Thanks to Jill Patchin at LEPMPL for this guest post!

In-person bingo has been a big hit at our library for a few years now. It’s one of those sneaky programs that is tons of fun, but also works on small motor skills, letter and number recognition, etc. Even better, bingo programs required minimal preparation, and really attracted a multi-generational crowd.

My favorite days to run bingo are the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve. This past fall when it was time to plan programming, I really wanted to give families the opportunity to enjoy a favorite program, so we figured out how to offer it virtually.

To transition this program online, we purchased a license to print 100 unique bingo cards and packed several random prizes in brown paper lunch bags. We also made “bingo sticks” that kids could hold up to the camera to show that they got a bingo. We packed the bingo cards, a handful of small paper squares, the bingo stick, and the prize bag in a large envelope which was available for pickup at the library. Families registered online to receive the zoom link as well as information on how to call the library and request a bingo bag. When the day of the program arrived, I called the bingo numbers on zoom and families gathered around to play along. Families kept the prize bag sealed until someone got a bingo, and then the winner got to reach their hand in the bag and pull out a mystery prize.

This was a very successful and popular program for us. We had 40-45 people join for each of the three bingo sessions (and double that number register). I hope that you are inspired to take your own popular programs and adapt them to work in our current situation.

If you would like to hold your own online bingo program, I have a large box of bingo prizes that needs a new home. It’s likely too large to travel through the courier, so it would need to be picked up in Eau Claire. Please let me know if I can pass the mystery prize bin on to you!  Contact Jill at 715-839-5007!