Free Icebreaker Bingo for College & Career Planning
“What do you want to be when you grow up?”
We’ve been asking students that question for generations, but the reality is that most teens don’t have a clear answer. In fact, research shows that two-thirds of high school students and recent grads wish they’d had more opportunities for career exploration in school.
Specifically, according to the YouScience Post-Graduation Readiness Report, 2022, 75% of graduates feel unprepared to make informed choices about life after high school.
That’s where a little bit of fun can make a big difference.
A majority of students want to talk more about life after high school.
Gamifying College & Career Planning
Postsecondary preparation is serious business, but it doesn’t always have to feel that way. I’ve found that gamifying the process helps students open up and engage in conversations that might otherwise feel intimidating.
Enter Postsecondary Pathways Bingo.
This free, ready-to-use activity is part icebreaker, part casual assessment, and 100% effective at getting students talking. I’ve used it with both high school and adult education classes, and it’s consistently a hit.
Best of all? You can download it for free and use it in your classroom tomorrow.
Why This Free Icebreaker Bingo Works
We’ve all played icebreaker bingo with prompts like “I took a summer trip” or “I speak more than one language.” These are admittedly still fun. They build connections. They get students talking. But where they fall short is that they aren’t tied to the bigger questions our students are wrestling with.
Postsecondary Pathways Bingo puts a transition twist on the classic game. Instead of random fun facts, the squares connect directly to students’ futures:
“I want to enlist in the military.”
“I have volunteer experience.”
“I know what FAFSA stands for.”
“I want to attend a community college.”
Students circulate, ask questions, and sign each other’s cards as they find peers whose experiences or goals match the prompts. Along the way, they practice conversation skills, build rapport, and gain exposure to options they may not have considered before. Sometimes they discover they both want to go to the same university or bond over the headache of tracking down FAFSA paperwork.
How to Play the Postsecondary Pathways Bingo Game
Materials
10 unique bingo cards (included in the freebie)
Printable instructions
Instructions
Distribute Cards: Hand one bingo card to each student.
Circulate the Room: Students walk around and chat with peers.
Get Signatures: When a student finds someone who matches a prompt, they ask that person to sign the box.
Encourage Conversation: Remind students to ask simple follow-up questions as they go.
Complete a Line: Students aim to fill a row, column, or diagonal. For bigger groups, try a full blackout.
Shout “Bingo!”: The first student to complete a line wins. Have them report out one box at a time, sharing the prompt and the name of the person who signed.
Deepen the conversation by asking the signing student for follow-up questions. For example, if Amanda signed that she wants to join the military, you can ask questions like, Which branch? Have you taken the ASVAB? Have you talked to a recruiter? What got you interested in that?
Stick to just one or two follow-up questions per student, so you don’t lose the rest of the group.
Pro tip: Let students know at the start that winners will be asked to share their completed row so all students can prepare to talk about their choices.
Ready-to-use icebreaker bingo activity!
Classroom Ideas for Using Postsecondary Pathways Bingo
Use it as a back-to-school icebreaker to spark conversations about postsecondary goals.
Slip it into advisory, homeroom, or study skills for a low-prep, high-impact activity.
Try it in adult education programs as a welcoming, community-building opener.
Use it as a warm-up activity before a college and career readiness lesson like Exploring Life After High School.
Worried about time? This takes about 20 minutes plus a quick debrief. Students are so engaged, you’ll gain that time back in smoother classroom management later.
Benefits for Students and Teachers
The real magic of this activity happens in the conversations:
Students hear new ideas from peers about college, the military, trade schools, and more.
They practice networking and social skills like introducing themselves and asking questions.
They build community by connecting with classmates they may not usually talk to.
And you, as the teacher, get a casual pulse check on your students’ plans, interests, and misconceptions, all while they think they’re just playing a game.
If you enjoy this, you might also like my Career Readiness Bingo. It’s a work-focused version that students love.
Ready to Play?
If you’d like to bring Postsecondary Pathways Bingo into your classroom, you can grab it for free!
It’s quick to set up, easy to run, and guaranteed to spark meaningful conversations about life after high school.
Want more first-day activities? Check out Ditch the Syllabus: What to Do on the First Day Instead.
✨ Teacher takeaway: Icebreakers don’t have to be fluffy. With the right prompts, they can be a meaningful step toward helping students imagine and plan for their future.
Get you free icebreaker bingo today!
