Trick-or-treat bingo

Trick-or-treat bingo tips

• Clip each card to a small clipboard and tie a crayon to it with string. Kids are juggling a candy bag and sometimes a flashlight, and a loose card or pencil is easy to drop on a dark sidewalk.
• Only count what kids can see from the sidewalk or the front walk. Nobody needs to cut across a lawn to check a giant spider in a side yard, and the rule keeps everyone on lit paths.
• Start the route on the most decorated blocks. Finding a jack-o'-lantern and an inflatable in the first few minutes gives younger players an early win before their legs get tired. Save quieter streets for the end, when kids are hunting for the last few squares.
• Costume squares fill fastest on busy blocks. Every witch, pirate, dinosaur or mummy walking past on the sidewalk counts, so kids who watch other trick-or-treaters, not just porches, can finish a row before reaching the end of the street.
• Give every player the same small prize at the last house, such as a sticker or an extra piece of candy. Siblings on one route will compare cards anyway, and an equal reward keeps the walk home calm.

Best for

Ages

4 to 10 years old

Group size

2 to 8 kids, with one adult per two or three children

Duration

45 to 90 minutes, depending on the length of the walking route