Fruit Bingo: Free Printable Fruit and Vegetable Bingo for Kids
Fruit bingo is a food bingo game for kids with squares like apple, banana, strawberry, pineapple and kiwi. The caller gives a clue ("spiky skin and a leafy top") and kids mark the fruit (pineapple), or you hold up a real fruit and let them find it. Below is a 24-fruit bingo list made for 4x4 preschool cards, a caller list with a clue and color for every fruit, a fruit and vegetable bingo card for older kids, and ideas for a January healthy-eating unit.
The first button makes 4x4 fruit cards (no free center). With 24 fruits and 16 squares, every card is different. The second button makes 5x5 fruit and vegetable cards.
▶ Make these fruit bingo cards
How to play fruit bingo
- Hand out cards and markers. Cereal pieces or dried cranberries make tasty markers for a snack-time game (check allergies).
- Call a fruit with a clue, a color or a real fruit from a bag.
- Kids find the fruit on their card and mark it.
- Four in a row wins on the 4x4 card. Keep going until everyone has a row.
Fruit bingo caller list with clues and colors
| Fruit | Clue to read | Color |
|---|---|---|
| Apple | Red, green or yellow, and crunchy | Red |
| Banana | Long and yellow; peel it first | Yellow |
| Orange | Round, with a name that's also a color | Orange |
| Grapes | Small round fruits that grow in bunches | Green or purple |
| Strawberry | Red with tiny seeds on the outside | Red |
| Blueberry | Tiny, round and blue | Blue |
| Pear | Narrow at the top and round at the bottom | Green or yellow |
| Peach | Fuzzy skin and a big pit | Orange-pink |
| Pineapple | Spiky skin and a leafy top | Yellow inside |
| Watermelon | Green outside, red inside, lots of juice | Green and red |
| Cherry | Small and red, with a stem and a pit | Red |
| Kiwi | Fuzzy brown outside, green inside | Brown and green |
| Mango | Sweet and orange inside, with one big flat seed | Orange inside |
| Lemon | Yellow and very sour | Yellow |
| Lime | Like a lemon, but green | Green |
| Raspberry | A red berry that's hollow in the middle | Red |
| Plum | Smooth purple skin and a pit | Purple |
| Cantaloupe | A melon with a bumpy net on the outside | Orange inside |
| Coconut | Hairy and brown with a hard shell | Brown and white |
| Grapefruit | A big citrus fruit, pink or yellow inside | Pink or yellow |
| Blackberry | A dark berry made of tiny bumps | Black-purple |
| Papaya | Orange inside with lots of black seeds | Orange inside |
| Apricot | Small, orange and soft, with a pit | Orange |
| Tangerine | A small orange that's easy to peel | Orange |
Fruit and vegetable bingo for older kids
The second card mixes 14 fruits and 16 vegetables on 5x5 cards. Call each one and ask, "Fruit or vegetable?" before kids mark it. It's a great sorting lesson.
Fun twist: to a scientist, a fruit is the part of a plant that holds the seeds. So tomatoes, cucumbers, pumpkins, peppers and green beans are fruits in science class, even though we cook them like vegetables. Kids love this one. On the card, they're listed with the vegetables, the way most kitchens use them.
Fruit bingo for a January healthy-eating unit
January is a popular time for classroom units on food and healthy habits. Fruit bingo fits right in, and it's all about fun and trying new things:
- Taste test day: after the game, offer two or three fruits from the card to try (check allergies and school food rules first).
- Eat the rainbow: sort the fruits on the card by color and talk about all the different colors food comes in.
- Where does it grow? Some fruits grow on trees (apple, peach), some on vines (grapes, watermelon) and some on bushes (blueberry).
- Fruit graph: each child votes for a favorite fruit, and the class makes a bar graph.
- New fruit challenge: kids color in a fruit on their card when they try it for the first time at home.
Fruit sorting fun after the game
| Grows on a tree | Grows on a vine or plant | Grows on a bush or cane |
|---|---|---|
| Apple, orange, pear, peach, cherry, plum, mango, lemon, lime, apricot, grapefruit, coconut, papaya, tangerine | Grapes, watermelon, cantaloupe, kiwi, strawberry, pineapple | Blueberry, raspberry, blackberry |
Tips for preschool fruit bingo
- Use real or toy fruit as the caller's "balls." Pull one from a bag and let kids name it.
- Read the card first with kids who can't read yet, or add a sticker to each square.
- Act it out: peel a pretend banana, or squeeze a pretend lemon and make a sour face.
- Keep it short and end with a fruit snack.
More food and color bingo
Fruit bingo is a natural fit with color bingo for little ones. Take it to the store with grocery store bingo, or try picture bingo for non-readers for toddlers.
Want to add star fruit or dragon fruit? Open the bingo card generator and type your own list.
▶ Make these fruit bingo cards
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you play fruit bingo?
The caller gives a clue, like "spiky skin and a leafy top," or holds up a real fruit, and kids mark the matching fruit (pineapple). Four in a row wins on a 4x4 card.
What fruits go on a fruit bingo card?
Apple, banana, orange, grapes, strawberry, blueberry, pear, peach, pineapple, watermelon, cherry, kiwi, mango, lemon, lime and raspberry are good picks.
What is fruit and vegetable bingo?
A version that mixes fruits and vegetables, so kids sort each one as they play. It's good for kindergarten to 3rd grade.
Is a tomato a fruit or a vegetable?
In science, a tomato is a fruit because it holds the plant's seeds. In the kitchen, we usually cook it like a vegetable.
How can fruit bingo fit a nutrition unit?
Use it to learn fruit names and colors, sort where fruits grow, make a favorite-fruit graph and plan a taste test (checking allergies first).
