I’m pretty sure that between dinner and dessert on Thanksgiving, the kids are going to want to do something. Joining the adult conversations is not always so interesting to the kiddos, right?

I’m planning to bring a little bag of goodies for all the kiddos to play with: a deck of cards for playing Go Fish, a couple I Spy-type books, paper & crayons, some pipe cleaners and beads for bracelet-making, and a new homemade Busy Bingo game.

My girls love playing bingo, and it’s a great game for groups of various ages. Most kids know how to play, the rules are simple, and it’s fun to yell, “Bingo!” I’m calling this bingo game Busy Bingo and it includes some movement, some talking, and some hunting. Fun!

The bingo board has 5 columns, each one a different color. For each turn, roll the die, then choose a task of that color on your board. Each square on the board has a different task, such as Sit in 3 different chairs or Give someone a compliment. Before you can mark the square, you have to do the task.

This game could be played cooperatively, with all the kids working together to complete the whole board and get a “blackout.” Or, each child could have her own card and try to get a traditional 5-in-a-row bingo. Either way, the kids can play this without much grown-up help as long as there’s at least one reader.

To make the colored die, I colored blank labels with crayons and cut squares to fit each side of a die. On our extra side, we wrote “Choose any square.” You could also do “Roll Again” or “Lose a Turn.” As an alternative, Crayola has a printable paper dice pattern – just color each side to match the board.

Click on the thumbnail below to download and print your own Busy Bingo game. Hope your kids love it!

Do you plan any special activities for the kids at Thanksgiving get-togethers? I would love to hear your ideas, too!