About Base 10 Bingo
Have you ever played a bingo game that secretly sneaks in a bit of math practice? Base 10 Bingo does exactly that by swapping out the usual bingo numbers for representations of tens and ones. Instead of calling out plain numbers, the caller might say “four tens and three ones,” or show a little card with a stack of ten-blocks and single cubes. Players mark off the corresponding numeral on their boards, making each turn a quick lesson in place value. It feels like classic bingo—there’s still the thrill of waiting for that last piece to complete a row—but you get a subtle refresher on how numbers are built, too.
The components are straightforward: each player needs a bingo card covered in two-digit numbers, a handful of markers or chips, and the caller’s deck of base-10 prompts. Sometimes you’ll see pictorial cards with little ten-rods and unit cubes; other times it’s just written “tens + ones” clues. The caller mixes the deck, draws one at a time, and announces something like “7 tens and 2 ones.” If you’ve got 72 on your sheet, you plop down a chip. It moves pretty quickly once everyone catches on, so even energetic kids stay engaged.
What I love about Base 10 Bingo is how flexible it is for different age groups. You can simplify it by sticking to numbers between 10 and 50, or ramp it up to include all two-digit numbers. For extra variety, some teachers have students draw the base-10 picture and then translate it into a numeral, reversing the usual flow. That little twist gives kids practice interpreting both ways—seeing the picture of blocks and understanding that it really means a specific number. And because it’s bingo, there’s always that little moment of “Bingo!” excitement when someone fills a row.
Whether it’s a quick warm-up, an end-of-day reward, or a station in math centers, Base 10 Bingo fits right into a lesson plan without feeling like “more work.” The competitive edge keeps students on their toes, but the real win is when they realize they’ve just built stronger number sense without even realizing it. Plus, if you’re playing in small groups or virtual classrooms, you can easily share your grids on the screen or send digital cards, so nobody misses out on the fun.