How to play Thanksgiving bingo in class
One round takes about 10–15 minutes, so it fits the last afternoon before the break. The trick for a mixed-ability class is the picture: pre-readers match the emoji while readers check the word, so everyone plays the same game.
- Pick a set and a card sizeUse the picture set on 3×3 or 4×4 cards for PreK–1, and the word or history set on 5×5 cards for grades 2–5. A 5×5 card needs 24 words plus the free space; these sets have 26–32, so cards hold different words.
- Print and hand outPrint one card per student plus two or three spares, with the caller's sheet. Hand out counters (paper squares or buttons) or let students color each square they mark.
- Call one word at a timeSay the word, say it again, then wait about 10 seconds. With pre-readers, cut a second caller's sheet into slips and hold up each picture as you call it.
- Check the winner out loudA full row, column or diagonal is a bingo. The winner reads the line back while you check each word on your caller's sheet; reading it aloud is extra practice.
- Keep going, then save the cardsPlay on for second and third place, or switch to four corners or a full card. Slip the cards into sheet protectors and they'll last all week with dry-erase markers.
Mixed ages at one table?
Print a 3×3 batch and a 5×5 batch from the same set. Everyone hears the same calls, and the small cards need only three in a line, so the youngest players have a real chance to win first.
Thanksgiving and fall bingo words, with clues
Four sets, each with a one-line clue or fact for every square. Read the word to pre-readers; with older students, read the clue instead and let them work out the word. The fall set has no holiday words, so it works in any classroom.
| Square | Clue or fact |
|---|---|
| 🦃 Turkey | A big bird with a fan of tail feathers. Gobble, gobble! |
| 🥧 Pie | Pumpkin, apple or pecan: a sweet treat with a crust. |
| 🌽 Corn | Yellow kernels in rows on a cob. |
| 🥔 Potato | It grows under the ground and is often mashed for the meal. |
| 🍠 Sweet potato | An orange potato that tastes sweet when it's baked. |
| 🍞 Bread | Rolls and loaves, warm from the oven. |
| 🧈 Butter | Spread it on a warm roll. |
| 🍗 Drumstick | The leg of a turkey or a chicken. |
| 🥕 Carrot | An orange vegetable you can crunch. |
| 🥗 Salad | Crunchy green leaves in a bowl. |
| 🍎 Apple | Picked from trees in the fall. |
| 🍇 Grapes | Little round fruits that grow in bunches. |
| 🍽️ Plate | Put one at each seat before the meal. |
| 🍴 Fork | Use it with a knife to cut and eat. |
| 🥄 Spoon | Scoop up soup, potatoes or pie. |
| 🍂 Leaves | Red, orange and brown leaves that fall from trees. |
| 🍁 Maple leaf | A leaf with pointed tips; maple trees turn bright red. |
| 🌾 Harvest | Picking the crops when they are ripe. |
| 🧺 Basket | Carry apples and corn home in it. |
| 🎈 Balloon | Giant balloons float above big Thanksgiving parades. |
| 🥁 Drum | Marching bands play drums in the parade. |
| 🎺 Trumpet | A shiny horn the marching band plays. |
| 🏈 Football | Lots of people play or watch a game on Thanksgiving. |
| 💌 Thank-you note | Write or draw one for someone who helped you. |
| 🗓️ November | Thanksgiving's month: it's always the fourth Thursday. |
| 🤝 Sharing | Pass the plate, take turns, give some to a friend. |
| ✋ Hand turkey | Trace your hand, then add a face and feathers. |
| 🖍️ Crayon | Color a picture of something you're thankful for. |
| 📖 Story | Read a fall story together on the rug. |
| 🧣 Scarf | Wrap it around your neck on a chilly day. |
| 🍲 Soup | A warm bowl on a cool fall day. |
| 🍳 Cooking | Helping stir, pour and set the table. |
| Square | Clue or fact |
|---|---|
| Turkey | The big roasted bird in the middle of many Thanksgiving tables. |
| Gravy | A warm brown sauce poured over potatoes. |
| Stuffing | Bread cubes, celery and herbs, baked in or next to the turkey. |
| Mashed potatoes | Boiled potatoes squished smooth with butter and milk. |
| Cranberry sauce | A tart red sauce made from small, sour berries. |
| Pumpkin pie | An orange, spiced pie made from a kind of squash. |
| Cornbread | A yellow bread baked from cornmeal. |
| Green beans | Long green vegetables, often baked in a casserole. |
| Dinner rolls | Small, soft breads passed around the table. |
| Leftovers | Food saved from a big meal to eat the next day. |
| Feast | A big meal shared by lots of people. |
| Recipe | The ingredients and steps for cooking a dish. |
| Napkin | Cloth or paper on your lap for wiping your hands. |
| Centerpiece | A decoration in the middle of the table. |
| Cornucopia | A horn-shaped basket spilling over with fruits and vegetables. |
| Gourd | A hard-shelled squash with bumps and stripes, used to decorate. |
| Harvest | Gathering crops when they are ripe. |
| Autumn | Another name for fall. |
| Acorn | The nut of an oak tree; squirrels bury it. |
| Scarecrow | A stuffed figure that keeps birds away from crops. |
| Hayride | A ride on a wagon piled with hay. |
| Orchard | A field of fruit trees, like apples or pears. |
| Apple cider | A sweet drink pressed from apples. |
| Parade | Marching bands and giant balloons moving down a street. |
| Marching band | Musicians who play their instruments while walking in step. |
| Giant balloon | A huge floating figure that a team holds down with ropes. |
| Football | A game with an oval ball, often played or watched on Thanksgiving. |
| Gratitude | The feeling of being thankful. |
| Thankful | Glad and grateful for something or someone. |
| Volunteer | Someone who helps without being paid, like at a food bank. |
| November | The month Thanksgiving is in. |
| Thursday | The day of the week Thanksgiving always falls on. |
| Square | Clue or fact |
|---|---|
| Mayflower | The ship that carried 102 passengers from England to Cape Cod in 1620. |
| 1620 | The year the Mayflower crossed the Atlantic. |
| Atlantic Ocean | The ocean the Mayflower crossed; the trip took about two months. |
| Cape Cod | Where the Mayflower first reached land, in November 1620. |
| Plymouth | The colony the English settlers built in what is now Massachusetts. |
| Colonists | People who settle a new land but stay under their home country's rule. |
| Pilgrims | The name later given to the Plymouth colonists, many of whom left England to worship in their own way. |
| Wampanoag | A Native nation that has lived in what is now Massachusetts and Rhode Island for thousands of years, and still does. |
| Massasoit | The Wampanoag leader who made an alliance with Plymouth in 1621. |
| Sachem | A Wampanoag word for a leader. |
| Tisquantum | A Patuxet man, also called Squanto, who spoke English and showed the colonists how to plant corn. |
| Patuxet | The Wampanoag village where Plymouth was built; most of its people had died in an epidemic a few years before. |
| Wetu | A Wampanoag home: a dome of bent young trees covered with bark or woven mats. |
| Mishoon | A Wampanoag canoe, hollowed out of one large log. |
| Three Sisters | Corn, beans and squash planted together: the beans climb the corn. |
| Corn | The crop that kept Plymouth alive; the colonists planted it with fish to feed the soil. |
| Harvest | Gathering the crops at the end of the growing season. |
| 1621 | The fall of the harvest celebration at Plymouth. |
| Three days | How long the 1621 harvest celebration lasted. |
| Deer | Wampanoag men brought five deer to the 1621 celebration. |
| Wildfowl | Wild birds such as ducks and geese; colonists hunted them for the 1621 meal. |
| Edward Winslow | A colonist whose 1621 letter is one of only two firsthand accounts of the celebration. |
| Sarah Josepha Hale | A magazine editor who wrote letters for 17 years asking for a national Thanksgiving. |
| Abraham Lincoln | The president whose 1863 proclamation started a yearly national Thanksgiving. |
| 1863 | The year of Lincoln's Thanksgiving proclamation, during the Civil War. |
| Fourth Thursday | Thanksgiving's date in November, fixed by Congress in 1941. |
| Square | Clue or fact |
|---|---|
| 🍂 Leaves | As days get shorter, the green fades and yellow and orange show through. |
| 🍁 Maple leaf | Maple trees give us the sap that's boiled down into syrup. |
| 🌳 Tree | Many trees drop their leaves and rest through winter. |
| 🌲 Pine tree | An evergreen: it keeps its needles all year. |
| 🍎 Apple | Most apples are picked from late summer through fall. |
| 🍐 Pear | Picked while still firm; it ripens after it's picked. |
| 🍇 Grapes | They grow in bunches on climbing vines. |
| 🌽 Corn | Field corn dries on the stalk before it's harvested. |
| 🥕 Carrot | The orange part we eat is the root. |
| 🥔 Potato | It grows underground, where it stores food for the plant. |
| 🌻 Sunflower | Its big head is packed with seeds that birds love. |
| 🌾 Harvest | Farmers bring in ripe crops before the frost. |
| 🚜 Tractor | A farm machine that pulls plows and wagons. |
| 🧺 Basket | Fill it at an orchard or a pumpkin patch. |
| 🌰 Nut | Squirrels and jays bury nuts to eat in winter. |
| 🐿️ Squirrel | It buries nuts and forgets some, and a few grow into trees. |
| 🦉 Owl | It hunts at night and flies almost without a sound. |
| 🦊 Fox | Its coat grows thicker as the days get colder. |
| 🦌 Deer | Its coat turns grayer and thicker for winter. |
| 🦆 Duck | Many ducks fly south when the weather turns cold. |
| 🐻 Bear | It eats extra food all fall to get ready for winter. |
| 🧣 Scarf | Wrap up when the wind turns chilly. |
| 🧥 Coat | Zip up on a frosty morning. |
| 🥾 Boots | Good for muddy fall walks. |
| ☔ Umbrella | Keeps you dry on a rainy day. |
| 🌧️ Rain | Rain helps fallen leaves break down into soil. |
| 🌬️ Wind | It blows leaves into piles and swirls. |
| 🪁 Kite | A windy fall day is perfect for flying one. |
| ☕ Hot cider | A warm apple drink on a cool day. |
| 🍲 Soup | Warm soup tastes good on a cold evening. |
| 🥧 Apple pie | Apples, cinnamon and a flaky crust. |
| ⚽ Soccer ball | Many schools play soccer in the fall. |
The 1621 history notes follow Edward Winslow's 1621 letter and William Bradford's account, with Wampanoag history as Plimoth Patuxet Museums presents it; holiday dates follow Lincoln's 1863 proclamation and the 1941 law.
8 ways to use Thanksgiving bingo
Picture bingo for pre-readers
Use 3×3 cards so each child has just 8 pictures and a free space. Say the word twice, hold up the emoji slip, and let tablemates help each other find it.
Clue round for grades 2–5
Read the clue from the word set's table instead of the word ("a warm brown sauce poured over potatoes"). Students work out the word before they mark it, so the game doubles as vocabulary practice.
Fall bingo for every classroom
The fall set has no holiday words at all: leaves, squirrels, apples, kites. Use it in October, or whenever some of your students don't celebrate Thanksgiving.
A 1621 history review
After a read-aloud about the 1621 harvest, play the history set and read the one-line fact after each call. It reviews names and dates and keeps the Wampanoag side of the story in view.
A thankful free space
Before the first call, students write or draw one thing they're grateful for in the free space. When someone wins, they share theirs. Spin a gratitude prompt for anyone who gets stuck.
Open the gratitude wheelNo-cost prizes
Skip the candy: winners choose the next read-aloud, call the next round or sit in a special chair for the afternoon. It's fairer for students with food allergies too.
A game for the family table
Print a handful of cards before the meal for the wait between dinner and dessert. Let a grandparent or an older cousin call, and make the prize first pick of the pie.
Your own fall words
Want this week's spelling words or your class's own fall list instead? Type them into the bingo card generator, one per line, and print the same way.
Make cards from your wordsThanksgiving bingo: frequently asked questions
What words go on Thanksgiving bingo cards?
Most sets mix four groups: food (turkey, gravy, pumpkin pie), fall nature (leaves, acorns, harvest), the day itself (parade, football, November) and gratitude words (thankful, sharing). For pre-readers, pair every word with a picture, as the emoji set here does. A 5×5 card needs 24 words plus the free space; with 30 or more, each card leaves some words out, so cards differ more and fewer players tie for first.
How do you play Thanksgiving bingo with preschool or kindergarten students?
Use 3×3 cards from the picture set, so each card has 8 pictures and a free space. Say the word, say it again and show the picture, then give about 10 seconds before the next call. Let children cover squares with paper counters or color them in. Play to one line, then keep calling until most of the class has a bingo, so the game ends with lots of winners.
Is Thanksgiving bingo OK for students who don't celebrate Thanksgiving?
Yes, if you pick the set with care. The fall set has no holiday words, so everyone can play it as a seasonal game. The word set sticks to food, fall and gratitude. The history set uses short, accurate facts about 1621, including the Wampanoag people, who still live in southern New England today, and it leaves out the dress-up stereotypes of Native people that many schools have moved away from.
When is Thanksgiving in 2026?
Thursday, November 26, 2026. U.S. Thanksgiving falls on the fourth Thursday of November, a date Congress fixed by law in 1941; in 2027 it's November 25. Abraham Lincoln's 1863 proclamation started the tradition of a national Thanksgiving every year. Many teachers save bingo for the last day or two before the break, when attention is short and a calm, whole-class game helps.
What was the first Thanksgiving really like?
In the fall of 1621, about 50 Plymouth colonists held a harvest celebration that lasted three days. The Wampanoag leader Massasoit came with about 90 men, who brought five deer. The colonists had hunted wildfowl, and the meal likely included corn and seafood. Pumpkin pie and mashed potatoes weren't on the table: those came much later. Only two firsthand accounts of the event survive.
Are all the Thanksgiving bingo cards different?
Yes. Every card in a batch is checked against the others, so no two students get the same card. With the 32-word picture set on 5×5 cards, each card also leaves out 8 of the words, which spreads out the winners. 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 32 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