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    Home » Printables » Picture bingo

    Free Printable Back to School Bingo (easy icebreaker activity)

    Published: Jun 22, 2020 · Modified: Mar 6, 2025

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    Get ready for low-prep fun with this back to school bingo! Back to school bingo is a great icebreaker game for the first day of school. Even your kindergarteners and young students can play this game of picture bingo.

    Playing bingo is a great way to break the ice and get new students excited to be back in the classroom. You can also play back to school bingo at home to prepare your kids for back to school or as a fun way to start the homeschool year.

    In this post you can pick the set of bingo cards you need for your group. Get up to 14 bingo cards for free or snag a larger classroom set for just a few dollars.

    Picture bingo is great for children (and adults) of all ages. Because it uses pictures, children don’t have to know their numbers or how to read in order to play. They will need to pay careful attention to detail, though, so it's a great way to encourage your children or students to hone their attention-paying skills!

    two free printable back to school themed bingo boards on a wood background. The cards each have 24 back to school cartoon images like chalkboards, books, and school supplies

    How to play back to school bingo

    This post may include affiliate links which means I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.

    You don't need much to play picture bingo - just your printables and something to use as tokens (You'll also need scissors to cut the call cards apart). Any small manipulative can work for marking the cards. Children can also cross off images with a crayon or pencil, but then the cards will only be good for one round of play.

    To make your cards reusable, print them on sturdy paper and laminate them. When you laminate the cards, you can use the same set year after year without blasting through your copy budget!

    I always print my printables on presentation paper, a type of heavyweight paper with a special coating for vibrant images, and laminate them. If I'm going to use my colored ink, I want printables to look their best and last for a long time!

    The difference is easier to see in real life, but the mermaid bingo card on the left was printed on presentation paper. The one on the right was printed on regular paper. I used the same printer and settings for both. The presentation paper produces much brighter, cleaner images.

    difference between print on presentation paper and cardstock
    Epson S041062 Matte Presentation Paper, 27 lbs., Matte, 8-½ x 11 (Pack of...
    Neenah Index Cardstock, 8.5" x 11", 90 lb/163 gsm, White, Lightweight, 94...
    Pack of 10, Multicolored Dry Erase Pockets, 10” x 14”, School Supplies...
    Epson S041062 Matte Presentation Paper, 27 lbs., Matte, 8-½ x 11 (Pack of...
    Neenah Index Cardstock, 8.5" x 11", 90 lb/163 gsm, White, Lightweight, 94...
    Pack of 10, Multicolored Dry Erase Pockets, 10” x 14”, School Supplies...
    Amazon Prime
    Amazon Prime
    Amazon Prime
    Epson S041062 Matte Presentation Paper, 27 lbs., Matte, 8-½ x 11 (Pack of...
    Epson S041062 Matte Presentation Paper, 27 lbs., Matte, 8-½ x 11 (Pack of...
    Amazon Prime
    Neenah Index Cardstock, 8.5" x 11", 90 lb/163 gsm, White, Lightweight, 94...
    Neenah Index Cardstock, 8.5" x 11", 90 lb/163 gsm, White, Lightweight, 94...
    Amazon Prime
    Pack of 10, Multicolored Dry Erase Pockets, 10” x 14”, School Supplies...
    Pack of 10, Multicolored Dry Erase Pockets, 10” x 14”, School Supplies...
    Amazon Prime

    Have your children or students mark off called images on their laminated cards with a manipulative. Counting bears, mathlink cubes, and pompoms all work fantastically.

    Timoo Colored Counting Bears, 60 PCS Color Sorting Bears (Green & Purple &...
    Learning Resources MathLink Cubes - Set of 100 Cubes, Ages 5+ Kindergarten,...
    Acerich 2000 Pcs 1cm Assorted Pompoms Multicolor Arts and Crafts Fuzzy Pom...
    Timoo Colored Counting Bears, 60 PCS Color Sorting Bears (Green & Purple &...
    Learning Resources MathLink Cubes - Set of 100 Cubes, Ages 5+ Kindergarten,...
    Acerich 2000 Pcs 1cm Assorted Pompoms Multicolor Arts and Crafts Fuzzy Pom...
    Amazon Prime
    Amazon Prime
    Amazon Prime
    Timoo Colored Counting Bears, 60 PCS Color Sorting Bears (Green & Purple &...
    Timoo Colored Counting Bears, 60 PCS Color Sorting Bears (Green & Purple &...
    Amazon Prime
    Learning Resources MathLink Cubes - Set of 100 Cubes, Ages 5+ Kindergarten,...
    Learning Resources MathLink Cubes - Set of 100 Cubes, Ages 5+ Kindergarten,...
    Amazon Prime
    Acerich 2000 Pcs 1cm Assorted Pompoms Multicolor Arts and Crafts Fuzzy Pom...
    Acerich 2000 Pcs 1cm Assorted Pompoms Multicolor Arts and Crafts Fuzzy Pom...
    Amazon Prime

    How to play back to school picture bingo:

    • Print your bingo cards and call cards. It’s important to print the call card at the back because every image is not on every card. There are a total of 31 different back to school images, but each card has 24 images.
      • Download links for your bingo cards are located lower on the page.
    • Cut the call cards into tiles and place them into a bowl or face down on the table. Again, please make sure to print the call cards instead of cutting up an extra playing card.
    • Draw cards one at a time, announce the picture, and show the card around. Players mark off the image if there’s an exact match on their card.
      • Some images are similar (for example a chalkboard with number and a blank chalkboard), so make sure players have an exact match. This encourages attention to detail and visual discrimination skills.
    • The first player to make five matches in a straight line or on the diagonal calls “Bingo!” to win. You can also play variants like making an X, needing all four corners, or making a specific shape (like a U or a square).
    • Don’t be surprised if your children or students want to trade cards and play again!

    Related: Free printable back to school word search

    two free printable back to school themed bingo boards on a wood background. The cards each have 24 back to school cartoon images like chalkboards, books, and school supplies

    Printable back to school bingo game

    Like all Artisan Life printables, these bingo cards are available for personal and classroom use. This includes use with Scouting groups, homeschool co-ops, and therapy clients. As long as you are personally organizing the activity and not charging specifically to play, you're good to go.

    You are not licensed to redistribute the digital or physical files to other adults for their personal use. Instead, please refer your friends and coworkers to this page so they can download their own copies.

    There are four sets of printable bingo cards to pick from:

    • Back to school bingo for a large group with 50 cards
    • Classroom set of 25 back to school bingo boards
    • 10 free school themed bingo boards
    • 4 free printable back to school bingo cards

    The sets of 10 and 4 are free, so keep scrolling to grab your free printables if you’re only looking for a few bingo boards! (The paid sets are very affordable - as a former classroom teacher I know how hard finding high quality, affordable resources can be!)

    Back to school bingo for a group

    I created this large set of bingo cards because readers asked for even more bingo card printables. It is perfect for any time you need a lot of bingo cards. This set contains 50 unique bingo cards and can be combined with other sets of an even larger group.

    You can grab all 50 cards in one handy file for one special back to school price.

    Classroom set of back to school bingo cards

    Up next is what I call the "classroom set" of bingo boards. This set has 25 unique cards and is perfect for most classrooms. (If you only need a couple more for your students, make sure to grab one of the free sets below! The sets are unique and can be combined.)

    The set of 25 bingo cards is available for one very low price. This is a special back to school discount so grab your copy now!

    Free printable back to school bingo - set of 10

    This set of 10 free printable bingo cards is a reader favorite! It's perfect for families, small groups, or adding a few extra cards onto your larger set.

    The set of 10 cards is free - just fill out the form below to let me know where to email them!

    10 free printable back to school bingo cards. Each card is unique and features 24 cartoon back to school images like books, school supplies, and chalkboards.

    Set of four free printable bingo cards

    Last but not least, there's the set of free four printable back to school bingo cards. These are absolutely and completely free, no strings attached. Use the download link below the preview image to get them from Dropbox (The link is highlighted in grey to make it easier to find.)

    four free printable back to school bingo boards arranged in a grid. The bingo cards feature back to school images like paperclips, chalkboards, and backpacks.

    4 free printable back to school bingo cards

    I hope you enjoy and make sure to Pin these bingo cards so you can find them again later!

    Text "free printable back to school bingo - fun & easy icebreaker activity" with two printable back to school bingo cards on a wood background. The cards feature cartoon back to school images like chalkboards and school supplies.

    Back to School Printables

    Get ready for back to school with these free printables from The Artisan Life!

    Back to School Word Search

    This back to school word search comes with three different options so you can pick from colorful or ink-saving designs. Answer key included!

    Free Printable First Day School Signs (for the perfect back to school picture)

    Get ready for the all-important first day of school photos with these free printable first day of school signs!

    3 Free All About Me Printables (icebreaker activity for back to school)

    Filling out these all about me printables is a great ice breaker activity and a fun way to get to know your students at the beginning of the school year.

    Free Printable Bathroom Passes

    Do you need bathroom passes or hall passes? Grab these free printable bathroom passes today!

    text "free printable back to school bingo - low prep fun for kids at home" on a yellow background with a preview of six printable bingo boards featuring cartoon back to school images

    More Picture bingo

    • A set of three printable Mother's Day bingo cards featuring various hand-drawn images, designed for celebrating moms with bingo games for kids and adults, available as free printables.
      Free Printable Mother's Day Bingo Cards
    • The image features three colorful printable bingo cards themed for St. Patrick's Day, showcasing various relevant illustrations and labeled as "Free Printable St Patrick's Day Bingo cards."
      Free Printable St Patrick's Day Bingo (20 cards)
    • text "free printable Valentine's bingo" with a picture of three Valentine's bingo cards
      Free Printable Valentine's Day Bingo - 20 Cards
    • text "free printable winter bingo" with a prefer of three winter picture bingo cards
      Free Printable Winter Bingo - 20 cards
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. marieken

      June 23, 2020 at 6:46 am

      This bingo looks like lots of fun! I've also seen a museum bingo for kids, for art museums, such a fun way to learn. Hope all is well in your corner of the world!

      Reply
      • Natasha

        June 29, 2020 at 8:58 am

        Hi Marieken! It's so nice to "see" you! I love the idea to make museum bingo or maybe even a botanical garden bingo. That would be fun for kids who love plants!

        Reply

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