Saint Bingo

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by Virginia Prisco

[CLICK HERE] for 15 saint biographies you might want to use for Saint Bingo.

Saints are men and women who were remarkable in how much they loved God and loved others in the name of Jesus.

Saints have come from all walks of life. Some were poor; others were wealthy. Some were brilliant theologians; others never learned to read. Some were missionaries who traveled around the world; others stayed close to home where they loved Jesus in serving others or spending many hours alone in prayer.

We grow in holiness when we follow the good examples of the saints and imitate their virtues. We obtain many graces when we pray to them and ask for their intercession.

In late October, emphasize November 1, the Solemnity of All Saints. Then begin a unit titled “The Lives of the Saints.” Introduce your students to 15 holy men and women and help your students learn about these saints. Display images of these saints on a bulletin board or large poster board, and have students read short biographical sketches about each. Have students develop a list of important facts about each saint you study.

Throughout the year, you can review these facts about the saints with a fun round of “Saint Bingo.”

MATERIALS

* bingo grid (students will make their own)

* bingo markers (pennies or buttons work well)

* 15 images of the saints (optional)

* 15 pieces of white card stock, each 8 ½” x 11” (saint clue cards)

* prizes (holy cards, for example; see catholicprayercards.org/catholicholycards.html for some ideas)

To make bingo cards, have each child fold an 8 ½” x 11” sheet of paper in half (so the 11” side becomes 5 ½”) four times. When the paper is unfolded, there will be 16 rectangles evident. This is the bingo card. Write the word FREE in any rectangle and write the names of the 15 saints in the remaining rectangles, one name in each rectangle.

To make a saint clue card, write the name of one of the saints on an 8 ½” x 11” piece of card stock, and write two or three facts (clues) about that saint below the saint’s name. You will have 15 saint clue cards when you are finished.

To play the game, place the saint clue cards face down in a basket and randomly pick one. Read aloud only the facts (clues) about the saint whose name appears at the top of the card. On their bingo cards, students will locate the name of the saint associated with the clues you read and cover it with a marker. Continue until a student calls out “Bingo.” Check to be sure the student has a bingo by having the student read the names of the four saints (or three saints and the FREE space) that form a row on his/her card. If the child has a bingo, give the child a prize. Play as often as you like.

Saint Bingo is a fun review for any time of year.

Virginia Prisco is a Confirmation catechist at St. Peter Parish in Geneva, IL. She is a former English as Second Language teacher at College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, IL.


Copyright 2014, Bayard, Inc. All rights reserved. This article is protected by United States copyright and other intellectual property laws and may not be reproduced, rewritten, distributed, redisseminated, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast, directly or indirectly, in any medium without the prior written permission of Bayard, Inc.

This article was written by the Catechist Staff and appeared in Catechist magazine, February 2014.

Image Credit: Shutter Stock 544541167

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