Here is a Bingo game with a difference. It is played on the usual 5 x 5 grid with 25 squares. After pairing up 12 sets of items in 24 of these squares, your challenge is to identify the single unmatched item.
Synopsis
Match the name of an Asian country and its capital. The first player to identify an unmatched item (country or capital) wins the game.
Purpose
To recall the capital cities of various Asian countries.
Participants
Minimum: 1
Maximum: Any number
Best: 10 to 20
Time
5 to 20 minutes
Handout
A 5 x 5 Bingo card for each player. The names of Asian countries and capitals are randomly arranged in each card. One item in each card does not match a counterpart.
Preparation
Here are the names of 12 Asian countries and 13 capital cities. All the countries match a capital city. One capital is without a corresponding country.
Create a 5 x 5 matrix for each player by writing these items from the list in different orders in the 5 x 5 grid:
1. Afghanistan
2. Azerbaijan
3. Baku
4. Bandar Seri Begawan
5. Bangladesh
6. Beijing
7. Bhutan
8. Brunei
9. Cambodia
10. China
11. Dhaka
12. India
13. Indonesia
14. Jakarta
15. Japan
16. Kabul
17. Kathmandu
18. Kuala Lumpur
19. Malaysia
20. Nepal
21. New Delhi
22. Phnom Penh
23. Thimphu
24. Tokyo
25. Ulaanbaatar
Flow
Brief the players with this information retold in your own words:
How well do you know about the different countries in Asia? In this Bingo game, you receive a 5 x 5 matrix that contains two pieces of information (an Asian country and its capital city). Your challenge is to match the countries with their capital cities and to identify the odd item (country or capital city) that does not belong to any of the 12 pairs of items.
Distribute the cards. Give each player a Bingo grid. Explain they all contain the same 25 items, and these items are arranged in different random order in different cards.
Explain the object of the game. The goal for each player is to identify the one item on the grid (either an Asian country or a capital city). The first player to do so wins the game.
Begin the game. Announce the players to work with their individual cards and try to identify the unmatched item. The first player to come to you and point to the unmatched square in the Bingo grid wins the game.
Conclude the game. When any player points out the unmatched item, check to see if correct. (Ulaanbaatar is the unmatched capital city in the Bingo card. It is the capital of Mongolia, which is not included in the card.) Announce the name of the winner and congratulate them. Also announce the name of unmatched capital city.
Reuse the Activity
Use the structure of Matchless Bingo with different pairs of related items (such as authors and books, presidents and countries, Polish words and English equivalents). Instead of 12 pairs, you may use eight sets of three items (such as country, language, and president) or six sets of four items (such as name of a product, price, type of customer, and primary use).