Music bingo › For children

Music bingo for children at a kids party

Music bingo works with children because nothing needs explaining: you hear a song, you recognise it, you cross it off. No reading skill or music knowledge required, only recognition.

The trick is to keep it small and short. A 3 by 3 card and a twenty-minute round match the attention span. Three short rounds with a small prize each beat one long sitting.

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Small card, short round, quick winner

With nine squares a row fills up within a few songs. That gives quick success and keeps the mood up. Afterwards you can simply play another round with the same cards and a different win pattern.

Music from films, series and the radio

Children mostly recognise what they hear often: film music, series and radio hits. Ask beforehand which songs are favourites and put those in, and the game is right from the start.

Letting young and old play together

At a family party you can mix in songs the parents and grandparents know. The children recognise the modern hits, the older guests the old ones, and nobody feels left out.

Example songs for this theme

For inspiration: these are songs that tend to work well with this theme. You are not tied to any of them — you build your own list, so use them, extend them or ignore them completely.

• Let It Go — Frozen
• Baby Shark — Pinkfong
• Happy — Pharrell Williams
• Can't Stop the Feeling — Justin Timberlake
• We Don't Talk About Bruno — Encanto
• Shake It Off — Taylor Swift
• Waka Waka — Shakira
• Under the Sea — The Little Mermaid

How to make this music bingo yourself

From playlist to music bingo night

Traditional bingo is built on numbers; this game is built on songs, and that twist is what makes it fun. Nobody looks up a number: people listen to the opening seconds, recognise the hit and players mark it off. You do not need a professional host or a trivia round to lift a room, because the music does it for you. Most people know far more songs than they think.

Work out first what the evening should be. A short game of three rounds is perfect before dinner; a complete night of 90 minutes suits a party, a company event or a musical theme night. Whether your crowd grew up on the 90s or on last summer's charts, use their own music instead of a generic list: the best selection is the one where every player recognises something — a classic, a guilty pleasure, a recent hit. That is what gets people out of their seats.

The format is easy. Create the list, choose the card size and the win pattern, and hand everyone a card with the song titles printed on it. Each song is played once, in a random order. The first person to fill a whole line shouts bingo, and the host verifies that call with the code along the side. Guests without paper join online at bingobanger.party with your game code. Small prizes per round keep the energy up, and they do not have to be expensive.

Questions, or want a hand hosting your first game? Email robin@kreatrix.nl and we will reply within a working day. The app is free, six cards included.

Frequently asked questions

From what age does music bingo work?

From roughly four years old, provided you use short titles or pictures and choose a small card.

How long should a round last?

Twenty minutes is usually enough for children. Play several short rounds instead.

How many songs do I need?

About 25 songs for twenty minutes.

Can children play on their own phone?

They can via bingobanger.party, but at a kids party printed cards and a pen usually work better.

More music bingo

Browse the other themes, or read on the main page how to make your own music bingo in ten minutes.

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