St. Patrick's Day bingo

St. Patrick's Day bingo tips

• Teach the hard words before the first call. Harp, emerald, Celtic knot and bagpipes are new vocabulary for many five-year-olds, so hold up a card and name a few pictures together. Children who know the names call out matches with confidence instead of waiting to copy a neighbor.
• Use the shamrock and the four-leaf clover as a quick lesson, since they look alike. A shamrock has three leaves and is the traditional symbol of the day; a four-leaf clover is the rare lucky find. Asking kids to count leaves before marking keeps the two squares from getting mixed up.
• Give each call a riddle first: 'It's at the end of the rainbow' for the pot of gold, or 'You build this to catch a leprechaun' for the leprechaun trap. Riddles turn waiting into a listening game, and older kids like guessing the answer before you name the picture.
• If your class builds leprechaun traps that week, play bingo on the morning of March 17 (or the closest school day) and save the leprechaun trap for the last call. Checking the traps right after the game gives the round a built-in finale, and the excitement carries the class through the wait.
• For prizes, chocolate coins in gold foil match the gold coins square, but check your school's food rules first; green pencils or shamrock stickers work too. Award one prize for the first line and another for the first full card, then keep playing so more kids can finish a line.

Best for

Ages

5 to 9 years old, kindergarten to 3rd grade

Group size

12 to 30 students, with one caller and a helper for younger tables

Duration

20 to 30 minutes, including a vocabulary warm-up and prizes