Dinosaur Bingo Cards (Free Printable Generator)

The word list

Real species, three eras and a few science words make this list useful as vocabulary. Some flying and swimming reptiles are included, though strictly they are not dinosaurs, so mention that to older students.

How to play dinosaur bingo

Dinosaur names are long and tricky, so this game gives children a reason to practice them. Take it slowly and let the caller say each name syllable by syllable.

1. Give every player a card and a stack of paper bones or small brown counters.
2. The caller reads a name or a clue, for example three horns and a frill, and waits for players to find it.
3. Players say the name together before covering the square.
4. The first player to cover a row or the four corners calls out dig it.
5. Play several rounds and let the winner choose the next caller.

Three prehistoric variations

• Era sorting. Before the game, sort the animals into Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous groups. Call only one era each round.
• Diet bingo. Players cover only herbivores in the first game, then only carnivores in the second.
• Fossil hunt. Bury plastic bones or cardboard cutouts in a sandbox and cover a square for each one that is dug up.

Tips for classroom use

Add a pronunciation guide to the board. Many children get stuck on names like Pachycephalosaurus, so a chart with sound-outs takes the pressure off.

Connect the game to what scientists really know. Some dinosaurs had feathers, and birds are their living relatives. A quick mention keeps the lesson current.

Let strong readers act as callers and quiet children as checkers, so every child has a job.

Printing for dino fans

Print on sand-colored or green paper and cut the cards to a handy size. Cardstock suits fossils-and-sandbox play because it survives dusty hands.

If you are printing for a party, put a dinosaur name tag on each card as a small favor. Ink saver keeps long names legible without heavy grids.