Kraken Bingo
A summer bucket list the whole family can tick off together
Sixteen summer things on one card, a photo for each, and by September a scrapbook nobody had to make.
Create a gameWhy this works as a bingo card
Every summer starts with a plan and ends with the feeling that it went past without much happening. Usually it did happen — the swimming, the late dinners, the day it rained and you played cards for four hours — but nothing collected it, so none of it is anywhere.
A bingo card collects it. Sixteen squares is roughly one summer thing a week, small enough that kids can drive it themselves, and the photo each square needs is the whole point rather than an obligation. The competition is the engine: with a card each, a nine-year-old will campaign for the wild-swimming square in a way no family calendar has ever achieved. By September the card is the summer, in pictures, assembled by the people who were there.
Set it up in five minutes
- 1
Create a team
Make a family team. It stays hidden from team lists, so only people you send the link to can find it.
- 2
Add a game and pick the board
A 4×4 card fits a school holiday — 16 things is about one a week with room for weather.
- 3
Paste the tasks
Paste the list below, then let the kids swap out a few. The squares they choose are the ones that get done.
- 4
Invite everyone
Add everyone. Kids can play on a shared phone or their own, and grandparents can join to watch.
- 5
Play, and prove it
Take the photo when it happens. That's the whole game.
16 tasks you can copy
A 4×4 board needs exactly 16 tasks, so this list fills a card with nothing left over. Copy it and paste it straight into the bulk task field.
- 1Swim in a lake, river or the sea
- 2Eat breakfast outside
- 3Stay up late enough to see the stars
- 4Pick fruit and eat it the same day
- 5Build something out of what's in the garden
- 6Ride a bike somewhere new
- 7Cook dinner on a fire
- 8Find five different kinds of leaf
- 9Get properly soaked in the rain
- 10Sleep somewhere that isn't a bed
- 11Climb a hill and look back at where you started
- 12Make ice cream, badly
- 13Read a whole book in one day
- 14Feed an animal you don't own
- 15Post a postcard to someone
- 16Do nothing at all for one whole afternoon
Recommended setup
- Board size
- 4×4 — 16 squares, one per week of the holiday
- How long to run it
- The school holidays. Set the end date on the first day so the last week has some urgency.
- Worth turning on
- One personal square per child. A challenge that only appears on their card, chosen for them, is the difference between a family activity and their game.
What makes it work
Photo and video proof
The photo is the reason to do this rather than write a list on the fridge. Sixteen pictures taken by whoever was closest is a better record of a summer than anything an adult would have curated.
A live ranking
With a card each, the ranking does the nagging for you. Nobody has to be talked into the last three squares in the final week — they'll be organising it themselves.
Everyone in one chat
Family chat sits with the card, so the photos land somewhere the grandparents can see and comment on them without anything being posted publicly.
Frequently asked questions
What age does this work for?
Roughly six and up for a child running their own card; younger children usually share a parent's. The squares matter more than the age — keep them physical and photographable.
Is it safe for kids? Who can see the photos?
A family team is not publicly discoverable unless you switch that on, so photos are visible only to the people you invited. Content can be reported and users blocked, and an adult should own the team.
When should I set the card up?
The day the holidays start, with an end date already set. A card with no deadline drifts, and the last week is where half the squares get done.
What if the weather ruins half the list?
Put four indoor squares on the card deliberately. A bingo only needs one full row, so a wet fortnight doesn't end the game.
Can grandparents or cousins join?
Yes — anyone with the link can join the team, whether they play their own card or just follow the photos and comment on them.
Does everyone need their own phone?
No. Several children can share one adult's phone, though giving each child their own card is what makes the ranking work.
Start your first card
Free to create, no card needed, and your team joins with one link.
Create a gameOther ways people play
Turn your bucket list into a bingo card your friends can see
Twenty-five things you actually want to do this year, on one card, with the people who will ask you about them.
A dare card for the night — a different one for every guest
Nine dares, one evening, and a secret challenge that only appears on one person's card.