The classic game BINGO is a classic for a reason. From kids’ birthday parties to Tuesday nights at the senior center, the game appeals to all ages, in all seasons. I simply had to incorporate it into our Music Challenge Monthly series — a Back-To-School version for September — where I try to offer fun ways to teach supplemental piano theory to your students.
Using my family as guinea pigs, we played Back-To-School BINGO the other night around the table after dinner. It was so fun to hear the conversation among my family members as they debated which symbols should be marked. It was a great opportunity to help my own students remember which symbols were which. And when someone yelled BINGO, I offered some of the treats we were using to mark the game boards as the prize. We just had to keep replenishing the supply of treats.
No need to buy the special markers that Grandma Dorothy uses; let your student have fun collecting a pile of pennies, Cheerios, or candies like MnM’s to mark their own game boards. In the download, I’ve included four different game boards, so several people can play. But it works just as well for one student and an enthusiastic “caller” — yep, that means you.
Choose a hat or a medium-sized bowl into which you can place the 24 small cards after you cut them apart. You can play BINGO one of two ways, depending on the skill level of your student. For beginners, you may want to allow your student to visually match the card drawn with their game board. But for more experienced piano learners, simply read the description of the symbol without letting the student see the symbol itself, and see if they can choose the correct match. After your student gets 5 in a row (or four corners, or blackout, or whatever winning pattern you choose), have them say the names of the symbols back to you that they covered as a way to check their work.
We at Busy Kids Do Piano never want learning to become boring or feel like work. If your student begins to associate learning piano theory with fun games and sweet treats, then my work here is done! They will most likely remain enthusiastic about learning and playing music for many more years.
If you’re a member of Busy Kids Do Piano, you’ll be able to access this Music Challenge Monthly activity in the “Printables and Worksheets” section of the website.
