Have you heard of Bingo? No. I'm not talking about the Bingo The Doggy nursery song that almost all children enjoy singing.
What is Bingo game?
It is a popular game that was first played dating back to mid-1500s in Italy to France and reached America in 1900s.
It is considered as a card game where the game is won when a player is able to complete a pattern on the card with the numbers that are read by a "caller". Many times, prizes are awarded to the winner. In fact, it is a lottery when it first started in 1500s in Italy.
Generally, Bingo is a game of luck and chance with the minimum skill required that can be played by young children to the elderly. As such, Bingo was widely adopted as a recreational therapy and socialization tools in nursing and retirement homes. The Universitas Negeri Semarang, a public university in the city of Semarang, Central Java, Indonesia did a study and found that by using Bingo game, they are able to improve their 8th-grade student's vocabulary significantly.
New Twist for Bingo
Bingo is fun and can be a great game for friends and families engagement. It is not just a game for the elderly. Today, I'll like to share a few tips on how we can revolutionise the Bingo game. You will be amazed at how your traditional bingo game can be so much more fun with so little.
1) Use food or candies - This can be a great fun during festive holidays like Christmas and Chinese New Year especially when kids are involved in the game. You can also use the holiday's goodies as prizes! Who can resist a 10 mins game that promises you a delicious Bak Kwa?
2) New Styles - Traditional straight lines to win is boring. Try filling up the four corners. What about forming a square or any shapes that can fit into the card. Maybe even try filling up the whole card? Be creative.
3) Dropping the Bingo word - This sounds unorthodox but it has the potential of determining the mood of the game. Imagine using a word that fits into the event or venue where the game is been played. Example; replace BINGO with PIZZA if you are serving pizza for tea breaks.
4) Try Pictures - Now, consider replacing the letters with pictures. In this playing style, the letters on the card are replaced with pictures. The "caller" will attempt to describe the picture and players match it to the pictures on their card. This brings Bingo game to a new level. It is no longer just a luck game.
With Picture Bingo, cognitive skills are tested and educational values are added. Picture bingo gained much popularity over the years and more and more version of Bingo game using pictures are released onto the market.
The Bingo series from Laurence King Publishing is one them. Boasting 64 weird, wonderful and beautiful species, LKP Bingo is filled with fun facts and glorious illustrations that are guaranteed to delight animals lovers and novices alike.