Play is important! For both children and adults, play can contribute to social, emotional, mental, and physical wellness. It helps young people develop motor skills, learn to share and negotiate, problem solve, and conquer fears. It helps adults decrease stress, spark innovation, and boost creativity. Plus, playing with your family can help develop stronger bonds and create shared memories. There are tons of ways to play together…but family game night might be a great start!

Since fall is upon us, we’ve created a fun, printable Pumpkin BINGO game for you and your family to enjoy together! Just follow these simple steps:

Get Ready

• Download and print Connection Corner’s Pumpkin BINGO. (It works best on cardstock – but you can use whatever paper you have.)
• Cut the BINGO cards (first 3 pages) apart on the dotted lines.
• Cut the drawing cards (last page) apart on the solid lines.
• Grab some small items to use as space markers. (I recommend candy corn for added fun – but you can use coins, small pieces of paper, or whatever you have!)

How to Play

• Choose a player to be the caller. Have them shuffle the drawing cards and place them in a stack.
• Pass out a BINGO card and space markers to every player. (Be sure to mark the free space.)
• The caller draws a card and shows it to the players. If a player has a matching picture on their card, they cover it with a marker.
• The first player to have 5 pictures in a row (up and down, across, or diagonally) they call out “Pumpkin!” The caller checks to make sure the marked spaces are accurate, and if so, that player wins the round.
• Everyone clears their cards, and the winner gets to be the caller in the next round.

For young children, you can also print and cut a second set of the drawing cards and place them all face down for a fun memory matching game!

Find more resources on the importance of play

• American Academy of Pediatrics
• National Association for the Education of Young Children
• Parents Together
• PBS Kids

MEET THE AUTHOR  
Emily Schoenfelder joined the Illinois 4-H team in 2017. Prior to this, she began her work in positive youth development with California 4-H and the YMCA. She specializes in STEM engagement, social-emotional development, and educator professional development.  She received a Master of Science degree in recreation, park, and tourism administration from Western Illinois University. When she is not writing curriculum or facilitating a training, you may find Emily sitting on the floor of her office, building marshmallow catapults out of popsicle sticks or designing mazes for robots for her next STEM program.  

ABOUT THE BLOG  
Connection Corner is a blog that provides timely information, activities, and resources to help you stay connected to loved ones, the world around you, and yourself.