Printable Christmas bingo cards

Christmas bingo for a family party or a classroom

The page opens with the kids list loaded. Use Start from above the word box to switch to the family list, then edit freely: delete words your group will not know, add in-jokes, family names or the dog. Your edited list is kept in this browser for next time.

Which list, which size

The kids list is 60 short, concrete things a five-year-old can spot or draw: snowman, mittens, candy cane, sleigh. For children who cannot read yet, use 3x3 cards and call each word with a gesture or a quick sketch on a whiteboard. Readers from about age seven manage 5x5. The family list is 60 things that tend to happen on the day itself, such as "Tape runs out", "Dog steals food" or "Photo with eyes shut". Hand the cards out in the morning and let people mark squares as the day unfolds; nobody calls words, and the first full line wins at dinner.

Sixty words on 5x5 cards means each card holds 24 of the 60, so games run longer than with a short list. In 2,000 simulated games with a 60-word list, 5x5 cards and a free space, the first line came after a median of 22 calls with 8 players and 17 calls with 25 players. For a quick round with small children, use 3x3 or cut the list to about 30 words.

Ideas for a class

For a class of 28, print 28 cards from the kids list: every card is a different set, so neighbours cannot copy. Read the caller sheet slowly and show each word on the board, which turns the game into sight-word practice. Play a line first, then four corners, then a full card for the last ten minutes before a break.

Prizes that are not money

Small rewards work better than big ones because there will be several winners: first pick from the cookie tray, choosing the next carol, a homemade "skip the washing-up" voucher, a sticker sheet, a candy cane, wearing the paper crown at dinner, or being the next caller. In class: line leader for the day, five minutes of free drawing, or a turn on the class job of your choice.

Printing 2 or 4 per page

Choose 2 per page for 5x5 cards; each card is about 118 mm wide, so even "Board game argument" stays readable. Choose 4 per page for 3x3 and 4x4 cards, or to save paper with the kids list, whose words are short. Press Print cards, set margins to Default and scale to 100%, and pick "Save as PDF" if you want a file to print later or send to someone. Cards print on white paper; the red and green headers use a small amount of colour ink, and look fine in greyscale too.