Carful

Camping bingo

Camping bingo covers the whole trip: the drive in, with firewood signs and kayaks on car roofs, and the campsite, with chipmunks, hammocks and the first star after dark. Each kid gets a different card on one phone, or print the set before you lose signal.

Card size

Card 1: 0 of 16 marked

Tap a square when you spot it. Tap it again to unmark.

BINGO!

Card 1 has a full line.

Clear card 1?

Every mark on this card goes. You can undo for a few seconds.

A passenger runs the game. The driver only answers out loud.

Two halves: the drive and the campsite

The first squares fill on the way. The last hour before a state park or national forest brings brown park signs, bait and tackle shops, hand-lettered ice and firewood signs, and trailers and pop-up campers heading the same way. Kids who start their card in the car arrive with three or four squares marked, and the rest of the card gives them a reason to look around camp instead of asking for the tablet.

At camp the game slows down, which suits it. Keep one card going for the whole stay. A raccoon near the trash, an owl hooting and a shooting star belong to the evening and the night, so a blackout card is often finished on the last morning.

Camping bingo tips

  • Print before you go. Many campgrounds have no cell service. The phone version keeps working once loaded, but a printed card in a zip-top bag survives dew, mud and marshmallow fingers.
  • Firewood is a sign square. Many parks ask campers to buy firewood near where they burn it, so tree pests don’t travel in the trunk. Spotting the sign is enough.
  • Wildlife from a distance. A bear, snake or moose counts when you see it from the car or from far away. Nobody walks closer to confirm.
  • Night squares. Shooting stars are most frequent during the Perseids, which peak around August 12. On a clear night that week, away from town lights, twenty minutes on your back usually shows one.

Every square in this set

Common: you’ll see these most hours

Firewood for sale sign, Kayak on a car roof, Brown park or forest sign, Travel trailer, RV, Ice for sale sign, Ranger station, Campfire, Tent, Picnic table, Folding camp chair, Pine tree, Pinecone, Squirrel, Chipmunk, Cooler, Lantern or headlamp, Hammock between trees, Dog on a leash, Bathhouse, Water spigot, Roasting a marshmallow, Towels drying on a line, Mushroom, Trailhead sign.

Uncommon: a few per drive

Pop-up camper, Bait and tackle sign, Smokey Bear fire sign, Camp host site, Bear-proof trash can, RV dump station sign, Someone fishing, Canoe on the water, Woodpecker, Frog or toad, Raccoon, Deer, Park ranger, Bear warning sign.

Rare: the ones that end a blackout

Owl hooting, Shooting star, Waterfall, Snake, Bear, Moose or elk.

Questions parents ask

What should be on a camping bingo card?

Mix things every campground has, such as a tent, a picnic table and a campfire, with harder finds like a woodpecker, a bear-proof trash can or a shooting star. This set has 45 squares tagged common, uncommon or rare, and every card gets a balanced mix.

Is camping bingo good for young kids?

Yes, from about age four with a 3×3 card and an adult reading the squares aloud. Chipmunks, squirrels, tents and campfires fill a small card within the first hour at camp.

Can you play camping bingo with no cell service?

Yes, if you open the page before you lose signal. Marking squares works offline. For paper cards, download the PDF at home, because building it loads one extra file.

How long does a game of camping bingo last?

A line on a 4×4 card usually comes on the afternoon you arrive. A 5×5 blackout often runs across a weekend, because the night squares and the wildlife hold out.