Thomas & Friends Mix 'N Match Bingo Game

Thomas & Friends Mix 'N Match - Match 3 attributes on a 3x3 bingo card.

I used to work with a huge Thomas fan, so anything I brought that was Thomas related was a big hit. My sister even made me a wonderful train out of dollar store food storage containers, colorful shoe strings, foam wheels (each car a different color) and brads. I used that train over and over for sorting and presenting different activities and/or supplies. It's not related to this game, just a nice memory.

The bingo cards in Thomas & Friends Mix 'N Match Bingo have a 3x3 grid, are printed on heavy stock and are folded to fit into the box. Each card has nine images of Thomas & Friends (see image above). There are three dice that will be thrown to determine the square to cover on each turn, so there are three attributes to look at on each image.

1. Background color (red, blue, yellow)
2. Character (Thomas or friend)
3. Border around each square (railroad tracks, railroad sign, small train with the words PEEP PEEP.

The dice are oversized, hollow plastic with stickers on each side. The bingo chips are cardboard circles that come in four different colors (red, green, blue, yellow). You can also see these placed on the cards in the image above. The chips are probably too big to practice in-hand manipulation for small hands.

Object:

Be the first person to get three in a row, either horizontally, diagonally or vertically.

Set up:

Give each player a card and nine same-colored bingo chips. Turn the box lid upside down and place the three dice inside.

Play:

Players will take turns throwing the three dice into the box lid, searching their card for the exact combination that is shown on the dice. If they have one, they cover it. If not, do nothing. Play continues until someone gets three bingo chips in a row and yells PEEP PEEP!

Try this:

• Play alone. Place several cards on the table and throw the die. How many can you find and cover? Keep going until you have a bingo in one orientation, then another orientation, etc.
• Play only one direction at a time until the individual can watch two. Then after success with that, introduce three.
• Look over the card periodically and ask the player where they have two in a row and may win soon.
• Cup the hands together, side by side to roll the dice. How long can you keep them rolling before one drops out?
• Practice recognizing a bingo. Use several cards, embed one bingo on each card. Include other random chips on the card, but only one bingo. Ask the individual to find the bingo on each card.
• Use only one or two dice at a time. Players may have more than one option to cover on their card and will choose the one they feel is most likely to help them win. 
• Throw the dice and then look for the combination on another players card. The first person to place a chip is the only one allowed to play. Throw the dice again and keep playing until someone has three of his colored chips in a row on another player's card or until he runs out of chips.
• Work on visual discrimination, visual closure, figure ground, spatial relations, manual dexterity, coordinated use of two hands, executive functioning skills, process skills, play and leisure exploration and participation  

In the box: 6 bingo cards, 36 colored chips, 3 oversized dice

If you are interested in purchasing this item or just want more information, click on the image below.