list" drafts 30 prompts. Rename, delete or add your own. "Suggest 6 more items" adds more, up to 60.
Words-only cards are free and unlimited. Your first illustrated set is free to preview in full. Its illustrated PDF takes an Event pass ($4.99 once, per set) or Pro (see pricing).
Reading bingo as a called classroom game
Here a teacher reads a clue aloud, and students mark the matching word on their card. The first full line wins. Rounds for sight words, phonics and vocabulary work this way. For a library lesson, use the parts of a book. Read "the person who draws the pictures," and students mark Illustrator. The 10 terms in the ideas are a start, not a full deck. Add terms until the generator can make a card for every student.
Ideas for your item list
Kids' challenge prompts
- Read to a pet
- Read with a flashlight
- Read to a grown-up
- Read in a blanket fort
- A picture book
- A chapter book
- A book of jokes
- A book about a sport
- A book about the ocean
- A book about space
- A book about bugs
- A book with a map inside
- Reread a favorite book
Cover and title
- A book with a blue cover
- An animal on the cover
- A one-word title
- A number in the title
- A color in the title
- A lighthouse on the cover
- A key on the cover
- A bike on the cover
- A boat on the cover
- A house on the cover
Genre and format
- A mystery
- A book of poems
- A graphic novel
- An audiobook
- A nonfiction book
- Historical fiction
- A fairy tale retold
- A biography
- A science fiction book
- A fantasy story
- A cookbook
- A book of short stories
- A genre you never read
Where and how you read
- Read in the bath
- Read on a bus or train
- Read on a porch
- Read in a waiting room
- Read on a rainy day
- Read before breakfast
- Read with a hot drink
- Read under a tree
- Read for 30 minutes straight
- Read at the beach
Adult stretch prompts
- A book over 400 pages
- A debut novel
- A translated book
- A book set in another country
- A prize-winning book
- A banned or challenged book
- A book that became a movie
- A book set on a farm
- The first book in a series
- A book you never finished
- A classic you skipped in school
- A book set where you live
Picked by someone else
- Recommended by a librarian
- Picked by a friend
- Found at a used bookstore
- A book a parent loved as a kid
- A book a kid recommends
- Chosen by the cover alone
- A coworker's favorite book
- Picked at random from a shelf
Library and community
- Go to story time
- Meet an author
- Write a book review
- Draw a scene from your book
- Make a bookmark
- Visit a new library branch
- Give a book as a gift
- Swap a book with a classmate
Classroom game: parts of a book
- Author
- Illustrator
- Cover
- Spine
- Title page
- Table of contents
- Chapter
- Glossary
- Main character
- Setting
Plan your game
- How many cards?
- One card per reader, plus a few spares. A deck holds 1 to 100 cards. For a solo challenge, print a single card.
- Which grid?
- Pick the grid by challenge length first. By age alone, we suggest 3×3 for ages 5 to 7, 4×4 for ages 8 to 12, and 5×5 for teens and adults. A free space is optional and sits in the center on 3×3 and 5×5.
- Letter or A4?
- Letter or A4. Print 1 card per page for the most writing room. The last page is a call sheet, needed only for the called game.
- How long does a game last?
- A challenge has no calls: it runs until the end date you set. For the called classroom game, 30 students on 5×5 reach a first bingo in a median of 12 calls (our simulation, 40-item list).
Frequently asked questions
What are some good bingo games for reading?
A reading challenge card builds a habit over weeks, with prompts like a mystery or a book of poems. A library visit card suits a class trip, with squares like go to story time or meet an author. Parts-of-a-book bingo reviews terms like Glossary and Spine. Sight word and phonics bingo help early readers practice the words they're learning.
What is reading bingo used for?
It gets people reading more widely. A card nudges readers out of a rut, toward a genre they never read or a book recommended by a librarian. Families use it over a school break, and libraries run it as a seasonal program, like the Longmont Public Library's Winter Reading BINGO. Some teachers send it home to keep independent reading going. Adults use it to set a reading goal for the year.
How do you play reading bingo?
Keep the card handy when you choose your next book, and aim for a square you haven't crossed off yet. A full row, column or diagonal is a bingo. Some groups keep going for a blackout, a full card. A free space counts as marked from day one. You can play alone, with a friend or as a whole class, each reader with their own card.
What are the categories for a reading bingo card?
Most cards mix a few kinds of prompts. Cover and title prompts are quick, like a one-word title or an animal on the cover. Genre and format prompts stretch tastes: a graphic novel, an audiobook, a biography. Place prompts get readers moving, like read at the beach. Social prompts bring in other people, such as a book picked by a friend.
Is there reading bingo for adults?
Yes. Adult cards lean on stretch prompts: a book over 400 pages, a debut novel, a translated book or a classic you skipped in school. Mix in a few easy squares, like read on a bus or train, so the first mark comes early. A prize-winning book or a banned or challenged book gives a book group plenty to talk about.