Halloween Bingo Cards for Costume Parties and Classrooms

The word list

These squares aim for fun-spooky rather than frightening. Check your group and remove anything that might upset a young or sensitive child, and add costume ideas that will actually appear at your party.

How to play Halloween bingo

Halloween parties go from calm to wild in minutes, so bingo works best as the anchor activity at the start or end, when children need to sit and a grown-up needs a minute to breathe. It also suits a front step after trick-or-treating, when everyone sorts candy and wants a game that uses their loot.

1. Give each player a card and a small pile of markers. Candy corn, pumpkin seeds, plastic spiders and orange paper circles all fit the theme. Wrapped candy is tempting but gets eaten, so save it for prizes.
2. Call squares in a spooky voice, or hold up props such as a rubber bat or a small pumpkin for younger players.
3. Players cover each match, and the first with a complete line shouts "Boo!" or says the party's secret word.
4. Verify the covered squares, then let the winner choose from the prize bowl.
5. Clear the cards and begin again with the next caller, who might be a witch, a ghost or a dinosaur in costume.

Each round can last under ten minutes, which suits a school party with several other stations.

Spooky variations

Costume contest bingo

Draw squares from the costumes in the room. Guests cover a square when they spot a costume that matches, such as a pirate, a witch or a superhero. It encourages mingling and ends with a natural moment for awards.

Haunted walk

Take the cards on a lit neighborhood stroll. Children tick off squares as they spot porch pumpkins, cobwebs and glowing windows. Stay together and carry flashlights, and keep to the sidewalk.

Mystery potion bingo

Fill a cauldron with small objects in the shapes of squares, such as a rubber spider or a plastic bat. Children pull out an object in turn, and anyone with the matching square covers it.

Quiet classroom version

For teachers who want a calm break from sugar, use the 3x3 grid and restrict squares to nature items such as an owl, a pumpkin and a full moon.

Tips for a smooth party

Think about the range of ages. Preschoolers prefer cartoonish, funny items such as a friendly monster and a pumpkin face, while older children like a bit of a shiver. You can print two lists and offer a gentle card and a spookier card.

Allergies matter at Halloween. Use non-food markers and prizes when you can, and ask families about nut allergies before the event. Teal pumpkin treats, such as stickers and small toys, are an inclusive choice that many families appreciate.

Keep the lights on. A dim room is fun, but children cannot see the squares in the dark, so use string lights or lanterns near the tables.

Use a free space for a surprise, like a bat sticker on the card that the child can add themselves. It gives a small win to every player at the start. If bingo is one station among several, our guide to Halloween party games for kids plans a 90 minute party around it.

Printing for the party

Black and orange paper looks great but hides the text, so print on white or pale yellow and let the colors come from your decorations. Turn on ink saver if you want a plain black grid with less ink.

Choose two cards per page for kindergarten and first grade, and four per page for older children. If you have a big group, print the caller sheet on one sheet and read from it so you do not have to draw slips.

Cardstock stands up to sticky candy fingers. A sheet protector turns a card into a wipe-clean game, and a marker works on it as well as a counter.