Cards that are actually different
A lot of printable bingo sets contain six cards and expect you to reuse them. These are generated one at a time, each with its own arrangement, so thirty people get thirty cards and nobody shouts at the same moment for the same reason.
Each card is a 5 by 5 grid with a free centre square. Four by four and three by three grids are also available, which are better for younger children because a line comes faster and the game stays short.
Choosing the items
The default twenty-five are drawn as small line pictures: tree, sleigh, candle, pudding, cracker, robin, bauble, stocking and so on. Picture cards work for children who cannot yet read, and they work for a noisy room where words get missed.
You can swap items, and a word-only version is available if you would rather have text. For an office party, replacing a few items with things specific to the company gets a much better reaction than the generic set.
Running the game
Print one caller sheet and keep it. Cut it into strips or tick items off as you call them, since a repeated call with thirty cards in play causes an argument. The caller sheet prints in a different order each time, so a second game is not a rerun of the first.
Counters matter more than people expect. Dried pasta, buttons, raisins or small sweets all work, and they stop children scribbling on cards you might want to use again.
Questions
- How many bingo cards can I print?
- Up to thirty in one go, each with a different arrangement of the same item set. Generate again if you need more than thirty.
- Is there a caller sheet?
- Yes. It lists every item in a shuffled order so you can call or tick as you go. It reshuffles each time you generate, so a second game is not a repeat of the first.
- Are the cards pictures or words?
- Pictures by default, drawn as simple line art, which suits children who cannot read yet and noisy rooms. A word-only version is available in the panel.
- What size grid should I use for young children?
- Three by three or four by four. A line comes much faster, the game finishes before attention goes, and you can play several rounds in the time one 5 by 5 game takes.