Thanksgiving bingo

Thanksgiving bingo keeps the whole table playing, from the kids to the grandparents. This page has 80 square ideas, printable cards and the setup numbers you need. Want something ready to print? Start with our Family Thanksgiving picture bingo set. It has vintage-style drawings of the meal and the day.

Who plays Thanksgiving bingo

A family table is the classic setting, from the kids to the grandparents. Everyone marks a card, so nobody sits out.

Teachers and preschool hosts can use turkey bingo for classroom parties. Turkey, pie and leaf squares on 3×3 picture cards work well for kids who can't read yet. You can make kids' picture cards in the generator (words-only cards are always free).

Friendsgiving bingo suits a grown-up crowd: funny squares about the meal, the guests and the game on TV. Add a few in-jokes only your group will get.

When to play on Thanksgiving Day

Start in the morning with a round of Thanksgiving parade bingo while the floats roll by. Play another round while the turkey rests, at halftime, or with pie.

Rounds are short, and group size changes how short. We simulated 1,000,000 games per setup with a 40-item list, free space on 3×3 and 5×5. The table shows the median number of calls to a first bingo (a single row, column or diagonal).

So plan several short rounds instead of one long game. With a big group, 3×3 rounds end fast, so a larger grid keeps the game going. Hand out fresh cards between rounds.

Make cards for your table

Start with your list: pick squares from the ideas on this page, or write your own family traditions as squares. Aim for about 40 squares, since that's the list size our numbers use. The generator starts you at 30 and goes up to 60. Then pick a grid size with the grid guide on this page.

Unique cards don't rule out ties. Two players can still win on the same call with different lines. In our simulation, that happened in about 16% of 5×5 games with 20 players. Have a tie rule ready: split the prize, or call one more square.

When your list is ready, make your own Thanksgiving cards. Words-only Thanksgiving bingo cards are free to print, as many as you like. Your first illustrated set is free to preview in full. To print it, the illustrated PDF takes an Event pass ($4.99 once, per set) or a Pro plan.

A note on the history squares

Most of the history squares come from the 1621 harvest celebration at Plymouth. The Wampanoag leader Massasoit arrived with about 90 men, his men brought five deer, and the feasting lasted three days, as Plimoth Patuxet Museums explains. The colonists celebrated their harvest with a tradition called the Harvest Home. The Wampanoag people who shared it still live in New England today. Congress set the holiday on the fourth Thursday of November in 1941. Keep history squares to places, dates and scenes, never people in costume or jokes.