How do I prepare and use Thanksgiving picture bingo to print?

What you can print, and what you add yourself

You can print three things: 30 Thanksgiving call names, one blank 5x5 board template and a caller log listing all 30 calls. The center square is a free Thanksgiving dinner space. A finished board needs 24 pictures around that center. The calls cover dinner, harvest and parade objects, such as roast turkey, an acorn and a parade balloon.

The Print all 30 button prints the page. It does not print a separate illustrated deck. Add pictures to the printed calls before you cut them into cards. The Draw another call button on screen picks a call name, but it can repeat a call from earlier in the round and it does not fill in your caller log.

Other picture bingo pages, such as the Halloween, Christmas or Easter versions, have their own calls and board sizes. Don't assume they include the same items or extras as this one.

Christmas picture bingo has its own calls and board size, and its preparation starts with counting players and deciding whether they'll have their own boards or share in pairs. Plan it separately from this set.

Halloween picture bingo uses its own pictures and files. A similar theme in another Halloween pack doesn't mean the bingo boards share its contents, so check the board choices there rather than reusing these.

How to add pictures and fill in each board

Make one drawing for each of the 30 calls. Copy those drawings onto the caller cards and the boards, and use the same picture for the same call everywhere. Make similar items easy to tell apart. For example, give pumpkin pie a visible pumpkin and apple pie an apple. Labels underneath help readers, but a board with words only can't be played by matching pictures.

Thanksgiving matching cards work differently from bingo. Each pair gets two cards showing related partners, such as turkey and wishbone, instead of one picture repeated across boards. Choosing a small set, such as six pairs, can mean less drawing than filling many bingo boards. A full 24-pair set needs 48 card faces, though. The artwork and rules aren't interchangeable.

For each board, choose 24 different pictures from the 30 calls. Put one in every blank square and leave the free center as it is. Arrange the pictures differently on the next board. If you want a set of 24 different boards, compare the finished layouts. Different layouts still won't stop two players winning at the same time.

Decide before play how simultaneous wins will be handled, since different layouts can't prevent them. Keeping party games from getting too competitive suggests choosing no-elimination formats and agreeing how shared outcomes work.

Print a test board first, starting at 100% scale, and check the preview. Your print settings change how much room you have for pictures. Card stock is an option for boards you want to keep.

How many boards do you need?

Count everyone who will play, including any siblings or adults who will join in, then decide whether players will share. At dinner, plan one board for every two guests. For a class, prepare one board per child, or let children share in pairs. The original plan adds six spare boards for late arrivals, siblings or replacements. These are extra copies, not six more unique layouts. Prepare pictures and markers for any spare you might use.

Worked example (illustrative): 12 dinner guests playing in pairs need 12 ÷ 2 = 6 boards, or 12 boards with six spares. A class of 24 already includes any child from that class. They need 24 boards if each child plays alone, and 30 with spares. Add only extra players who aren't on the class list. For more than 24 players on their own boards, run the game in turns or prepare more layouts.

How to play a round and check the winner

Choose the winning pattern before you begin: one full line of five across, down or diagonally, or all four corners. Show the pattern on a sample board. Everyone covers the free center before the first call, and it counts toward any line that passes through it.

Shuffle the picture cards and draw one at a time. Say the name once, then hold up the picture where everyone can see it for at least five seconds. Wait longer if players are still looking. Players cover the matching picture if it's on their board. If it isn't, they leave their board as it is. Each board uses only 24 of the 30 calls, so some calls won't match anything on some boards. Write each new call on the log and put the card on a used-card pile.

When someone calls bingo, pause the game and check every square in the pattern against the log. If two players finish on the same call, they can share the win. If you're giving prizes, have a small prize for the round ready before you start, plus optional runner-up stickers. At a quiet dinner table, players can raise a hand instead of shouting.

If the table wants something different from another bingo round, quiet party games are an optional switch. Choose ones you can explain in about a minute and demonstrate with one turn; hand-raising still works for calling out.

Worked example (illustrative): Draw card one, roast turkey. Say "roast turkey" and hold it up for five seconds. Players with roast turkey on their board cover it, and everyone else waits. Mark 1 beside it on the log and put the card on the used pile. Keep going. When a pair calls bingo on a line through the center, check each of its four pictures against the log before you announce the win.

Choose markers for your players

Use removable markers that suit your players. The original suggestions are candy corn or dried pasta. Don't use small loose food markers like these for young children who might put them in their mouths, because small objects can be a choking risk. Watching them closely doesn't make these markers suitable. Also check anyone's food needs before you use food as markers. Crayon X marks work for paper boards you don't need to clear for another round. Don't count on crayon wiping off a laminated board.

Play again and store the kit

For a rematch, clear the markers, collect all 30 caller cards and start a fresh log. You can keep the same board layouts. Laminating finished boards is an option if you want to reuse them, for example in a classroom.

If players want a change from caller-led rounds, a Thanksgiving picture-search pack lets each child search at their own pace. It needs its own drawn scenes and checked answer keys, prepared separately.

Preparation checklist

Illustrative timing: print and add pictures the weekend before, pack everything the day before, and set out boards just before the round. For a paired dinner round, that means one board at every second place setting.

• Count the players and decide whether they'll share boards.
• Print a test board, the 30 call names and a caller log at 100% scale.
• Add matching pictures to the caller cards and the boards.
• Number the boards and compare layouts, then prepare the full set and any spares.
• Cut the caller cards apart and put them in a bowl or hat.
• Set out one marker cup per player or pair, plus extras.
• Choose a line or four-corners finish and show it on a sample board.
• Pack the boards, cards, logs, markers, prizes and rules together.

Sources and further reading

• Thanksgiving picture bingo to print

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