How to Host a Family Bingo Night

Looking for a fun family game night idea? What about a Family Bingo Night? Learn how to make your family bingo game night a success. Roughly 30 minutes is all you need for a couple of rounds of fun! This conversation was sponsored by Cascade at Sam’s Club. All opinions are my own.

Bingo has always been my favorite game to play. My mom and I would often spend time together in Bingo halls enjoying a night out with fun prizes and food. I thought it would be fun to take the joy and anticipation of bingo and make a regular Family Bingo Night at our home.

Making a family friendly bingo night is a lot easier than you think. But time might be the biggest thing getting in your way. Due to the recent times, my kids have been home and wracking up the dishes faster than any bingo card could fill up.

Every time I go to the kitchen, the sink has more, and more dishes in it. My kids use a new cup every time they want a drink. That equates to like 30 cups a day. I wish I was kidding but sadly I am not–maybe, you can relate?

However, rather than wash multiple sinks of dishes a day, I started using my dishwasher again. I used to think washing my dishes by hand was the way to go, but NOPE! That myth of saving water by hand washing dishes has officially been debunked! Plus, it helps save time for more fun things.

Did you know that you use 4 gallons of water every 2 minutes when washing your dishes by hand at a running sink vs using less than 4 gallons of water for an entire dishwashing cycle? And you can save water by washing as few as 8 dishes in the dishwasher. Crazy stuff, huh?

We love not only our dishwasher but Cascade Platinum ActionPacs from Sam’s Club because they are tough on stuck-on and greasy messes. ALL our dishes, utensils, pots, and pans come out squeaky clean after using this product. Be sure to always store your ActionPacs in a safe place away from the kids.

What would you do with an extra 30 minutes each day?

If you could spend an extra 30 minutes a day while your dishwasher ran and washed all your dishes what would you do? For me, it is more like saving an hour a day since I was washing so many things ALL day.

Now, I just need to teach my teenager how to properly load the dishwasher, but that is something for another day!

My kids have gotten into the groove of playing a nightly “after dinner” bingo session. We try to limit it to 2-4 cards played which equals about 30 minutes. We play while the sweet sound of the dishwasher hums and save both money and my sanity.

Family Bingo Game Night Tips

Food – Light bites like Homemade Caramelized Onion dip, Sausage Pull-Apart Bread, and sweets like these Peanut Butter Brownies are always a hit with the family.

Bingo Game- We love this deluxe model which features a cage and cards. The number drawer can also play which makes it super fun for all. There are plenty of cards to mix up the experience with multiple players.

Prizes- Bingo is fun for all ages so I try to make my prizes fit all ages. Sometime we play for cash money (depending on who is here), but most times it is kid-friendly stuff. Since it is 3 against 2 one of our kids usually wins.

I have created a bingo prize gift basket for the winner to choose their prize. I think this makes it fair for all that are playing so one of us adults doesn’t end up with something like a bubble wand.

You can play for small money amounts, candy prizes, coupon vouchers for “no chores days”, small gift cards, or “one hour of extra screen time”. Prizes do not have to cost anything.

Bingo Card Ideas

Depending on who is playing, you could offer players multiple cards to play at once, or a single game card to keep track of.

Besides the average one line of bingo, you can easily mix up the cards styles. Here are some ideas about different bingo game plays for a winning game. The possibilities are abundant and can be varied, but here are our favorites for the kids.

Four Corners- Participants must fill each corner number for a total of four numbers. Or, you could have them fill four corner blocks of four.

Postage Stamp- A block of four number filled in the upper right hand corner of the card.

Picture Frame- All outside borders must be completely filled in making a frame around the card.

Cross- Using the free space players must make a cross in the center of the card for a total of 5 spots filled.

Crazy L- Participants must form a L shape using only the borders of the card.

Crazy T– Participants must form a T using the top or bottom row and connect it via the center line of the card.

Letter X- A letter x must be formed on the card.

Letter T- A capital T must be formed on the card upright.

Bottomless- The bottom two rows are left empty and the top 3 must be completely filled in.

Full Card- Every number on the card must be filled to win a grand prize.

As you can see, using the extra time you save by running your dishwasher with Cascade Platinum ActionPacs (versus hand-washing multiple dish loads) can pay off with some much-needed family bingo fun.

Where to buy

Be sure to head to your local Sam’s Club or shop Sam’s Club online here to pick up 92-count Cascade Platinum ActionPacs for a great price. We opted for online delivery, but if you shop in-club be sure to follow safety guidelines. You can also choose contactless pickup, or use Scan & GO technology in-club.