New Year Bingo Game for Kids: Easy Rules, 5 Variations and Printable Picture Cards
A New Year bingo game is one of the easiest ways to bring the whole family to the table on 31 December. Nobody needs to read, the rules take a minute to explain, and even a three-year-old can win against grandpa. Here is how to play picture bingo with young children, five ways to vary it and what to use as markers.
How to play New Year picture bingo
- Hand out the cards. Each player gets one bingo card with 9 pictures in a 3×3 grid. Pictures work better than words for ages 3–7: a clock, a balloon, a party hat, a star, a present, a cake, fireworks, a snowflake, the moon, a party horn, a bell and confetti.
- Prepare the calling cards. Cut out one small card for every picture and put them all in a bowl, a hat or a party bag.
- Pick a caller. A grown-up – or an older child who can read – draws one calling card at a time and says the word out loud. Show the picture too, so the youngest can match it.
- Mark the picture. Anyone who has that picture on their card colours it in or covers it with a marker.
- Shout “Bingo!” The first player with three marked pictures in a row – across, down or diagonally – shouts “Bingo!” and wins the round. Check the card together, put the calling cards back and play again.
Five ways to vary the game
- Full card: instead of three in a row, play until someone has marked all 9 pictures. The round lasts longer – handy when you need to fill half an hour.
- Sound bingo: instead of saying the word, the caller makes a sound or a movement: ticking for the clock, “boom!” for fireworks, blowing for the party horn, ringing for the bell.
- Riddle bingo for ages 5–7: the caller gives a clue – “It has two hands but no fingers” (clock), “It is cold and falls from the sky” (snowflake). Children guess before they mark.
- Counting bingo: when a picture is called, everyone counts how many of that picture they can see in the room or on the table.
- Team bingo: a little one and a grown-up share one card. The child looks for the picture, the grown-up helps to colour.
Markers, prizes and practical tips
Markers: crayons work if each card is played only once. To play several rounds, print the cards on thicker paper and use buttons, dried pasta, small paper circles or chocolate coins as markers. Keep tiny markers away from children under 3.
Prizes: keep them small and fair – the right to choose the next song, to draw the next calling card or to wear the paper crown until the next round. If one child keeps losing, play “everybody wins”: the round ends only when every player has a line.
How many players: with 4 cards, up to 4 children or teams can play at once. With bigger groups – in a kindergarten or class – print two sets and let children play in pairs.
When to play: bingo is a calm game, so it fits well after a lively one like dance-and-freeze, or as the last game before the countdown. It also works the next morning, on New Year's Day, when everyone is a little tired.
Where to get printable New Year bingo cards
You can draw your own cards: fold a sheet of paper into 9 squares, draw a simple picture in each – a different mix on every card – and draw all 12 pictures again on small slips for the calling cards. Or use the New Year bingo in My New Year's Eve Party Pack: 4 picture cards and 12 calling cards with pictures and words, ready to print and cut out. The pack also has hourly countdown cards, a party hat and colouring pages – you will find more ideas in our guide to New Year's Eve activities for kids. To try the pack first, download the free sample with the first countdown cards and the party hat.
Have fun – and may the luckiest player get the first “Bingo!” of the new year.