The traditional game of Bingo can be modified to reinforce a variety of skills and concepts in second grade. To make a Bingo game, draw bingo cards on card stock. Fill each of the spaces on the cards with information that relates to an educational topic that you wish to reinforce; for example, you could fill the spaces with answers to multiplication problems or with vocabulary words. On index cards or pieces of scrap paper, create call cards that relate to the Bingo cards you have created; for this example, write multiplication problems or vocabulary words. To play, distribute a card to each of your students, randomly select a call card and state what is on the card. If students have the answer on their Bingo cards, they mark the space with a Bingo chip, a coin or some other marker. The first student to mark a horizontal, vertical or diagonal line wins the game.
Basketball is another game that can be modified to reinforce knowledge of different content areas. For this game, you'll need a clean and empty wastebasket and beanbags. Place the wastebasket on the floor, and place a piece of masking tape on the ground about 4 feet away from the basket. Provide a student with a beanbag, and have her stand on the masking tape. State a question or something that relates to a content area that you want to reinforce, such as a spelling word or a science vocabulary word. If the student provides the correct answer, she may try to toss her beanbag into the wastebasket. If her beanbag lands in the basket she earns a point. Have children take turns playing. The person who earns the most points wins the game.
Divide your class into teams, and play a game of mind reader. Help children form three or four teams, and have each team sit or stand together. State clues that relate to something you are thinking of; for example, if you are thinking of George Washington, tell students you are thinking of the first president of the United States who had white hair. The first team to raise their hands and correctly state who you are thinking of earns a point. The team that earns the most points wins.
Reinforce content area knowledge with a simple game of catch. Have children stand in a circle. State a question, a word or a math problem, and toss the ball to one of the children. The child who catches the ball must try to offer the correct response to what you stated and then toss the ball back to you. For example, if you said "three times five," the student who caught the ball should answer "15" and then toss the ball back to you. If the student who caught the ball does not know the answer, he may toss the ball to another student, who can try to answer the question.