Family
DIY Family Game Night: Bingo Edition
Everything you need to gather the crew, grab your favorite snacks, and make some memories!
If making family-oriented games is your cup of tea or you’re looking for ways to get more face-to-face time with the kiddos, you’re in the right place. I was fortunate enough to grow up in an environment where family game time was encouraged, and the games in question were (occasionally) handmade. It’s one of the traditions I’ve revived since homeschooling.
In my house, we work together to construct gameplay that is educational and fun. Game nights are usually a smash hit, so I thought it’d be a great way to contribute. Heads up: my kid is younger, and this article was curated for his age group. However, I think this piece could serve as a decent blueprint. All it needs is a few adjustments.
Items:
- 5–7 watercolor or mixed media pages
- 3 paint colors and corresponding brushes
- 2 pigment liners or Sharpies (thick and thin)
- 1 pair of scissors (an X-ACTO knife is also fine)
- 1 container for washing brushes
Optional:
- 4 watercolor or mixed media postcards
- 1 nickel or quarter, depending on what size you want your chips to be
- 1 pencil for tracing coins
- A ruler and painter's tape for cleaner lines
Alternative List:
- 7–10 unlined pages
- 1 marker or pen (although 2 or 3 is best)
- 1 pair of scissors
Luckily, I had all of these supplies on hand. Still, I’ve tried to structure this so it can be completed with items in most households. If you want to use the specific products I used, you can find them at your local chain store. I used WalMart, but Target, Dollar General, and craft stores are all equally capable.
Step One: Preparation
From the jump, you’ll want to grab two sheets. One will function as your “scrap page” (we’ll dump our paint and sketch here) and the other is reserved for step two.
Step Two: Chips
Let’s start with the chips because it’s an easy warm-up. I wanted enough to support blackout bingo (25 pieces per card), in case someone requested it. Typically, I cut “intuitively” but for this project, I grabbed a loose nickel for scale. One 9x12 140lb page produced 93 chips, which was more than enough. Your page count may differ depending on the size of your paper. No worries if that happens; it’s part of the process.
After tracing the nickel and cutting out a billion circles, we turned our sights on the paint. In my experience, when introducing a slew of options, it’s easier to give children a specific number to pluck from the masses. I use three because it’s easy for them to remember and full of possibilities. Our colors were turquoise, pink, and violet. We split our chips into thirds — in other words, there are 31 of each color — and began painting. To protect your tabletop or workspace, I recommend placing the painted chips on the backs of your bingo boards. There should be more than enough space to support all of them but I suppose the size of your page will play a role.
For now, set them aside. This is a great time to clean your water, brushes, and hands if you haven’t already.
Step Three: Vocab Words
For this step, we’ll need the stack of postcards (or additional pages if postcards aren’t your jam). I have three 5x7 140lb cards. I like to hold them horizontally and cut vertical strips. When all three cards are done, I cut one horizontal line right through the middle. This creates 44 cards. If you’re exchanging the postcards for regular pages, your count will vary. Choose a number that offers some variety and just have fun with it.
I hope you have a streaming service of some kind to liven up your headspace because this next step is tedious. We’ll be scouring the kids’ vocab list and writing 44 choices on these tiny little cards. If you don’t already have a list of vocabulary words, you can review recent assignments, check their online syllabus, or reach out to their teacher directly. Try not to misplace these as we’ll need them for the bingo boards later.
Alternatively, if you used another surface area to dry your chips, you can update the bingo boards now.
Step Four: Details
4A: With any luck, your chips are dry! If not, skip to 4B.
Next, we’ll draw some stuff on the painted sides of our chips. Again, simple is best. If your kiddo is tagging along, have them pick their favorite shape and make a funny face. For the third icon, we can use the first letter of their name. Alternatively, you and your little one can choose whatever design elements you like — just keep it simple.
Once the icons are in place, you can flip the chips and paint the other side. If you want to skip that part, you definitely can!
4B: Pick up the vocab words and flip them over — it’s time to get creative! Feel free to separate them into three groups. They can be even or stacked (whatever feels right!). If undecided, flip a coin or have your co-creator choose their favorites. Need a space to dry the paint? Move the chips to another place and recycle those bingo cards! Remember to wash your container, brushes, and hands, if you haven’t already.
It’ll take some time for all the paint to dry, so feel free to wander off or do something fun in the interim. When they’re ready, you and the little one(s) can decorate the painted backs with the same symbols on the chips, new designs, funky lines, or whatever makes their little face(s) glow.
4C: If you haven’t already, it’s a great time to start transferring vocab words onto bingo boards. You could randomly toss the cards onto a board or you can have your kid(s) choose (which is my favorite). When each card has 24 words (and a free space of your choosing), flip it over and give the back of each board a unique design. You can use a ruler if you’d prefer.
Step Five: Information Card
Every game needs instructions, even if no one reads them. Except this one is extra fun because it can cater Centirely to your family. For this, we’ll use our last postcard and leave its contents up to the kiddo(s). To keep the conversation on track and move things along, I like to ask open-ended questions. ‘What would make this game more fun?’ and ‘How do you know when someone wins?’ usually spark quite the conversation.
Thanks for reading — and good luck!
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