Resurrection Bingo

I had the most wonderful time teaching my 2nd and 3rd grade class at church. We were learning about the resurrection for Easter. I wanted to give the kids a fun way to learn all the details. Normally, I share my Resurrection Eggs with the class, which they love. I decided to do a little twist on that this year.

We played Resurrection Bingo instead! It was so much fun and for the first time ever, the kids were so into the lesson that not a single child asked if it was snack time. Even by the time they all left to go home, no one remembered snack time. That has never happened! 

You can feel free to use the Resurrection Bingo for your own PERSONAL use.  But please be kind and do not claim these pictures as your own or offer them for downloads.  

If you would like to download a complete PDF set of Resurrection Bingo, you can scroll down to the bottom of this post. 

Each child will get ONE blank bingo card

And TWO sets of the small pictures. There are 25 squares of Bingo, and only 12 small pictures. The free space says Jesus is Alive!

Before playing the game, have each child make his or her own specialized Bingo playing card. Cut out the pictures and glue them onto each square of the Bingo card. There is no specific order and the more random the cards are the better. Each child should make their own Bingo card different from everyone else and try not to have two of the same picture in each column. For example, if they put both donkey pictures in column “B”, when it is called they will automatically have two marked off. To make it fair to all the kids, I made sure they only had one picture of each thing per column.

Cut apart the Bingo Calling Cards that you will be drawing from.  

To Play the Game:

When you hold up a card for the kids to see, allow a child who could mark the picture on their Bingo card to explain the purpose behind the card.  

For instance, I draw a card that looks like this:

The child would explain that it is a crown of thorns and that the soldiers placed it on Jesus’ head to mock him.

Stop and discuss each card until you have made it all the way through the 12 different cards. You will be repeating some of the cards, and it isn’t necessary to explain them again, unless you would like a new child to have the chance to share the importance behind the card.

If you need help with the description for each picture, I have included a list, along with scripture references for further discussion.

Donkey – A lowly donkey was given to Jesus to ride into Jerusalem just before his death. (Matthew 21:1-9)

30 Silver Coins – Judas accepted 30 silver coins for betraying Jesus into the hands of the Jewish leaders. (Matthew 26:14-16, 46-50, 27:1-5)

Passover Cup - At Jesus’ last supper with his disciples before he died on the cross, He used the cup of wine to explain his death. (Matthew 26:17-19, 26-28)

Praying Hands – Reminds us that Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray with His disciples. (Mark 14:32-42)

Leather Whip – After His trial by Pilate, the Roman soldiers used leather ropes with rocks and metal woven in to whip Jesus.  (John 19:1-15)

Crown of Thorns – The soldiers who crucified Jesus placed a crown of thorns on His head, so they could mock Him. (Matthew 27: 29-31)

Nails in the Cross – Three large nails were driven into Jesus’ hands and feet to nail Him to the cross. (John 19: 16-22)

Dice for Gambling – The Roman soldiers used dice to gamble for Jesus’ robe.  (John 19:23-25)

Soldier’s Spear – Roman soldiers used a spear to pierce Jesus’ side when He was on the cross. (John 19: 31-37)

Linen cloth – Joseph of Arimathea wrapped the body of Jesus in a linen cloth after He died on the cross. (Matthew 27: 57-61)

Stone at the Tomb – The huge stone that had covered the tomb was found rolled away by an angel. (Matthew 28:1-3)

Jesus Loves Me – The whole reason Jesus died and rose again was because of His great love for us! (John 3:16)

You can use anything for the markers. I used some pony beads. You could even have the kids color in each picture as it gets called.

You can download a PDF of Resurrection Bingo