How to play find someone who bingo in class
There's no caller: everyone stands up, walks and talks. One rule makes it work. A person can sign only one square on your card, so students have to meet several classmates instead of filling a card at one table with a best friend.
- Pick a set and a card sizeGrades 3–8 play on 4×4 cards, or 5×5 in classes of 25 or more. K–2 classes play the read-aloud version on 3×3 cards. In Card style, rename the free space "Your name" so each player writes their own name in the middle.
- Print one card per pageBig squares leave room for initials. Turn off the caller's sheet, since there's nothing to call, unless you're playing the K–2 version, where you read the squares aloud from it.
- Teach the rules in 30 secondsAsk, don't show: read the square as a question ("Do you have a library card?"). One square per person. Sign only if it's true. Add a fourth if you like: ask one follow-up question before you sign. The table below has one for every square; read a few aloud as examples.
- Mingle for 8–10 minutesStart a 10-minute countdown on the classroom timer. The first player with a full row, column or diagonal calls bingo, but let everyone keep going until time's up, so quieter students get to meet more people.
- Check and shareThe winner reads the line aloud: "Sam can name all 8 planets." Each named person stands and answers the follow-up for the class. Close by asking a few students for one new thing they learned about someone.
Small class or small group?
A 5×5 card has 24 squares to sign, so a full card needs 24 other people. In a group smaller than 25, play to a line, use 4×4 (15 squares) or 3×3 (8 squares) cards, or let each person sign two squares on a card.
Find someone who prompts, with a follow-up question for each
Four sets of low-risk squares. None ask about family, money, home, religion, health, bodies, birthdays or trips; food is left out, and pets appear only as likes ("Likes dogs"), never as owning one. The follow-up questions stay on this page, not on the cards: they turn a signature into a short conversation.
| Square | Follow-up question to ask |
|---|---|
| 🎨 Likes to paint | What colors do you like to paint with? |
| 🧱 Likes to build | What's the tallest thing you have built? |
| 🦕 Likes dinosaurs | Which dinosaur is your favorite? |
| 🎵 Likes to sing | What song do you like to sing? |
| 💃 Likes to dance | What song makes you want to dance? |
| 📚 Likes stories | What story should we read next? |
| 🐱 Likes cats | What would you name a cat? |
| 🐶 Likes dogs | What would you name a dog? |
| 🚀 Likes space | Would you rather visit the Moon or Mars? |
| 🐛 Likes bugs | What's the coolest bug you have seen? |
| ☀️ Likes sunny days | What do you play outside on a sunny day? |
| 🌧️ Likes rainy days | What do you like about rain? |
| 🖍️ Likes to color | Crayons or markers? |
| 🔵 Likes blue best | Can you find something blue in our room? |
| 🟢 Likes green best | Can you find something green in our room? |
| 🔤 Can sing the ABCs | Can you start the song for us? |
| 🔢 Can count to 20 | Can you count to 20 with the class? |
| 😂 Knows a knock-knock joke | Can you tell it to us? |
| 🧩 Likes puzzles | Big puzzles or little ones? |
| 🤖 Likes robots | What job would your robot do? |
| 🐠 Likes sea animals | Which sea animal do you like best? |
| 🍂 Likes fall best | What do you like about fall? |
| ❄️ Likes winter best | What do you like about winter? |
| 🌷 Likes spring best | What starts to grow in spring? |
| 🌻 Likes summer best | What do you like about summer? |
| 🤝 Helped a friend today | How did you help? |
| 👋 Can say hi in 2 languages | Can you teach us a new way to say hi? |
| ⚽ Likes to play ball | What ball game do you like? |
| Square | Follow-up question to ask |
|---|---|
| Has a library card | What did you check out last? |
| Can name 3 state capitals | Which three? Can you find them on a map? |
| Can say hello in 2 languages | Can you teach me one? |
| Has read a book twice | Which book, and why was it worth a second read? |
| Knows a good riddle | Ask me, and give me 10 seconds to guess. |
| Can name all 8 planets | Can you say them in order from the Sun? |
| Likes to draw | What do you draw most often? |
| Likes math puzzles | What's the best puzzle you've solved? |
| Has planted a seed | What did it grow into? |
| Has a favorite author | Which of their books should I read first? |
| Likes to build things | What's the best thing you've built? |
| Knows how to play chess | How does the knight move? |
| Likes rainy days | What's the best thing to do on a rainy day? |
| Can name a famous scientist | What did that scientist discover? |
| Has written a poem | Do you remember a line from it? |
| Has your favorite subject | What do you both like about it? |
| Has your favorite color | What's the best thing that comes in that color? |
| Knows what a haiku is | How many syllables go in each line? (5, 7, 5) |
| Helped someone this week | What did you do? |
| Has a dream job | What would you need to learn for it? |
| Reads graphic novels | Which one should I try first? |
| Can draw a hexagon | How many sides does it have? (6) |
| Has a hobby to teach you | Can you teach me the first step? |
| Has a name as long as yours | Count the letters in your first names together. |
| Likes your favorite season | Which month of it is the best? |
| Can name the 7 continents | Which one is the biggest? (Asia) |
| Can name 3 kinds of clouds | Which three? (Cumulus, stratus and cirrus are common answers.) |
| Prefers nonfiction books | What topic do you like to read about? |
| Can explain what a noun is | Can you give me three examples? |
| Has drawn a map | A map of what? |
| Can fold a paper airplane | What's your best design? (Save the test flight for later.) |
| Would like to visit space | The Moon, Mars or a space station? |
| Knows a fun animal fact | What is it? |
| Can name an inventor | What did that inventor make? |
| Can name the 5 oceans | Which one is the biggest? (Pacific) |
| Can spell "necessary" | Spell it aloud. (One c, two s's.) |
| Square | Follow-up question to ask |
|---|---|
| Is new to our school | What has helped you most so far? |
| Has taught 2+ grade levels | Which grade surprised you most? |
| Has mentored a new teacher | What's your best advice for year one? |
| Has led a PD session | What was it about? |
| Tried a new lesson idea | How did it go, and would you do it again? |
| Has a go-to brain break | Can you teach it to us in 30 seconds? |
| Has a favorite read-aloud | Which grade does it work best for? |
| Uses a paper planner | What's your system? |
| Has a grading shortcut | Can you share it? |
| Coaches or runs a club | What do students love about it? |
| Has hosted a student teacher | What did you learn from it? |
| Read a professional book | Would you recommend it, and to whom? |
| Had a different career first | What carried over to school? |
| Keeps a plant alive at work | What's the secret? |
| Can recommend a podcast | Which episode should I start with? |
| Has organized a school event | What would you do differently next time? |
| Speaks two or more languages | How do you use them at school? |
| Observed a colleague's class | What idea did you take back to your room? |
| Has a favorite quote | What is it, and where is it from? |
| Loves a good spreadsheet | What's your most useful one? |
| Has worked at another school | What's one thing that school did well? |
| Has a tidy-desk system | What's the one rule of the system? |
| Has a calm-down strategy | What works best for students? |
| Uses music in class | What do you play, and when? |
| Has a favorite field trip | Where, and what made it work? |
| Learned a new skill lately | What was it, and how did you learn it? |
| Has a tip for family emails | What's your favorite opening line? |
| Has run a book club | What did the group read? |
| Has a go-to sub plan | What's always in it? |
| Has a tech tip to share | Can you show me in one minute? |
| Square | Follow-up question to ask |
|---|---|
| Has worked in two fields | What carried over from the first one? |
| Presented this month | What was it about? |
| Can recommend a book | Title, and one reason to read it? |
| Has a top keyboard shortcut | Can you teach it to me? |
| Has mentored someone | What did you learn from it? |
| Learned a skill online | Which one, and where did you learn it? |
| Started a new role this year | What has surprised you? |
| Has organized an event | What's your biggest lesson from it? |
| Uses a paper notebook | What goes in it? |
| Has a productivity trick | Can you share one? |
| Has volunteered this year | What kind of work was it? |
| Has worked remotely | What's your best tip for a remote day? |
| Led a meeting this week | What made it go well? |
| Likes spreadsheets | What's your favorite formula? |
| Has a favorite podcast | Which episode should I start with? |
| Works best in the morning | What do you save for mornings? |
| Has taught a workshop | What was the topic? |
| Has a 5-word job summary | Can you say it? |
| Has a favorite work tool | Why that one? |
| Read something useful lately | What's one takeaway? |
| Has a favorite icebreaker | Can we try it later? |
| Has written a how-to guide | What was it for? |
| Can greet in 3 languages | Can you teach me one? |
| Has a time-saving template | What's it for? |
| Has written some code | What did it do? |
| Has a desk plant | Does it have a name? |
| Has a brainstorming method | How does it work? |
| Has worked on another team | What did that team do well? |
8 ways to use find someone who bingo
First-day name game
On the first day, play the grades 3–8 set on 4×4 cards. Every line needs several different classmates, and you learn names fast by listening to who signs for whom during the check.
K–2: stand up if it's you
Read each square aloud from the caller's sheet. Children it fits stand up, and everyone marks the square once they can say the name of a standing friend. It practices names, and nobody needs to write.
Staff meeting opener
Hand out cards as staff arrive and give 7 minutes before the agenda. New staff get introduced without being put on the spot, and the follow-ups surface tips people can use the next day.
Workshop or team kickoff
For a mixed group at a training, the workshop set sticks to work habits, skills and recommendations. Play to one line, then have each table share the most useful tip they heard.
Students write the squares
Ask each student for one true, low-risk fact about themselves on an index card ("I can name every planet"). Screen the cards, type the best 30 into the card maker and print. Every student is now somebody's answer.
Make the follow-up the point
After the game, students write two sentences about one person they met, using the follow-up answer: "Ana has read a book twice. She says the second time you notice the clues." It doubles as a first-week writing sample.
Close with one shared question
End with a question everyone answers in a circle, spun on the get to know you wheel. Students who were quiet during the mingle get a turn to talk, with the whole class listening.
Open the get to know you wheelLonger PD: add an icebreaker round
For a half-day session, follow the bingo with one spun icebreaker question at each table. The bingo gets people moving; the question gets them talking about the work.
Find someone who bingo: frequently asked questions
What is find someone who bingo?
It's a mingling icebreaker, also called human bingo or people bingo. Each square describes something a person might be able to do, know or like, such as "can name 3 state capitals". Players walk around, ask each other the questions and collect a different person's initials or name in each square. The first to fill a row, column or diagonal wins. There's no caller, so it runs itself once the rules are clear.
What are good find someone who questions for students?
Things almost anyone could say yes to: skills learned at school (can name all 8 planets), favorites (likes rainy days), reading (has a favorite author) and small, kind actions (helped someone this week). Leave out family, money, home, religion, health, bodies, birthdays and trips. Those squares leave some students with nobody to find and put others on the spot, which is the opposite of what an icebreaker is for.
What are good human bingo questions for adults?
Keep them professional and light: work habits (uses a paper planner), skills (has a top keyboard shortcut), recommendations (can recommend a podcast) and experience at work (has mentored someone). Avoid age, family, health and politics, and anything that sorts people by money, like travel or homes. The staff and workshop sets here follow those rules, and each square has a follow-up question that keeps the talk useful.
What are the rules of find someone who bingo?
Read the square aloud as a question instead of handing your card over. Each person can sign only one square on your card, and you can't sign your own. Sign only if it's true. A row, column or diagonal of different people is a bingo, and the winner reads the line back while each named person confirms. Many teachers add one more rule: ask a follow-up question before you sign.
How long does find someone who bingo take?
Plan 10–15 minutes: about 2 minutes for the rules, 8–10 minutes of mingling and a few minutes to check the winner and share. End when the timer goes off, even if nobody has a bingo yet. The point is the conversations, so the winner can simply be whoever collected the most signatures.
Can I make human bingo cards with my own questions?
Yes. Clear the words in the card maker on this page and type one square per line, keeping each to a few words so there's room for initials. Use at least 24 squares for 5×5 cards; more give each card a different mix. Every card in the batch is different, the PDF is made on your device so nothing you type is uploaded, and you don't need an account.
How the cards are made
Each card's squares are shuffled with your browser's cryptographic random number generator (Web Crypto), so every card in a batch is different and no card is favored. With 36 words in this set, a 5×5 card uses 24 of them plus the free space.
The PDF is built on your device. Your words are never uploaded, and the calling list comes with the cards so you can check a winner in seconds.
- Generator
- Web Crypto (
crypto.getRandomValues), in your browser - Cards
- Every card in a batch is different
- Made on your device, never uploaded
- Your list
- Stays in this browser unless you share or save it