Lunar New Year Bingo Cards (free printable!)
Print and play Lunar New Year Bingo Cards are a great way to celebrate or as part of a lesson to learn more about the holiday.
Bingo is one of those games everyone loves. It’s easy for young children to understand, as well as for those with reduced cognitive abilities. Perfect for families to have fun together!
You’ll only need a few supplies to play the Lunar New Year bingo game, plus some prizes for the winners if you’d like to use them. I’ve listed plenty of tips and suggestions here to help you plan ahead.
Free Printable Lunar New Year Bingo Cards
These festive Lunar New Year bingo cards are filled with images of traditional holiday items like red envelopes, Peking duck, and Emperors coins. For interactive learning about the holiday, describe each icon’s meaning in the celebration as you pull the calling cards during the game.
The calling card sheet has pictures and labels for each of the 24 icons, making it easy for pre-readers to play along.
There are 6 unique cards in the free download, perfect for fun family game or small groups needing a fun Chinese New Year activity.
Bigger sets of 10 to 50 different cards are available in my online store for classrooms and other larger groups.
Setting Up for Chinese New Year Bingo
You’ll want to prepare your bingo game in advance. It won’t take long, but it’s easier to have everything ready when you’re ready to begin playing.
First, download and print the free Lunar New Year bingo sheets and calling card page. The sheets are designed 2 per US letter size page to save paper and printing costs.
Mid-weight white cardstock is my favorite for bingo printables. It’s more durable than standard printer paper, so you can reuse the cards multiple times. Printer paper will also work, but expect them to last only one day of use.
You can download the free printable file near the bottom of this post.
Cut apart the bingo game boards and calling cards. I use a paper cutter for speed and straight edges, but scissors will work too.
You’ll need something to use as bingo markers (think inexpensive, small items like candies, prosperity coins, or punched color cardstock circles)
*tip: laminating the bingo sheets using either a laminating machine or self-laminating envelopes will allow reusing the cards through the whole fall season, even year after year.
You can use dry erase markers on laminated bingo sheets, though I still find the bingo cards don’t last as nicely with all the erasing.
How to Play Lunar New Year Bingo
Most people have played a classic game of bingo before. But reviewing the rules is always a good idea, to avoid confusion and make sure everyone understands.
To play Bingo:
- Pass out bingo boards to each player or team. Place the calling cards in a bowl and mix them well.
- Give each player at least 25 bingo markers (more if using candy, since some will “mysteriously vanish” during the game.)
- Make sure each player places a marker on the free space in the center.
- As the bingo caller pulls a calling card from the bowl, players add a marker to the matching picture space.
- The first person to match 5 in a row (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally) shouts “BINGO!” and wins the game
All players then clear the game pieces from their boards to play again.
Alternative Bingo Winning Plays
Changing up the winning move from a single straight line is a great way to make this fun Lunar New Year game shorter or longer. Try these options:
- Four Corners– cover all 4 of the board corners
- X-OUT – match both diagonals through the center square
- Cris-Cross – match vertical and horizontal through the center square
- Make a Letter – try marking a T, L, O, or I to win
Bingo Prize Ideas
Kids love winning prizes (and really, so do adults!) Having prizes for your bingo game winners keeps everyone excited about playing longer.
Prizes can be themed or general, and should be tailored to the ages of your players. Try these ideas to start:
- Red money envelopes
- Dragon craft kit
- Chinese New Year books
- Small gift cards
- Stainless wine/coffee tumbler
For classrooms, anything that would work in a regular prize box will work for a game of Lunar New Year bingo. Try:
- Lunar New Year Stickers
- Brain teaser puzzles
- stress balls
- homework passes
More Holiday Bingo Games to Play
I have plenty of printable bingo games to choose from. Including these:
Valentines Day Bingo Printables
St Patrick’s Day Bingo Printables
Easter Bingo Printables
Download the Free Printable Lunar New Year Bingo Card Set
Download the free printable pdf file to your device using the orange button below, then print as many as you need for personal use. See full Terms of Use for printables.
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