Free Printable Birthday Bingo Cards for Kids and Adults

Birthday parties need a game that works in a living room, a backyard or a restaurant’s party room, with guests who range from first graders to grandparents. Bingo is that game. Everyone gets the same chance, nobody gets tagged out, and the birthday kid can run the whole thing.

How do you play birthday bingo?

The host calls party words one at a time, and players mark them until someone has five in a row.

1. Print one card per guest from the generator above.
2. Cut the calling list at the bottom of this page into slips and drop them in a bowl or party hat.
3. The birthday child (or a parent) draws a slip and reads it out: “Sprinkles!”
4. Players mark the square with a crayon, sticker, candy or bingo marker.
5. The first player with a full row, column or diagonal shouts “Bingo!” Check the card against the slips that have been drawn.

The center square is free, so each line needs four or five matching words depending on whether it crosses the middle.

How many birthday bingo cards do I need?

One card per player, plus a few extras for siblings who show up unexpectedly. A party of 12 kids needs about 15 cards. If parents are staying, print cards for them too. The generator creates a different card for each player, so there are no ties caused by duplicate cards.

Tips for kids’ birthday bingo

• Use edible markers. Mini marshmallows, M&M’s or Cheerios make great markers. Just ask parents about allergies first.
• Read slowly and show the slip. Younger kids are still learning to read, so hold up the word as you call it.
• Pair up small kids. Four- and five-year-olds do better sharing a card with an older buddy.
• Keep games short. Play single-line rounds of about 10 minutes, then switch to cake or the next activity.
• Everyone wins something. At kids’ parties, have small prizes for every player and a “bonus” prize for actual winners.

Birthday bingo for adults

Adult birthdays, especially milestones like 40, 50 or 60, are a great time for personalized bingo. Use the custom bingo card generator to enter facts about the guest of honor: their first car, favorite TV show, college mascot or famous sayings. Guests mark squares as stories get told during toasts. For a gentler, nostalgic version, try our memory lane bingo cards.

Game variations

• Pattern rounds. After a straight line, play four corners or the letter X.
• Blackout finale. End with a full-card blackout right before cake, with the biggest prize.
• Musical bingo. Play a few seconds of party songs and have players mark “Music”, “Dancing” or “Sing” when they hear them, mixing in the regular calls.

What prizes are good for birthday bingo?

For kids: stickers, bouncy balls, slap bracelets, bubbles, small Lego sets or extra candy for the goody bag. For adults: fancy chocolate, mini bottles of hot sauce, a $10 coffee gift card or a joke “over the hill” trophy. See more in our bingo prize ideas.

Planning a bigger evening with several rounds? Our guide on how to host a bingo night covers seating, calling pace and tie rules.