Spring Bingo- How many can you complete?

Spring is in the air! As the flowers bloom and the trees sprout new leaves, it’s the perfect time to get outside and enjoy the warm(er) weather.

Meant2Prevent has created a Springtime BINGO Card with some fun activities to help get you and your family moving. Whether you are looking for a fun outdoor game or a creative project, these ideas are inexpensive and enjoyable for everyone.

 

Download our free BINGO card below or use it as inspiration to make your family’s own. Pick a pattern to make your card a winner! Will you choose 4 corners, a diagonal line, a straight line, a full card, or a wild card (where you try to complete as many activities as you can in 1 month)?

 

Spread the BINGO fun by sharing your card on social media and tag @Meant2Prevent, or let us know what other fun activities your family is doing this spring!

 

Download BINGO Card

Read below for details on each BINGO square!

1. Play catch

Throw around a ball outside with your friends or family. Not only is this a fun group activity, but tossing a ball back and forth helps build hand-eye coordination, visual motor skills, focus, timing, balance, and body awareness!

Variations:

• Count how many throws you can make between your group before the ball falls to the ground! Keep trying to beat your previous record.
• Fill up a water balloon and use that for your ball! Try to see how many throws you can make until the balloon breaks.
• If you have a group of 4 or more, try throwing 2 balls at once!

2. Paint rocks

Rock painting is a great way for kids to get creative and express themselves through art. Try finding some rocks around your home, on public beaches, or even at a local garden center.

Choosing rocks that have irregular shapes can spark inspiration for beautiful art. Try making rock-veggies, bugs, or animals!

Note: Be sure you clean the rocks before painting them and use non-toxic paint (some paints can be licked off by animals or leach into the surrounding soil).

3. Go for a walk and enjoy the sunshine

Lace-up your shoes and get your family outside! After a cold winter, it’s extra nice to enjoy the warmer weather. Sunlight helps boost a chemical in your brain called serotonin, which can help give you more energy and keep your family calm, positive, and focused. Try walking in a new area and choose a park or neighbourhood to explore!

4. Plant a garden

Have fun as a family choosing plants to grow in a garden! Will you choose vegetables, flowers, or a combination of the 2? Your family will enjoy digging in the soil, and nurturing their plants to grow.

Gardening not only allows you to grow your own food, but it’s also a great way to get kids outside and give them a better sense of where their food comes from. Children can learn new skills, have fun, play and develop self-confidence by spending time in the garden tending plants and growing their own food.

5. Make a wildflower bouquet

Have you ever noticed how pretty wildflowers look alongside a country road? Bring that beauty into your home by making your own bouquet! A wildflower bouquet is a creative alternative to store-bought flowers, and you can create the arrangement exactly how you like.

Note: Be sure you do not pick flowers on private property or in protected areas, and check with local authorities before you start foraging for your flowers. It’s always best to pick only a few so that you don’t disrupt the natural ecosystem.

You can also plant your own flowers in your garden to enjoy all summer!

6. Have a hopscotch competition

Hopscotch is a fun game that can be played solo or with the whole family. Find a hopscotch in your neighbourhood or make your own using side-walk chalk.

If you are drawing your own hopscotch you can stick with the traditional game or you can also get creative and make up your family’s own fun variation!

Traditional Hopscotch:

Toss a rock or twig onto a square. All hopscotchers must skip that square while hopping! On your way back down the hopscotch, pick up the marker (still skipping the square the marker was on), and continue back.

Increased Difficulty: Each round, another marker is tossed on a different square. Skip all squares with markers on them!

Timed Hopscotch:

Set a timer, Each player must complete as many laps of the hopscotch course as they can within the time-frame!

To increase the difficulty, toss a rock marker onto a square. Every square that has a marker on it must be skipped!

Scrambled Hopscotch:

Mix up your numbers! Try changing up the numbers so they don’t follow a 1 through 10 pattern.

For example, place number 1 in the middle of your hopscotch, so players have to skip the first few boxes in order to reach it!

Category Hopscotch:

Label each square with a category such as “animal”, “pizza toppings”, etc. When you hop onto a square, shout an item that fits the category (example: if you jump on pizza toppings, shout out your favourite one such as “PEPPERONI”, or “GREEN PEPPER”). No player can repeat an item that has already been said!

7. Make a recipe using fresh fruit

Fruits are an excellent source of essential vitamins and minerals. With the warmer weather, more fruits will be in season making this a great time to make something using all that delicious fresh fruit!

Try these recipes from Meant2Prevent Kitchen!

8. Go for a bike ride

A bike ride can be a fun way to get active outside. Plan a route as a family, put on your helmets, and start peddling. It’s even more fun when you bring snacks or a mini picnic to make sure your crew doesn’t get hungry mid-ride. 

9. Get out the sidewalk chalk and make a chalk-masterpiece

Art isn’t just for the walls! Use sidewalk chalk to create a masterpiece on your driveway, sidewalk, or in a local park. And when the rain comes and washes it away? You have the opportunity to repeat this entertaining activity!

10. Go for a rainy walk

A rainy day doesn’t mean we have to stay inside! Make sure your family dresses properly, and don’t forget the rain boots so you can splash through puddles without getting (too) wet. 

11. Free Space

Make up your own activity, or use this as a bonus to complete your card!

12. Play some sports

Spring is the perfect time to stop hibernating and to get outside to play! Does your family have a favourite sport to play together? Try soccer, basketball, or badminton – or put a twist on a traditional sport and make your own rules! It’s great to get outside and move your body while having fun as a family. 

13. Create some artwork

Does your family like to do arts and crafts? Use crayons, paints, or any craft supplies you have at home to create some beautiful artwork. If it’s a warm day, you can even complete this activity outside!

14. Use fresh herbs in your cooking

It’s always fun to use fresh greens in your cooking! Get some fresh herbs like basil, oregano, parsley, or cilantro, and use them in a recipe! You can buy herbs at the store, or get ones that are potted to keep in your kitchen.

Try these ideas:

• Add fresh basil to a pizza
• Mix in some fresh oregano to your pasta sauce
• Top tacos with fresh cilantro
• Add some fresh parsley as a garnish to your meal

We love these recipes from Meant2Prevent Kitchen!

15. Make up a nature scavenger hunt

A scavenger hunt can be a great way to explore and discover. Make a nature scavenger hunt to help your kids learn about all the nature in your neighbourhood.

Try these ideas:

• Pinecone
• Wildflowers
• Squirrel
• Windchimes
• Robin
• A bug or insect
• Feather
• Animal tracks
• Nest

16. Challenge your family to an outdoor obstacle course

Get your kids outside and help them flex their creative muscles by creating your own obstacle course with inexpensive everyday items that you already have. Time your family to see how fast they can complete it! Try using items such as pool noodles, skipping ropes, or hula hoops in new ways.

Try these ideas:

• Balance Beam: Place a log or long piece of wood on the ground for competitors to walk across without touching the ground
• Agility course: Lay hula hoops or a ladder on the ground and hop through as fast as you can. 
• Ball Toss: Toss a water balloon or ball through a hula hoop and into a bucket
• Sack Race: Have participants put their feet in an old cloth grocery bag or pillowcase, and hop from 1 marker to another as fast as possible