A while back, I finally tackled organizing the PTO storage closet at school.
Way in the back in an old copier paper box of all things, I found a huge stash of tear off sheet bingo cards.
They were at least 10 to 15 years old and yellowed, but they passed the sniff test.
Did I toss them?
Absolutely not.
You can bet I busted those out for our next bingo night.
That closet find taught me something about this event.
Bingo night is one of the easiest, most budget friendly family fun events your PTO can put on, mostly because so much of it can come from things you already have or can get donated.
Here is how I put one together, from prizes to snacks to the cleanup plan so you can literally copy and paste it for your school community.
What Kind of Bingo Night Are We Talking About?
Some school parent groups run bingo as a school fundraiser.
Families buy bingo cards or pay an entrance fee to play, and the prizes are cash or donated items like purses.
Those are totally valid fundraisers to consider if the gaming laws in your state allow them.
I have never done a paid bingo night, though.
What I have run is a kid and family bingo night where participation is free and there is no gambling.
It’s all for fun.
That is the version of a bingo night that this post covers, and it makes a great school family fun event.
Check Your Local Gaming Rules First
Before you print a single flyer to promote the PTO family fun night, look up the gaming rules for your area.
The rules might be different when there is no gambling involved, so it is worth finding out which category your night falls into.
I am a lawyer, but I’m not your lawyer, so think of this as a friendly reminder to check, not legal advice.
Publicizing your School Bingo Night
Once you’ve gotten the ok to move forward with your school bingo night, start publicizing it so you can assure families and students will show up to play.
Add it your PTO calendar of events, tell your newsletter chair to include it in emails to members, send home paper flyers promoting the free family fun event and post some around school too.
Need a flyer you can quickly adapt to promote your family fun event?
Snag our bingo night flyer template!
Pick the Cafeteria
The cafeteria is the ideal spot for your PTO’s bingo night for school families and students.
There are plenty of tables and chairs, and any drink spills wipe right up since the floor is likely not carpeted.
My second choice to host bingo night in would be the gymnasium since it’s also not carpeted, but the space will be loud and amplify voices since the walls and floor won’t absorb any noise.
If all else, fails, you can pull off a bingo night in the school library, but it’s the worst option of the bunch.
The library likely is carpeted, so I’d use that space only if the cafeteria or gym aren’t available since it’ll be the hardest one to clean up spills.
Get Prizes Without Blowing the Budget
Prizes do not have to cost much, and some of them can cost nothing at all.
Here are the places I would start:
Visit your local bookstores or Half Price Books.
Ask if they will donate kids books.
One store donated many boxes of fantastic choices and even our upper elementary school kids absolutely loved choosing a book as a prize.
They were actually very excited about the books more so than any of the other prizes, which was very refreshing and surprising!
Dive back into your PTO’s storage closet at school and dig out leftover fundraiser prizes.
This is the perfect way to clear out and begin to organize the PTO storage closet and also get the prizes into the hands of kids who will enjoy them.
If you have a budget for the bingo night family fun event, hit up a dollar store.
The toy aisle will have lots of fun prize options.
I chose things like funny ginormous sunglasses, jump ropes, eyeglass and big nose disguises, giant erasers, bouncy balls and jack games set, among others.
They were all hits with the kids.
Be sure to have some prizes for adults too.
Ask the bookstore for a small selection of adult titles and grab some things adults would like from the dollar store while you’re there closing prizes for the students.
One Rule for Leftover Fundraiser Prizes
If you use prizes left over from past fundraisers, do not use prizes from a fundraiser held in the same school year as your bingo night.
It dilutes the specialness of the prize for the kids who earned it by taking part in that fundraiser.
And next year, those kids may be less likely to try to earn the same prize if they think they can just wait and win it for free at a PTO event.
Snacks That Double as Bingo Markers
Skittles can be your bingo markers and your snack at the same time.
Just have plenty on hand, and tell the kids to keep some for marking their cards or they will not be able to play (the temptation is real).
If you use real plastic markers instead, skip any snack that leaves sticky fingers.
Washing sticky plastic markers is a pain and pulling out a container of stuck together chips is gross.
A few other inexpensive snack ideas are popcorn or chips.
Popcorn is going to be the most cost efficient way to give everyone a tasty treat on a minimal budget.
Bingo Cards, Callers, and Other Supplies
You can buy bingo cards in bulk.
Or, like me, check your storage closet first.
Don’t have an old school bingo ball roller?
There is an app or website for that.
Websites and mobile apps can randomly select the numbers for your caller.
The Cleanup Trick I Never Skip
Ask your custodian if you can borrow a few large trash cans on wheels.
Position them around the room where parents and kids can see them.
Then make a quick ask for everyone to clean up their space before they leave.
When the cans are out in plain view, almost everyone follows through, and your family fun chair and their team have very little left to do.
If the cans are not out, there is no easy way for people to clean up after themselves.
That puts more work on you and your volunteers.
Bingo Night Decorations: Why?
It’s really not necessary to decorate for bingo night.
But if the spirit moves you to do so, go for it.
But if not, don’t worry about it.
I would rather see your budget (and your energy) go toward nailing all of the other aspects of the event, like publicizing it a ton to boost attendance and getting fantastic prizes.
Bingo Night Ideas for Different Grade Levels
I have run this event at the lower and upper elementary school levels.
Older kids would like it too, you will just need to tweak the prizes.
The overall vibe of the night is literally fun and games, so it is a good outing for everyone.
Bingo Night FAQs
Do you need a license to run a school bingo night?
It depends on where you live and how you run the night.
Gaming rules vary by state and locality, and the rules might be different if there is no gambling involved.
Check with your local gaming authority before you start planning.
What supplies do you need for a school bingo night?
You need bingo cards, markers (Skittles work great), a caller, prizes, and a few snacks.
Add a few large trash cans on wheels so cleanup is easy at the end.
What if you do not have a bingo ball roller?
Use a website or mobile app.
The caller can use it to randomly select the numbers, so no old school ball roller is required.
What can you use as bingo markers?
Skittles are a fun option because kids can snack on the extras.
If you use plastic markers, pick snacks that will not leave messy fingers, since washing sticky markers is a pain.
Have hand sanitizer on hand and encourage everyone to use it often to keep hands and marker chips clean.
What grade levels is bingo night good for?
I have run a bingo night for lower and upper elementary students (Kindergarten through Grade 6) with great success.
It’s a simple game that everyone can participate in without having to remember many rules.
Older kids enjoy bingo too, you will just want to adjust the prizes to fit their age and maybe incorporate a dress up theme to make it even more fun.
Over to You
A free, no gambling bingo night comes down to a handful of things: a cafeteria, donated and leftover prizes, snacks that double as markers, a caller with an app, and trash cans where everyone can see them.
Check your local gaming rules, then take a peek in your own storage closet, because you may already own half of what you need.
Your next step if a bingo night is in your future: pick a date and drop bingo night onto your calendar.
Our free 12 month planning calendar gives you a spot to map out every event for the year.
And if bingo night goes well, my posts on planning a school family movie night and a trunk or treat event are great next events to put on the calendar too.
