Christmas Addition and Subtraction Bingo

This is Day 8 of the 12 Days of Christmas Math Games and Activities for Homeschoolers! You can check out the other posts in the series to find easy, hands-on math lesson ideas for your homeschool this month! Today I’m excited to be sharing a fun way to practice addition and subtraction facts- by playing Christmas Addition and Subtraction Bingo! This post also includes a free download so you can use Christmas Addition and Subtraction Bingo in your homeschool!

This activity was designed for kids in 1st grade, who are learning their basic addition and subtraction facts. It can be adapted for kids from preschool through 4th grade using the suggestions included in this plan!

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What You Need:

• This Christmas math fact bingo free printable (get it below!)

• A deck of playing cards (to practice 1-10 facts) or 2 dice (to practice 1-6 facts)
• Counters, buttons, or other small objects to use as bingo markers

Optional Items to Make it More Fun:

• Fun CHRISTMAS THEMED COUNTERS: I found a cute set of Christmas-themed erasers at the Dollar Store that my kids love as counters. We also love to use food as counters- cheerios and M+Ms work especially well.
• JINGLE BELLS: Our favorite Christmas themed counter is actually a set of small jingle bells! My kids love playing with these and somehow any math activity is more fun when we can use jingle bells as counters.
• A MAGNET WAND: Because most jingle bells are magnetic, a MAGNET WAND is a fun addition to this game, and will allow your kids to practice fine motor as well.
• Alternatively, red and green POM POMS and kid-sized TWEEZERS add a fun fine motor component to the lesson. You can also use a SPOON to practice scooping.

Prepare:

• Gather your supplies.
• Remove the tens and face cards from the deck of cards and shuffle the deck.

How to Play Christmas Addition and Subtraction Bingo

This activity will give your child a chance to practice basic addition facts in a fun way. Kids will start by turning over the top 2 cards in the deck. Then, they should add the 2 numbers together and place a bingo marker on that number on their bingo card. If there is more than one of that number on the card, they can choose which number to cover. You can try to make a bingo across or down, or for a longer game, try to fill the whole bingo card. If more than 1 child is playing, kids can take turns flipping over 2 cards and adding them together.

For a shorter game, you can allow everyone who is playing to cover every number that’s added by anyone. For a longer game, players can take turns turning over 2 cards and adding them together, but only mark the numbers on their bingo card when they are the one whose turn it was to turn cards over and add. To play this game for practicing subtraction facts, turn over 2 cards. Subtract the smaller number (the subtrahend) from the bigger number (the minuend). Mark the answer (the difference) on your bingo card.

Adapt Christmas Addition and Subtraction Bingo For Your Kids

For Younger Kids:

Use smaller numbers:

Instead of using a deck of cards to practice addition facts from 1-9, consider using dice to practice facts from 1-6. Roll 2 dice and add the numbers together. Fill in a blank bingo card (available in the full 12 Days of Christmas Math printable) with numbers from 1-12 for the answers to these problems.

Instead of practicing addition facts, practice number recognition:

Fill in a blank bingo card with numbers from 1-9. Remove the tens and face cards from the deck of cards and shuffle. To play, flip over one card and read the number on the card. Find that number on your bingo card and mark it.

For Older Kids:

Practice multiplication instead of addition:

Fill in a blank bingo card with numbers from 1-81. Turn over 2 cards and multiply the numbers. Find the answer (the product) on your bingo board and mark it. (Note: siblings can play this game together, even if they are not practicing the same facts! Kids can take turns drawing 2 cards, adding or multiplying, and marking the answer on their card only.)

Add an extra challenge:

Use tweezers or a spoon to place markers on the bingo card to add a fine motor practice to this activity.

Extensions: Probability

For older kids, create a recording sheet and list out all the problems and answers that you create. Then create a tally chart with the answers. Which answers were the most common?

What Your Kids Will Learn by Playing Christmas Addition and Subtraction Bingo

This activity is great because it gives kids the opportunity to practice their math facts in a fun way. Once kids understand an operation like addition, and they know that addition means combining things together, it is important that they start working on memorizing their addition facts. 1st grade is the perfect time to do this- although it is ok for older kids to review their facts too! Knowledge of addition facts is an important skill for kids to have because they will need to know their facts in order to be successful with more complicated math problems in later grades. This is an important area to focus on as you teach math to your child!

Get the Christmas Addition and Subtraction Bingo Free Printable!

Fill out the form below to get your copy of the Christmas Addition and Subtraction Bingo free printable. I’ll also send the other lessons in the Christmas Math games and activities series straight to your inbox. All your math plans for the month are done!

Get all the 12 Days of Christmas Math Games and Activities Lessons!

This huge 200+ page PDF is stuffed with hands-on activities and printables to complete 12 fun Christmas themed math lessons! Each day includes complete directions and printables, plus bonus tips, extension activities, and worksheets to reinforce the concepts your kids are learning. This huge bundle includes all the activities and printables you will need to complete the 12 Days of Christmas math games and activities, plus bonus worksheets and extension activities that won’t be included in the free downloads! Harness that Christmas excitement to make homeschooling fun this season with this easy-to-use resource!

These lessons were designed for kids in preschool through 1st grade. Each lesson includes adaptations to customize it for your child’s unique needs- or so that siblings can do the activities together!

Learn more about this amazing resource here!

Christmas STEM Bundle- Save 30%

Are you looking for hands-on science experiments for your homeschool too? I’ve combined my Christmas math and science resources into a huge STEM bundle! And when you purchase both resources together you can save 30%! Learn more here.

Check out the other posts in the 12 Days of Christmas Math Games and Activities series here to find more fun activity ideas for your homeschool!