Jan's Library

Halloween Bingo Game:

Spooky Bingo

By: Jan K., The Proofer

Halloween Bingo Game: Spooky Bingo

Here's a fun activity that will be easy to play during your Halloween Party! Bingo is an easy game for kids to play, and lots of kids can play at the same time! Gather all the SuperHeros, Ghosts, Witches, Princesses, and Pirates around the table and play Spooky Bingo!

You'll Need:

• Spooky Bingo Cards*

• Spooky Bingo Call Cards*

• Washable, non-toxic colored markers (colored pencils, or regular pencils)

• A plastic bowl, bag, or small box to use to hold the Call Cards (for fun, use a plastic Witch's Cauldron or a Jack-o-Lantern like those you can buy that are meant to be Trick-or-Treat candy buckets)

• A few simple "Bingo!" prizes

*Spooky Bingo Cards and Spooky Bingo Call Cards are free printables!  The links are shown below for each card (see below the list for a link to a zip file that contains all the cards). Each opens in a new window as a Word document.

• Spooky Bingo Card Sample* (print 1) (http://freecontent.janktheproofer.com/SPOOKY_BINGO_SAMPLE.doc)

• Spooky Bingo Card Blank* (print as many as you will need, one per player) (http://freecontent.janktheproofer.com/SPOOKY_BINGO_BLANK.doc)

• Spooky Bingo Call Cards** (print 1 of each)

  • Pumpkin Cards (http://freecontent.janktheproofer.com/PUMPKIN_Cards.doc)

  • Ghost Cards (http://freecontent.janktheproofer.com/GHOST_Cards.doc)

  • Cat Cards (http://freecontent.janktheproofer.com/CAT_Cards.doc)

  • Witch Cards (http://freecontent.janktheproofer.com/WITCH_Cards.doc)

  • Bat Cards (http://freecontent.janktheproofer.com/BAT_Cards.doc)

Get the zip file that contains all the Spooky Bingo Cards:

• Spooky Bingo Cards (http://freecontent.janktheproofer.com/SpookyBingoCards.zip)

*The Bingo Cards will print on plain computer paper (white is best). Print one of the sample bingo cards, and then print as many blank bingo cards as you will need. Print more than you need so that you can play several games (or you can make copies of the bingo cards you make)---until everyone is a winner!

**The Bingo Call Cards are to be printed on plain white business cards (10 business cards to one sheet [standard], should be compatible with "Avery 8876" business cards, although any business card should work), available at office supply stores, Target, Wal*Mart, Kmart). It is simple to print on business cards. Just put the blank business cards into your printer's paper tray and print the Call Cards as you would any other document. You should not have to change any of your printer's settings. Separate cards along perforated edges.

Prepare Bingo Cards

Prepare the Bingo Cards ahead of time. This will take approximately 30 minutes.

Separate the Bingo Call Cards. The business cards are already perforated, and if you bend each perforation line, up and down, a few times before you separate the cards, the cards will tear away a little easier. You should end up with a total of 50 individual cards, 10 individual cards for each Bingo Call Card. For the moment, keep all 10 individual cards for each Bingo Call Card together (that is, do not mix the 50 individual cards at this point).

Look at the Bingo Card Sample. In the row across the top, you'll see Pumpkin, Ghost, Black Cat, Witch, and Bat (with corresponding pictures). In each row under the pictures, there are numbers. Note that in each separate column, the numbers do no repeat (that is, in the Pumpkin column, no number is repeated, and so on for the remaining four columns). Using the sample as a guide, you will now make the bingo cards for the game.

• Place a blank bingo card in front of you.

• Put the 10 PUMPKIN Call Cards in a dish and mix them up. Pull out a card. Whatever number is on that card, put that number in the box in the first row under PUMPKIN.

• Pull another card. Put that number in the box in the second row under PUMPKIN.

• Do this three more times. You now have 5 different numbers in the PUMPKIN column.

• Put those five cards back into the bowl. Now you will fill out another blank bingo card.

• Pull 5 cards, one at a time, and mark those numbers in the five rows in the PUMPKIN column.

• Continue until you have done all the blank cards for the PUMPKIN column you will need (a minimum of one for each child invited to the party). Set the PUMPKIN call cards aside.

Using the GHOST call cards, fill in the rows in the GHOST column. Continue until you have finished all of the blank cards for the GHOST column. Set GHOST cards aside.

Continue in this manner for BLACK CAT, WITCH, and BAT. [Note that in the BLACK CAT column there is a "FREE" space. Do not put a number in this box.]

You may want to make several copies of each of these completed bingo cards. Each card will be unique (the laws of probability suggest that none of the columns of numbers for each of the pictures is the same). If you made 10 cards, then make 5 sets of copies. Use one set of copies for the first round of play, the second set for the second round of play, etc.

How To Play Spooky Bingo

The instructions for playing bingo are very simple.

• Put all of the Spooky Bingo Call Cards into a Witch's Cauldron or Orange Pumpkin---you can get these at Target or Wal-Mart and they are meant to be Trick-or-Treat buckets. Shake a little to mix up the cards.

• Give each child a Spooky Bingo Card and a colored marker (colored pencil or regular pencil).

• Draw a Call Card from the bowl. Read the word that tells what the picture is and the number on the card, and then show the card to the players.

• Each player will look at his/her Spooky Bingo Card to find that picture in the row across the top and down that picture's column for the number called. If the number is there, then he/she will color in that square.

• Set that call card aside (do not put it back into the bowl). Draw another call card, and say what picture it is and the number. Have the players mark their cards.

• Repeat until a player shouts "Bingo!"

The object of the game is for one player to fill in:

• the whole column for one picture (that is, color in all the boxes for the 5 numbers under one of the pictures), or

• fill in one row going across (that is, fill 1 number for each picture, going across that same row), or

• fill in the numbers so that either diagonal is completed (that is, the first number in the first row, the second number in the second row, THIRD SPACE/THIRD ROW IS FREE and is considered filled in for every player, fourth number in the fourth row, fifth number in the fifth row).

Using the Bingo Card Sample, an example of a winning card would be one of these four:

• PUMPKIN 3,1,7,8,4

• PUMPKIN 1, GHOST 5, BLACK CAT 3, WITCH 8, BAT 4

• PUMPKIN 3, GHOST 5, FREE, WITCH 6, BAT 7

• BAT 9, WITCH 8, FREE, GHOST 3, PUMPKIN 4

Remember, every player automatically gets the FREE space to use for any winning combination.

When a player fills in a whole column (any one of the five columns), a whole row (any one of the five rows), or either diagonal, he/she should shout "SPOOKY BINGO!"*

*Note: You can teach smaller children a valuable lesson about playing fair and being honest. When a player shouts Spooky Bingo!, check the card against the call cards that have been pulled. That is, go through the cards that have been pulled, make sure that each spot filled on the winning card is a card picture/number that was really called. This will help young children learn the value of fair play and being honest.

Have Bingo Prizes Handy!

It's easy to have a few little "prizes" ready to give away to Bingo winners. Just rummage through your local dollar store, Wal*Mart, Target, or Kmart, and find little toys, games, or other "prizes" that are inexpensive. These prizes can be "gag" gifts as well---just use your imagination! Put everything in a big box that you've decorated with black paper and spider webbing so that pulling out a prize is part of the Spooky Bingo game fun.

Play Bingo Again and Again

You can either use the same cards, and have the players use a different marker color or pencil or you can have extra sets of Bingo cards available. Just put all the Bingo Call Cards back into the bowl---and start again!

Have the last Bingo winner pull the cards and call out the word and number! That way, the same player can't win two times in a row---and all the players can eventually get a turn at being the Bingo Caller.

Keep all your little ghosts and goblins entertained at the Halloween party! Play Spooky Bingo again and again, until everyone is a winner! 

And speaking of winners, present the Spooky Bingo winners with a Winner's Certificate! Get really cute certificates that you can print and personalize free from Mom's Break Halloween. Go to:

Mom's Break Halloween Free Game Winner Certificates

(http://halloween.momsbreak.com/printable-game-certificates.html

For more free printables for Halloween, along with free cards, gifts, and decorations ideas (many include free illustrated instructions), please go to: Jan's Reading Room: Halloween (http://readingroom.janktheproofer.com/Halloween.htm).

Jan K., The Proofer is a freelance copyeditor and proofreader. Visit http://www.jansportal.com for more information about Jan's free crafts, recipes, tutorials, other resource sites, and free content articles, as well as Jan’s business services. Be sure to visit Mom's Break (http://www.momsbreak.com/) for free printable crafts and projects. © Copyright 2005 to present. All rights reserved.