Trivia + Bingo = Trivingo

The Cindy Crushes Programming series is back at it on Teen Librarian Toolbox, sharing a program idea that is easily replicated and adaptable to any theme, this time with Trivingo. The post highlights a teen program hosted by Alison Plaff and Deya Olson featuring a twist on traditional bingo.

Trivingo is a mash-up of bingo and trivia, in the example it's a "Stranger Things" theme. Alison writes, "The idea is a bingo board with answers to trivia questions. A digital wheel is spun with questions. Teens were able to test their knowledge by checking their board to see if they had the answer to the question. The teens would then shout “Bingo!” if they had the correct answer and completed 4 questions vertical, horizontal, or diagonal and win."

The program was a success with the teens and can easily by themed to whatever your local teens are into. Stop here to read the full post and jumpstart planning your own version of Trivingo!

[Cindy Crushes Programming: Stranger Things Trivingo. Shutts, Cindy. Teen Librarian Toolbox blog. April 1, 2026. https://teenlibrariantoolbox.com/2026/04/01/cindy-crushes-programming-stranger-things-trivingo/]

BEEP BEEP! Honk if you have a BINGO! - Creating Community Fun

Guest blogger Mary Westness, Youth Services Associate at the Hedberg Public Library in Janesville, returns with a post on another fun program they tried.

In June, I hosted a drive-in family Bingo program. It was a lot of fun! Lots of positive feedback. 

Here’s the scoop: 

We blocked off a portion of our parking lot-this required special permission from my administration AND the city. I asked the library admin first, then we filled out the necessary forms with the city. We borrowed the barricades from Parks and Rec. This process took longer than I expected, so it really came down to the wire to get the word out. My advice: start early if you want to try this and your city requires permission.

Cars drove in and received a packet of printed BINGO cards upon arrival. (Printed from this website) I printed them on colored paper, back to back and made packets of 3 pages (6 cards each) ahead of time. I just handed out markers for them to check off the numbers. I thought chips would be too messy/difficult in the car. We directed them to park in every other stall to allow for distancing.

Our library owns this FM Radio Transmitter. We bought it at the beginning of the pandemic with hopes to provide drive-in programming.

Before the program, we chose a radio frequency that was not already in use in our area. We used https://radio-locator.com/ to be certain it wasn’t taken, and tested it ahead of time with my own vehicle. Patrons were given the frequency upon arrival. 

We hooked a wireless lapel Mic and an iPad into the transmitter, so they could hear my voice and music. I made a playlist of fun family-friendly music and played that in the background.

I borrowed a “fancy” BINGO game from a senior living facility in town...The kind with the cage and balls for dramatic effect.*

*sidenote, my family attended the program and my husband told me afterwards that the sound of the cage stirring was REALLY loud compared to my voice and the music, so...cover up your mic while you draw the numbers.

In one hour, we had enough time to play six regular BINGO games. I had them honk their horn if they got a bingo, which was really fun.  

I partnered with our adult programmer for this since it was for all ages. He acted as the “car hop” and took a tray of prizes to the winners. We gave away prize books and some stuffed animals That were donated to the library. 

We had a lot of positive feedback as people left!

Creating Community Fun YSS blog COVID-19 series

• Mini-Golf Reader’s Cup  9/25/21
• Beep! Beep! Honk if you have Bingo!    9/1/21
• Letters to Guinea Pigs  8/18/21
• Stuffed Animal Fun for Everyone  7/13/21
• Pet Show and Tell  4/17/21
• Campfire Storywalk 3/10/21
• Outdoor Storytimes 1/17/20
• Family Trivia Night  10/7/20
• Flipgard, Fanfare and Friends: River Falls Celebrity Storytime  9/21/20
• Tie Dye Masks  8/24/20
• Summer Book Picnics  7/13/20
• Engaging Kids Outdoors  7/10/20
• Downtown Story Stroll    6/5/20
• Book nCover Double  6/8/20
• Going the Extra Mile 6/15/20 
• Summer Storyteller     6/16/20

Guest Post: Cheesy Movie Bingo for Teens

Guest Post: Abby Seymour, Teen Services Librarian, E.D. Locke Public Library

Once a month I have an after-hours program for teens (in grades 6-12) and though I didn't blatantly tie it to Valentine's Day, it worked well for a February movie night. You could truly do this program any time of year though. 

Description: Every teen gets a blank BINGO sheet. As a group, they come up with a list of all the cliches, tropes, and recurring themes of cheesy Hallmark romance movies. For example, the group came up with her foot popping when they kiss, watching a sunset, getting flowers, crying in the rain, etc. They need to come up with enough to fill out the bingo sheet. Try to think of a few examples ahead of time in case your teens run out of suggestions. I didn't have this problem but it could happen! After they fill out their bingo sheets, that's when you reveal the movie. I really recommend waiting until after they fill out their sheets because that way they can't try to predict the movie and also proves that that these cliches really do apply to any of these movies. I picked a few options and had the group vote on one but it would also work if you choose the movie ahead of time yourself.

Supplies: Blank bingo sheets, pencils, a Hallmark movie, and probably some snacks! FYI- the benefit of showing a Hallmark movie is that you can guarantee that it's going to be appropriate since it's made for TV. 

Outcome: Cheesy Movie Bingo was very successful and all the kids had a blast making fun of this movie! I really tried to emphasize that they did not have to like romance movies to come to this program--in fact, it was better if they didn't! Every single teen got bingo because they were so spot on with their predictions. Having the bingo element really did keep them occupied and more invested in the movie.