Go back to the times when you were driving or riding in your car with family or friends and the tunes break loose. “There was a farmer who had a dog … and Bingo was his name-o!” So who doesn’t love a little fun competition and a good game of Bingo? Gather up your family for a fun game of campsite bingo!
As you head out on your family trips and adventures, sometimes it is hard to think of ways to entertain everyone without taking technology and video games with you. It is important to enjoy the fun and adventures with everyone engaged! To get your family’s creative juices flowing, grab some paper and pens, or stickers if handy, and make your own bingo boards! Make sure it’s not too easy and not too hard. Make it fun! You can make random bingo boards or make specific ones pertaining to your day and activities planned. If a hike through the woods is part of the plans for the day, make a bingo board focused on forest animals or plants and flowers. Make sure that wherever you are on your journey, you research the area for any exotic things that you aren’t used to seeing! Doing so will give the game an extra edge and a special bonus square to spruce up the game and competition! If your adventure takes you around things more man-made, you can definitely make a bingo board for that too! If you want to make someone’s board funny, put a skunk on it for laughs! Hopefully you won’t run into one of those stinky guys during your game or trip! You could also switch it up and have each family member make a board for someone else so they don’t know what to expect!
Now for game time … Make sure rules are given on how something will be called out. Some examples could be, “Spot it!” “Got it!” “I see _____!” or you and your family can come up with something fun too! After that is figured out, the next thing to do is to set what can make a Bingo! Across, down, diagonal, four in a corner? It’s up to you! Will there be a bonus square? Will there be a freebie square? The options are endless! Remember, the first person to fill their squares and yell “Bingo!” wins!
Another great idea you and your family can do is take campsite bingo on the road! Sometimes the drive can get long between campsites and after a while the boredom kicks in. An idea would be to make a bingo board with numbers on it. It sounds simple and you may be thinking, “Numbers?” but here’s the catch! This specific bingo game will be geared towards campsite numbers! If you want to start the game while driving, you can include the exit numbers that other campgrounds would be at. When arriving at your campground, you’ll see all the camping spots are numbered. Now you can’t check off all the numbers you see as you drive to your site. The key is to get your campsite number and hope that it’s on your bingo board!
After a round or game is completed, as a family, you can either award prizes or just switch cards and go onto the next round. If prizes are being handed out, it can range from pieces of candy to getting out of a chore later that day! If someone chooses to go the route of being chore-free, make a list of chores they can pick from so it stays fair. As a parent, pick up that chore so you don’t have to deal with fussy kids after a fun day of bingo.
The options are endless as well as the game! It ensures a fun time for you and the family as you travel, explore, and make memories!
If you don’t have time to create campsite bingo boards and need to print some off fast, you can click here for a downloadable version! Or if you’re feeling up to the task of crafting, why not make your very own bingo tombola?
Here are a couple ways to create one!
- Milk Jug Tombola: Take an empty milk jug and make sure it’s clean and dry! Have you and your family write or draw things you would see around a campsite or whatever your bingo board theme is going to be and let the creativity flow! Fold the pieces of paper into fourths and put them in the milk jug. Have your bingo boards ready and shake things up! Take turns passing the milk jug tombola around to each person and have him or her shake out one piece of paper (if more than one comes out, have them choose one and put the rest back in the jug). Read what is on the paper and try to get that bingo!
- Hat Tombola: Use someone’s hat to put your folded pieces of paper in and pass it around to let everyone have a turn at picking out a paper. Read what’s on the paper and cross your fingers it’s the right one to get you the win!
- Coffee Can Tombola: For you coffee lovers who travel, take an empty coffee can and make sure it’s clean and dry. Cut out a hole in the lid big enough for folded paper to get through. Have everyone put their folded pieces of paper in it and begin your game! Shake it up, read the paper, and pass the can!
If crafting your homemade bingo tombola was too quick, you and your family can always take the extra time and decorate it! Nevertheless, doing this adds extra fun to family time and also allows more game time when the sun goes down!
For another family game, try this Phase 10 card game.
