Thanksgiving Bingo: How to Play, Picture Ideas and 4 Ways to Win

Thanksgiving bingo is the one game that works for every age at once. Toddlers match pictures, older kids race to five in a row, and grown-ups play for the last slice of pie. Here's how to play, what to use as markers and four ways to win.

Skip the prep: Thanksgiving Game Night Kit is an instant download for $3.99.

What you need

• Bingo boards with Thanksgiving pictures (one per player, each one different)
• Call cards, cut apart and mixed in a bowl
• Markers: candy corn, dried beans, coins, cereal or paper squares
• A caller (a grown-up or an older kid)
• A small prize

How to play Thanksgiving bingo

1. Hand out the boards and a handful of markers.
2. Cover the free space in the center.
3. Call the pictures. The caller draws one call card at a time, reads it aloud and checks it off.
4. Cover it. If the picture is on your board, cover it.
5. Shout "Bingo!" First to five in a row across, down or diagonally wins. The caller checks the squares.

4 ways to win

• Five in a row: the classic, about 10 minutes.
• Four corners: a quick round for little kids.
• Picture frame: every square around the edge.
• Blackout: the whole board. Perfect for a pie prize at Friendsgiving.

Thanksgiving bingo variations

• Classroom bingo: give each student a board and use paper squares as markers. Call 2 or 3 extra pictures after the first winner so more kids get a bingo, and hand out a small sticker to everyone who does.
• Dinner-table bingo: play one quick four-corners round while the turkey rests. It keeps kids at the table without screens.
• Grown-ups bingo: play blackout only, and make the winner carve the pie or pick the movie.
• Team bingo: pair a little kid with an older kid or a grandparent on one board. The older partner reads, the younger one covers.
• Teach-as-you-go bingo: when the caller draws a picture like the cornucopia or the Mayflower, share one quick fact about it before moving on.

Bingo etiquette that prevents arguments

• Only the caller touches the call cards.
• A bingo only counts if every square matches a picture that was already called.
• If two players call bingo on the same picture, both win. Have a tie-breaker prize ready, or split the pie.

Thanksgiving bingo picture ideas

Use pictures everyone recognizes, with the word underneath for early readers. Use more pictures than squares (for example 30 pictures for a 24-square board) so each board gets a different mix and the blackout round has one clear winner. Our 30 pictures: turkey, pumpkin pie, pumpkin, corn, autumn leaf, acorn, apple, cornucopia, pilgrim hat, football, wishbone, cranberries, gravy boat, dinner roll, sunflower, candle, apple cider, pear, feather, place setting, gourd, hay bale, parade balloon, mashed potatoes, drumstick, pinecone, sweet potato, pecan pie, the Mayflower and a harvest basket.

Tips for playing with little kids

• Use pictures and words together so non-readers can match the picture and readers can practice.
• Make every board different so there's always a single winner.
• Use candy corn or cereal as markers, and let them eat the markers at the end.
• Keep rounds short. Two quick rounds beat one long one.

Bingo fits perfectly between dinner and dessert. Pair it with Thanksgiving trivia for the grown-ups, or see our full guide to Thanksgiving games for the whole day.

Printable Thanksgiving bingo

Our Thanksgiving Game Night Kit includes 20 full-page picture bingo boards (every board a different mix), 30 call cards and a caller check-off sheet. It also has 100 trivia cards, 18 Minute to Win It games, table talk cards and three party plans, for $3.99.

Frequently asked questions

How many bingo boards do I need?

One per player. With 20 different boards, everyone at a big family Thanksgiving or a classroom can play.

What age is Thanksgiving picture bingo for?

About 3 and up. Pictures make it easy for non-readers, and grown-ups can play for prizes.

What can I use as bingo markers?

Candy corn, dried beans, pennies, cereal or small paper squares all work.