What get to know you bingo is
Get to know you bingo is a mixer played on a bingo card. Every square describes something that might be true of someone in the room: has lived in more than one city, can cook one dish really well, has read a book twice. Players walk around, find a person the square describes, and get that person to sign it. A full row, column, or diagonal is bingo.
The game gives people a reason to talk to someone new and hands them the first question. That is why it works on the first day of school, at a new team's kickoff, or with any group that arrived as strangers.
Pick the right squares for your group
The card builder above has three sets of squares. Pick the one that matches the room.
| Group | Grid | What the squares are like |
|---|---|---|
| Students | 4x4 | Written for elementary and middle school. Nothing that costs money, nothing about family or looks, no skill a child can fail in front of the class. A 4x4 grid finishes inside one lesson. |
| Adults | 5x5 | Neutral facts and small stories: places lived, first concerts, hobbies. Works for clubs, workshops, youth groups, and mixed-age events. |
| Work | 5x5 | About office life: commutes, meeting habits, desk plants. Safe to use with a manager in the room. |
Every card is shuffled from a bank of 40 squares, so players standing next to each other rarely hold the same card.
How to play
Before you start (5 minutes)
- Choose Students, Adults, or Work in the card builder.
- Set the number of cards to the number of players and press Print cards. Cards print two to a page.
- Have pens ready. Signatures take longer than ticks, which is the point: every square becomes a short conversation.
Explain the rules (2 minutes)
- Find a person the square describes and ask them to sign it.
- Each person can sign your card only once. Without this rule, friends fill each other's cards and sit down.
- You cannot sign your own card.
- Complete a row, column, or diagonal and call bingo. The free space in the middle is already yours.
Play (8-12 minutes)
Let people move. It will get loud; that is the game working. Stop when three or four players have a line, not when everyone has finished.
Debrief (3 minutes)
The debrief turns a noisy game into introductions people remember. Ask two or three questions:
- Which square was the hardest to fill, and why?
- Who signed the most surprising square on your card?
- Find the person who signed your first square and ask them one more question.
The Follow-up prompts tool above gives you a new debrief question each time you press it.
Example get to know you bingo squares
Use these as a starting point if you want to write your own card.
For students
- Is new to this school this year
- Has a name people often spell wrong
- Can say hello in three languages
- Likes rainy days
- Has read a book twice
- Has built a fort
- Has taught someone a game
- Has helped a classmate today
For adults
- Has lived in more than one city
- Can cook one dish really well
- Has taken a class just for fun
- Can name their first concert
- Has taught someone a skill
- Can remember a phone number by heart
For work
- Knows where the good coffee is
- Has fixed the printer
- Has booked the wrong meeting room
Good squares are true for some people and not others. Likes pizza is true for almost everyone and ends the game in a minute. Has never seen snow may be true for nobody. Aim for squares that roughly one person in five can sign.
Adapting it
Younger children (K-2). Read the squares aloud first and let them draw a tick instead of writing a name.
Large groups (30+). Print the 5x5 cards and ask for two lines instead of one, or everyone finishes at once.
Small groups (under 10). Use the 4x4 student grid even for adults, and allow each person to sign twice.
Hybrid meetings. People in the room play on paper; people on the call fill the card by asking questions in the chat. For fully remote groups, remote meeting games work better.
Common problems
Two friends fill each other's cards. Restate the one-signature rule and spot check two cards.
Nobody gets bingo. The squares were too rare for this group. Stop at ten minutes anyway and run the debrief; the conversations already happened.
Someone is left standing alone. Walk over, sign one of their squares yourself, and introduce them to the nearest group.
Frequently asked questions
Is it free to print? Yes. Choose a group, set the number of cards, and print. No sign-up is needed.
How many squares should a card have? A 4x4 card has 15 squares plus a free space and suits children or groups under 15. A 5x5 card has 24 squares plus a free space and suits most adult groups.
Is get to know you bingo the same as human bingo? It is the same game. This page focuses on printable cards for a new group; human bingo covers rules, variations, and virtual play in more depth.
Can I write my own squares? Yes. The bingo card generator lets you paste your own list and choose a 4x4, 5x5, or 6x6 grid.