How to Play Human Bingo

Getting to know other people can be tough, especially in a large group. Sometimes, just getting people to talk to one another can foster a social environment and make people feel more at ease. Human Bingo is a great icebreaker game to play with a group of 25 people or more. To start the game, make your Bingo sheets, hand them out, and let your players mingle with each other as they learn more about one another.

[Edit]Steps

[Edit]Making the Bingo Cards

1. Make a card with 5 x 5 boxes for each person at the gathering. Use a ruler to mark out blank boxes on a piece of paper. You can use a pen, pencil, or marker, as long as your lines stand out. Make a few extras in case more people show up.^[1]
   
   • You can create a Word document on your computer with a grid and then print it out if you’d like to make these cards quickly.
2. Mark the center as a “FREE SPACE” to copy real Bingo. Just like typical Bingo, the center box is a “free space,” meaning that box doesn’t need to be marked off during the game. This is optional, and it can make your game go by faster.^[2]
   
3. Fill in each blank box with a characteristic, life fact, or experience. The goal of this game is for people to get to know each other. Choose some situations or experiences that you think people at your gathering will be able to relate to.^[3]For example:
   
   • Owns a pet
   • Likes anchovies
   • Speaks multiple languages
   • Has more than 4 siblings
   • Has never been on a plane
   • Has been to Hawaii
   • Rides a motorcycle
   • Plays a musical instrument
   • Was born in June
   • Does yoga
   • Plays football

[Edit]Explaining the Rules

1. Hand out a Bingo sheet and a pen to each person. As the people of your gathering show up, have them grab a Bingo sheet that you made and a writing utensil. Make sure that every person gets an individual sheet.^[4]
   
   • You can also pass out the sheets once everyone is sitting down and settled at your gathering.
2. Tell the group to sign people’s cards if they relate to a situation in the box. Explain to the group of people that they will be walking around and talking to each other. Have them ask other people if they can relate to the prompts in the box, and then sign or initial the box that they relate to.^[5]
   
3. Have each person in the group only sign everyone’s sheet once. The goal of this game is to get to know one another, so the people in your gathering should talk to as many other people as possible. Each person should talk to at least 5 people to get enough signatures.^[6]
   
   • Some people may relate to more than 1 situation in a box, but explain that they can only sign everyone’s sheet once.
4. Tell your players to shout “Bingo!” when they’ve gotten 5 signatures in a line. Just like classic Bingo, the game is over when someone gets 5 of their boxes “filled” with a signature. The row can be diagonal, horizontal, or vertical, but it must be a straight line.^[7]
   
   • If you want to customize this game, have your players shout something besides “Bingo,” like your company name or the mascot of your school.

[Edit]Starting and Stopping the Game

1. Tell everyone to “Go!” and begin the game. You can set a time limit for your players if you want to, but you don’t have to. With a large group, Human Bingo should take no longer than 15 minutes for someone to win.^[8]
   
   • If you are leading the group, feel free to join in on the game. This will help you get to know your players better.
   • If your players feel awkward or the game is slow to start, try encouraging everyone with a small prize for the winner, like candy or extra credit points.
2. Stop the game when someone shouts “Bingo!” The first person to shout “Bingo” is the first potential winner. Have everyone pause when the first shout is heard.^[9]
   
   • You can have everyone sit back down, or you can stay standing until the winner has been double checked.
3. Have the person who shouted read out their line of names and situations. In order to double check a winner, get them to read out the list of names that they have in a line. Use a blank Bingo sheet of your own to see if they line up.^[10]
   
4. Get the people who signed each situation to elaborate on why they signed. This game is all about getting to know other people. If the person who shouted “Bingo!” is a winner, have the 5 people whose signatures are in a line explain why they signed which box.^[11]
   
   • For example, if Tom Smith signed a box that said “Loves spicy food,” ask Tom how spicy he can tolerate and what his favorite spicy food is.

[Edit]References

1. ↑ https://www.icebreakers.ws/large-group/did-you-know-bingo.html
2. ↑ http://www.howdoyouplay.net/icebreakers/how-to-play-people-bingo.html
3. ↑ https://www.icebreakers.ws/large-group/did-you-know-bingo.html
4. ↑ https://www.icebreakers.ws/large-group/did-you-know-bingo.html
5. ↑ http://www.instruction.greenriver.edu/esolfac/course_materials/L6/GettingStarted/Human_Bingo.pdf
6. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUvmHEd7oqU&feature=youtu.be&t=29
7. ↑ https://www.icebreakers.ws/large-group/did-you-know-bingo.html
8. ↑ https://www.icebreakers.ws/large-group/did-you-know-bingo.html
9. ↑ http://www.howdoyouplay.net/icebreakers/how-to-play-people-bingo.html
10. ↑ http://www.howdoyouplay.net/icebreakers/how-to-play-people-bingo.html
11. ↑ https://www.icebreakers.ws/large-group/did-you-know-bingo.html