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Bible bingo
By Arthur, founder of BingoCard Lab · Updated
Bible bingo is played with one different card per player and a caller who reads items from the call sheet. Players mark story scenes, objects or words, and the first full line wins. We suggest 3×3 picture cards for preschoolers and 5×5 for adults. Words-only cards are free; the illustrated PDF is $4.99 once per set.
Describe your party
Illustrations generated with AI
A Sunday school class and a senior group can play the same Bible bingo game with different cards. Pre-readers mark pictures, while adults can work from words and verse references. Build your own printable deck from the 90 ideas on this page.
Who Bible bingo works for
Sunday school and children's church. Picture cards let pre-readers match the manger, not the word. Keep the grid small for the youngest.
Family night. Give the youngest their own small grid and their own prize, so they don't race the adults.
Small groups and adult classes. Words-only cards suit readers.
Senior ministry. Print 1 card per page for the largest card. A words-only or Flat icons set reads easily.
Pick an angle for your group
One deck can mix angles, or keep to a single story.
- Old Testament stories, like Noah's ark, and Jesus' stories and sayings, like the lost sheep.
- The Christmas story: shepherds and the manger come from Luke 2:1-20. The star, wise men and gifts come from Matthew 2:1-12.
- Easter objects, like palm branches and the empty tomb.
- Fruit of the Spirit, the 9 words of Galatians 5:22-23.
- Books of the Bible and reading challenges: words-only, for readers. A list holds up to 60 items, enough for every book of the New Testament.
Pick the angles your group's tradition already uses. Translations word verses differently; the references here follow the ESV.
Call by verse reference
For readers, the caller can read a reference instead of the item name. Players work out the scene, then mark it.
| Item | Reference to read |
|---|---|
| Noah's ark | Genesis 6:14 |
| Burning bush | Exodus 3:2 |
| Manna | Exodus 16:31 |
| Jonah's great fish | Jonah 1:17 (Jonah 2:1 in some Bibles) |
| Manger | Luke 2:7 |
| Lost sheep | Luke 15:4 |
| Five loaves and two fish | John 6:9 |
| Rooster | Luke 22:60 |
How many Bible bingo cards and calls to plan
Print one card per player. No two cards in a deck share a complete winning line.
Each number below is the median count of calls to the first row, column or diagonal. Lists had 40 items, with a free space on 3×3 and 5×5.
| Grid | 5 players | 20 players | 50 players |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3×3 | 8 | 5 | 3 |
| 4×4 | 15 | 11 | 10 |
| 5×5 | 17 | 13 | 11 |
We simulated these games on our own deck engine: 10,000 decks per setting, 100 games each.
Unique cards don't rule out ties. Two players can win on the same call with different lines, in about 8% to 20% of games. Keep a spare prize ready. These counts cover a single line only, not a blackout or other patterns.
Make your own Bible deck
Start your Bible list: describe your group in one sentence, and "Write my list" drafts 30 items. "Suggest 6 more items" adds more, up to 60. Aim for about 40, the list size our numbers use.
Then pick one of 5 picture styles. Coloring page suits a Sunday school craft table. Words-only cards are free and unlimited. The illustrated PDF is $4.99 once per set (see pricing).
Ideas for your item list
- Garden of Eden
- Noah's ark
- Rainbow
- Tower of Babel
- Robe of many colors
- Basket in the reeds
- Burning bush
- Parted Red Sea
- Manna
- Stone tablets
- Trumpets of Jericho
- Lions' den
- Jonah's great fish
- River Jordan
- Water jars at Cana
- Net full of fish
- Boat in a storm
- Five loaves and two fish
- Sycamore tree
- Mustard seed
- Lamp on a stand
- Lost sheep
- Lost coin
- House on the rock
- Lilies of the field
- Sower and seeds
- Town of Bethlehem
- No place at the inn
- Manger
- Swaddling cloths
- Shepherds' field at night
- Angels in the night sky
- Star over Bethlehem
- Wise men
- Gold, frankincense and myrrh
- Palm branches
- Donkey
- Basin and towel
- Bread and cup
- Rooster
- Empty tomb
- Linen cloths in the tomb
- Easter sunrise
- Dove
- Camel
- Ant
- Honeycomb
- Harp
- Shepherd's staff
- Crown
- Well
- Pearl
- Love
- Joy
- Peace
- Patience
- Kindness
- Goodness
- Faithfulness
- Gentleness
- Self-control
- Genesis
- Exodus
- Psalms
- Proverbs
- Ruth
- Matthew
- Mark
- Luke
- John
- Revelation
- Open Bible
- Church bell
- Stained-glass window
- Hymn book
- Offering plate
- Felt board story
- Memory verse card
- Potluck casserole
- Wooden cross
- Read Psalm 23
- Read the book of Ruth
- Read Jonah in one sitting
- Read Proverbs 3
- Read Matthew 5 to 7
- Read Luke 15
- Read 1 Corinthians 13
- Read Ecclesiastes 3
- Read Philemon
- Read Genesis 1
Plan your game
- How many cards?
- One card per player, plus a few spares. A deck holds 1 to 100 cards, all different. For a children's church over 100, make a second deck: the no-shared-line guarantee covers each deck on its own.
- Which grid?
- We suggest 3×3 (8 items + free space) for ages 3 to 5, 4×4 (16 items, no free space) for early readers, and 5×5 (24 items + free space) for older kids and adults.
- Letter or A4?
- Letter or A4, with 1, 2 or 4 cards per page. The call sheet is the last page of the PDF.
- How long does a game last?
- With a 40-item list and 10 players, a game to the first single line takes a median of 6 calls on 3×3. It's 13 on 4×4 and 15 on 5×5.
Frequently asked questions
How does Bible bingo work?
Each player gets a different card, and one caller works through the call sheet in random order. In a Sunday school room, the call can be a picture. Hold up the matching felt board figure or the illustrated call sheet picture, and name the story. Players cover the match. The first full row, column or diagonal wins, and a kept free space counts as marked. Check the winning card against the call sheet before the prize.
How to make bingo fun for kids?
Let the game feed the lesson. Play a short round on a 3×3 picture card with cereal or paper circles as markers, then ask the winner to say the week's memory verse, with help from the class. The verse can be the prize: the winner picks which one the class learns next. Let another child call the next round.
What are some fun biblical games for adults?
Try a reading-challenge bingo card for a small group or senior ministry. Each square is a short reading, like Read Psalm 23, Read the book of Ruth or Read Jonah in one sitting. Players mark squares over a month instead of in one sitting. Use words-only cards, since the squares are sentences. The first full line shares a favorite passage at the next meeting.
What are some fun games for Bible study groups?
Clue bingo works well for readers. The caller reads only a verse reference, like the ones in the table above. Players look it up in their own Bibles. Whoever finds it first reads the verse aloud, then everyone marks the matching square. In some Bibles, like the NABRE, Jonah 1:17 is numbered Jonah 2:1.