How do I prepare and use Halloween picture bingo to print?
Quick answer: Print the 24 caller names with their drawing hints and the blank grids. Then draw one set of Halloween pictures and copy those same drawings onto the caller cards and every board. To play, hold up a picture and say its name. Players cover the matching drawing, and anyone who completes the announced pattern shouts "Boo!" Children don't need to read. The pack doesn't include finished illustrations or ready-made boards, so leave time to add the pictures before the party.
24 Halloween caller notes to print
These are words and drawing hints, not illustrated cards. Add the same picture to each caller card and its matching board squares. The picker can repeat earlier calls; use a shuffled printed deck for a round without repeats.
How to play
- Prepare the drawings and boards before playing. Cover the free Party Pumpkin center on 5x5 boards.
- Show the winning pattern, then draw a card from the shuffled printed caller deck.
- Hold up the drawing for at least a slow three count, name it twice and wait while players cover the match.
- Keep called cards separate. When a player shouts Boo!, check the completed pattern against those cards.
- Accept simultaneous winners. Clear the markers and reshuffle the deck before another round.
Draw one when the room is ready
Ghost - a smiling ghost with a wavy tail
Caller deck - 24 picture calls
Say the name on each note. Use its drawing hint to prepare a picture to show the players.
- Ghost - a smiling ghost with a wavy tail
- Jack-o'-lantern - an orange pumpkin with triangle eyes and a toothy grin
- Black cat - arched back, whiskers, one paw raised
- Bat - two wide wings and tiny fangs
- Spider - round body, eight legs, hanging from a thread
- Spider web - a corner web with a tiny spider sitting in it
- Witch's hat - a purple pointed hat with a gold buckle
- Broom - straw bristles and a crooked handle
- Cauldron - a black pot with three green bubbles
- Skeleton - a friendly skeleton waving one hand
- Mummy - wrapped in bandages with one foot free
- Candy corn - a white, orange, and yellow triangle
- Lollipop - a big orange-and-black swirl
- Trick-or-treat bag - a paper bag stuffed with candy
- Full moon - a big moon with two craters
- Owl - a round owl on a bare branch
- Mouse - a small grey mouse with a long tail
- Scarecrow - straw hat, patched shirt, stitched smile
- Caramel apple - a red apple on a stick with one drip
- Haunted house - a crooked house with one lit window
- Monster - furry, three eyes, and a huge grin
- Gummy worm - a green worm mid-wiggle
- Star - a five-point star with sparkle lines
- Potion bottle - a green bottle, corked and bubbling
What the Halloween bingo pack includes
The caller pack has 24 names, each with a drawing hint, from a smiling ghost to a bubbling potion bottle. The print button prints the page. You also get a blank 5×5 grid with a free Party Pumpkin center and a blank 3×3 grid for younger players.
Use the hints to draw one set of pictures, then copy those same drawings onto the caller cards and every board. Matching pictures matter more than detailed ones. A child should be able to recognize the picture you hold up and find it on their board.
The on-screen picker is handy for trying out a call, but it can repeat a picture that has already come up. For a game without repeats, print and cut out the caller notes, add the pictures, shuffle the cards and put each called card on a separate pile.
Other Halloween printables on the site have their own contents. A similar-looking theme in another pack doesn't mean the bingo pack includes the same pictures or files.
If you're choosing between the two, picture search uses complete scenes with hidden pictures and counts to find, while bingo repeats single drawings across boards and caller cards. They need different drawing work. The Halloween picture-search party pack explains its own preparation.
Can I print 24 finished picture boards?
Quick answer: No. The pack prints caller names with drawing hints and blank grids. You add the matching pictures yourself before playing.
The arrangement steps below give you 24 different layouts, but the pack doesn't include finished illustrated boards. Plan time to draw, copy, cut and glue, or set aside part of the party for children to stick their own pictures on.
Choose a board size and add the pictures
On the 5×5 board, put one picture in each blank square, so 24 pictures surround the free center. Cover the center before the first call. Keep words off the children's boards and put the names on the caller cards instead. Write a board number below each grid.
If you want to draw larger boards by hand, one option is 4 cm squares with 2 mm black outlines. Five squares make a grid 20 cm wide, so leave room for margins or use landscape paper. Print one test copy before making the full set, because browser scaling can change the size.
After the test copy, check the print preview for each sheet, then print only the player copies you need and keep caller cards with you. Printing the day before gives you time to set supplies out by table. The guide to printable party games covers this prep.
The 3×3 board is a version to try with ages 3–4, adjusted for the children who are coming. Pick nine of the caller pictures, put one in every square and use only those nine caller cards. This board has no free center. Fill the whole card to finish together, or play for one row if you want a shorter round.
If a bingo board still feels like too much for your youngest players, face-up partner matching is another option. Choose a small set of pairs the children will recognize, since a full set is 52 cards, and add pictures because the pair list is written as words. The Halloween matching cards page explains how to make same-size cards and show which ones go together.
How do children play without reading?
Quick answer: The caller shows a drawing and says its name, and players cover the same drawing on their board.
Use the same artwork on the caller cards and the boards, show one match before you start and offer help as needed. A helper can sit beside any child who wants support. The 3×3 version has only nine pictures to look through, so it's a smaller search for younger players.
If your guests don't all share a spoken language, showing a match and pointing can carry much of the game, though some children may still need help with turns or finishing. Bingo with calls in two languages is one version in party games for guests who speak different languages.
Before the first call, hold up the ghost card, say "Ghost" and show how to cover the same ghost on a board. In a larger room, check that children at the far table can see the card.
If bingo shares the room with other table games, seat players so everyone faces the caller, and keep snacks and drinks on a separate surface from the boards. A board game party guide covers what to set up before guests arrive.
How to arrange 24 different boards
Number the pictures 1–24 in the order they appear in the caller pack: Ghost is 1, Jack-o'-lantern is 2 and Potion bottle is 24. These numbers are only for your preparation. Children don't need to read them.
Fill each 5×5 grid left to right, top to bottom, skipping the free center. Board 1 uses pictures 1–24 in order. Board 2 starts with picture 2, continues through 24 and puts picture 1 in the last empty square. Move the starting picture forward by one for each new board. Board 24 starts with Potion bottle and then uses pictures 1–23. Every board has all 24 pictures in a different arrangement.
This method doesn't guarantee a single winner. Some patterns can finish on the same call, and in a blackout round everyone finishes together. If children shuffle and glue their own pictures instead, compare the finished boards for duplicates.
| Board | First picture | Order after that |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 Ghost | 2, 3 … 24 |
| 2 | 2 Jack-o'-lantern | 3 … 24, then 1 |
| 3 | 3 | 4 … 24, then 1, 2 |
| 24 | 24 Potion bottle | 1 … 23 |
How many copies and markers do you need?
Print one grid and one set of 24 pictures for each player, plus two spare sets. Print one separate caller deck. Keep a completed reference copy and number the boards so you can sort them after printing.
Worked example (for illustration): suppose your guest list is a class of 24 children. If the birthday child is in that class, they're already part of the 24, so don't add them again. Add only players who aren't already counted, such as a sibling who wants to play. Adults who call or help aren't players. For 24 players, that's 24 + 2 spares = 26 grids and 26 picture sets, plus one caller deck. If players will circle in pencil and get a fresh copy each round, print an extra set of filled boards for every round you plan. If you choose loose markers, a 5×5 board needs 25 markers per player, so 24 players need 600 markers before refills. The extra marker on each board covers the free center. A 3×3 board needs nine markers per player.
What can I use as markers?
Quick answer: If your boards are laminated, players can mark them with dry-erase pens and wipe them clean between rounds. On ordinary paper boards, players can draw a pencil circle around each matching picture and use a fresh copy for each new round. Loose markers are another option if they suit your materials and the children who are coming.
The pencil method is a suggested way to play on unlaminated boards, not part of the pack. Circle the picture rather than scribbling over it, so it stays easy to see when you check a winning board. Give each player a fresh copy of their board for every round, or use light pencil and rub the circles out with an eraser before the next round. Help any child who finds circling or erasing tricky. The 3×3 board is suggested for ages 3–4, so think about the youngest players at the table when you choose a marking method. If you use loose markers, keep refills near the caller. Laminated boards marked with dry-erase pens can be wiped and used again in the next round or at another party.
How to call pictures and check winners
Show the winning pattern where everyone can see it before each round. Draw a card from the shuffled deck, hold the picture up for at least a slow count of three, say the name twice and wait until players have found it. About 20 seconds between calls is a reasonable starting pace. Pause longer whenever a table is still looking. Keep the called cards where the caller can see them so you can check a winning board.
When someone completes the pattern, they shout "Boo!" For a quieter version, players can raise a hand instead. A winner can draw the next card if they'd like a turn as helper. Before the next round, clear the markers, wipe laminated boards or hand out fresh paper copies (or erase the pencil circles), cover or circle the free center again, change the pattern if you like and reshuffle the full deck.
If the whole activity needs to stay low-noise, not just the winning call, plan the games before and after bingo with that in mind too. Seated, conversation-based choices fit well. Quiet party games offers more options for a calm room.
- Extra option: the middle row plus the middle column makes a cross.
- Save blackout for a round where everyone finishes together.
| Pattern | Squares to cover on the 5×5 board |
|---|---|
| Top row | All five squares across the top |
| Left column | All five squares down the left side |
| Four corners | The four corner squares |
| Big T | Top row and middle column: nine squares, including the free center |
| Letter H | Left and right columns plus the middle row: 13 squares, including the free center |
| Picture frame | All 16 squares around the outside edge |
| Diagonal | Five squares from corner to corner through the free center; show which diagonal |
| Blackout | Every square on the board |
What if two players shout Boo! at the same time?
Quick answer: Check both boards against the cards already called. If both complete the announced pattern, both win.
Different layouts don't prevent ties. Accept everyone who finished rather than choosing whoever shouted loudest. In blackout, everyone with all 24 pictures should finish on the same last call.
Say before the first call that everyone who completes the pattern on the same call wins, so being loudest doesn't matter. If you give awards, have enough for every winner. Keeping party games from getting too competitive covers giving the same award to all.
How long does a round take? An example 10-minute schedule
This example assumes the boards are ready before guests sit down. Change the times to suit your group.
For a 30-minute slot, leave room for slower matching and moving between activities rather than planning on three finished rounds.
Put fixed times like food and pickup into your plan first, then fit bingo around them. Allow a couple of minutes between activities for putting things away, plus time to reset boards. Building a birthday party schedule explains this approach.
- 0:00–2:00: Hand out boards and pencils, pens or markers, cover or circle the free centers, show the pattern and do one practice match, then clear it (or practice on a spare board if players are using pencil).
- 2:00–7:00: Call pictures. At about 20 seconds per call, this allows around 15 calls. Pause to check any winning board.
- 7:00–10:00: Check winners against the used cards, hand out stickers if you're using them and clear the boards. If nobody has finished, keep playing past this slot or end the round without a winner.
If you're handing out stickers or other awards, plan for more than one winner per round, since ties can happen. If any prizes are treats, check labels and food requirements first. Party game prizes covers getting awards and the playing area ready.
How long does a round really take?
Quick answer: It depends on the pattern and the order the cards come up. The 10-minute plan is a schedule to adjust, not a guaranteed finish time.
Calling all 24 pictures at 20 seconds each takes eight minutes, before explaining, checking or pauses. Patterns that use fewer squares can finish sooner, depending on the order the cards are drawn.
What to play next, plus a preparation checklist
Have one next activity ready so players who finish don't have to wait for another full round. You could stay at the table with a Halloween picture search, set up lacing cards at a quiet table, use Halloween acting cards for a movement break, or send children on a Halloween hunt around the house with picture and riddle clues. Each activity has its own instructions page. Check its preparation steps before you add it to your print list.
- Print a test grid and check that the pictures are easy to see.
- Draw the 24 pictures and copy each one onto its caller card and the board pieces.
- Print one grid and one picture set per player, plus two spares (nine pictures per 3×3 board).
- Cut out and arrange the boards before guests arrive, or leave time for children to glue their own.
- Choose how players will mark their boards: pencils with fresh paper copies for each round, dry-erase pens for laminated boards, or loose markers (25 per 5×5 board or nine per 3×3 board, with refills nearby).
- Place the caller deck, a pile for used cards and the rules beside the caller so another adult can take over.
- Show the winning pattern where everyone can see it and have stickers ready if you're giving prizes.
| FREE Party Pumpkin | ||||
Board number: ____________________ Player: ____________________
Player: ____________________ Nine-picture caller set: ____________________