Giving my youngest more autonomy by turning our homeschool closet into a Bingo Game [ + FREE printable ]
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Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about what it really means for kids to have ownership over their learning. Not just completing the work I hand to them, but having the freedom to make choices that spark curiosity and keep them engaged.
I was tired of the sighs, the glazed eyes, and the slow crawl through independent work.
💡When doing my homeschool planning I had a lightbulb moment and had to share it (and the results) with you all!
How I added more autonomy in our homeschool work.
I sat at the school table looking at my carefully written plans, subjects for each student, and the stack of books in front of me. I lifted my mason jar of peach tea and stirred the ice with my straw. “Something is still missing…” I mumbled to myself. I felt the strong urge to do something different.
I got up and wandered into our school supplies closet. I stared at the packed shelves. Board games, activity tubs, art supplies, random stacks of paper, tubs of train sets and Lincoln Logs. “How come they don’t play with these anymore…?”
And then inspiration struck: What if I could come up with a fun check list that would include all this stuff but not add stress to our week?
This year I am teaching Lara: 13 years old (8th grade) and Kyle: 10 years old (5th grade). My older two (Mary & Scott) are in college.
Here are a few things I was up against as I did homeschool planning:
- My 10 year-old is my youngest and I feel those days of childhood quickly going by as he becomes a pre-teen.
- Kyle is a busy kid wanting new things to keep him engaged.
- Often repetitive tasks can affect his mood and attitude toward the work. Too much computer time, long reading assignments, or stacks of worksheets can zombify him.
- We have stacks of educational materials in our closet that are forgotten about.
- In the daily moments of homeschooling and multitasking I struggle to come up with creative ideas.
So, my solution is a Bingo card!
Let me explain…
I went through our educational closet and made a master list of things Kyle could do with a free 15 minutes as an “educational break” in the midst of his independent work.
These are things that he used to enjoy, still loves to play with, and if set out in front of him he would use. But in the busy activity of each day they are forgotten and collecting dust. (Ex: playdough, water color, Snap Circuits, paracord craft set, single player board games1)
These activities do not easily fit into my file folder system or on our tidy school shelf. So I created Bingo cards using the master list of activities that he can check off each week.
The rule is he has to get 3 in a row by Friday.
I strategically created the cards so that there was variety in the Bingo spaces and so he will use different materials throughout the week.
Each day while he is working on Independent Work he can take one “Bingo Card Break” and do an activity for 15 minutes.
Having the choice of WHAT he does as well as WHEN his Bingo Card Break happens has been a game changer.
I have not experienced “grumpy zombie Kyle” in the past few weeks and he is more excited to do his independent work.
side note:
In our homeschool day the kids have 3 categories of school work that they focus on.
- Lessons with Mom – individual Grammar/Literature lessons
- Group Work – History, Morning Time, and Nature Study
- Independent Work – file folder work, reading assignments, & Math2
During our school time we rotate through all three of these. By the end of the week we have completed everything in our lists for each category.
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[ Let me know if you would be interested in a more in-depth post on how I plan and execute this. 😉 ]
Examples of 2 of Kyle’s Bingo Cards:
Tips for making your own:
- Create a huge master list of stuff you have already
- Notice themes in your list
- messy art, on the computer, using books from the shelf, games, craft kits, tubs of toys, active play
- Think outside the box
- What does your child have in their room that gets ignored?
- Are there any games in the closet that have been forgotten?
- If the power was out and it was a rainy day, what would you find to amuse the kids? (think old school & 80’s childhood toys)
- Go to a game store or browse the game isles at Target for ideas. Without pressure to buy but to see what is out there.
- Ask your friends with older kids if they have any games they are decluttering or what they would recommend.3 (check my footnotes)
It may take a bit of work at the front end, but it will make your life easier later in the school year to have it organized and ready to use.
When you have a full master list of about 18-25 activities then you are ready to make your Bingo cards.
Here is my free PDF link:
Write them out so that each Bingo card is different from the others. Then you can make several copies of them and use one per week.
the PDF link to write in your own ideas
Please share in the comments what kinds of activities you are putting on your bingo boards or what activities you found hiding in the back of your game closet.
Let’s help each other by making a big list of ideas to share!
😁 Have fun with it!
A thread running through my writing work is helping people reclaim autonomy over their time, energy, and choices.
My book Subtle Resistance is described as helping people “create a life grounded in intention and clarity”. The core message is about empowering readers to “thrive on their own terms.”
check it out!
My Book: Subtle Resistance💙
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Some of our favorite single player board games are: Cat & Mouse, these from TimberDoodle, and logic puzzles
For Math we use Teaching Textbooks so it is completely independent and graded on the spot. It has worked really well for us for the last 10 years!
We often request craft kits or board games for birthday presents. Some of our favorites are: GameWright, Snap Circuts, and Magnetic Tile sets for building.