One tradition that our family has had for as long as I can remember is going to look at Christmas lights. Over the years some of the demonstrations and decorations have become very extensive and so much fun to watch. So instead of just sitting in the car driving around or even finding a place to get out and walk around, I thought it would be fun to make a Christmas Light Scavenger Hunt that is a family bingo to see who can spot Christmas Decorations the best!
How to Play Christmas Decorations Family Bingo
Print out the free printables that I have attached in this post. If you have more than four people playing, you will have to either assign the same cards to multiple people (because they still may not spot the same decorations) OR you can print out a few extra and cut them into different rows and columns to combine cards.
Everyone needs to have a pen or pencil. So they can mark off each decoration or item of the Christmas season they see. If you would like to make sure no one is cheating, you can make sure that each person writes down where they saw that item. That is totally up to you though.
The point of the Family Bingo game is to not only spend time as a family and have fun, but to get out of the house. So go walk around a mall or a park, drive around your town, or do whatever you have to in order to get your 5 in a row, spelling “LIGHT!”
The winner must announce “LIGHT” and then prove that they got five spaces in a row.
Get the Free Christmas Scavenger Hunt Printable
Variations of the Christmas Bingo Game
Group Play
If you do not want to have anyone with the same card but do not want to cut strips to make more than 4, then you can team up! 2 or more sets of eyes makes it easier to find what you’re looking for and could be a fun way to play together! It’s easier as a scavenger hunt and not bingo when playing this way. That is because everyone would be in different parts of the city. And since multiple people will be brainstorming where they might see a certain decoration, filling the whole board is much more fun than just five.
Photo and/or Video Scavenger Hunt
Especially for church youth groups or larger groups, making the bingo game a photo scavenger hunt is a fun way to play!
Divide into as many groups as needed, ensuring each group has safe and reliable transportation (and a full gas tank) to complete the mission. Because teams will be sent out in every direction to find each item, you can use different bingo cards or a copy of just one and there is no need to have only 4 groups for the bingo cards.
Have a charged camera or camcorder on hand for each group. You can either require pictures with each item found, or that the entire journey is captured on video to then watch the shenanigans when it’s all over.
First one to finish the whole card and get back to “base” wins.
Go through pictures and videos as a whole group. This no only ensures that the winning group really won, but it is a fun way to spend time together as a whole group, have some laughs, and enjoy it just a little bit more!
“Snowed-In (Blackout)”
Play the whole bingo card and instead of being called Blackout, when the winner announces they have their board complete, they announce”I’m all snowed in!”.
If you really are snowed in…
Family Movie Marathon Night
So if you really are snowed in and there is no way to get out and play the scavenger hunt around town, make a family movie marathon night/day where you watch the millions of Christmas movies out there. While watching, you can play the bingo and scavenger hunt game by what is seen in the movies.
Hide the objects yourself
Finally, you can also play the game (for the most part) by hiding objects around the house for the kids to find and play the bingo game. While the bingo card may need some tweaking for this, it’s a fun way to play when trapped inside from inclement weather.
Other Family Christmas Posts that might Interest you
Festive Family Blog Hop
7 Christmas toddler play activities
DIY Snowflakes garland
Lego Christmas Activities
Create Time Capsule Christmas Ornaments with Kids
Outdoor Christmas Tree
Snowflake Template Roundup
Kara is an author and advocate for positive, grace-filled parenting. She is homeschooler to her 5 children living on a farm in New England. She believes in creative educational approaches to help kids dive deeper into a rich learning experience and has her degree in Secondary Education & Adolescent Childhood Development. She is passionate about connecting with and helping other parents on their journey to raise awesome kids!
[…] Christmas Scavenger Hunt from ALLterNATIVE Learning […]