Play Buddy Bingo

Before you begin

• Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. There's also more guidance to help you carry out your risk assessment, including examples. Don’t forget to make sure all young people and adults involved in the activity know how to take part safely.

Planning this activity

• Write down the names of well-known pairs on separate pieces of paper or cards, then fold them over or put them in envelopes. For example, some famous pairs include Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Salt and Pepper, Fish and Chips, Bread and Butter, SpongeBob and Patrick, and King and Queen. You could ask young people to show their ideas.

Find your other half

1. Gather everyone together and let them know you're going to play a game called Buddy Bingo to help make new friends and find out more about each other.
2. Give one card to each player, so they become one half of a well-known of famous pair.
3. Explain that each player should find the person with the other half of their pair. Players should move around the room.
4. When the person leading the game makes a signal, such as when they clap, everyone should try to find out who or what people are by asking questions that can be answered with either a yes or a no. For example, they could ask if the other person is a fictional character, if they’re a food, or if they’re in a film.
5. Once a player finds the other half of their pair, they should sit down together at the edge of the space.
6. Keep an eye on the game to make sure everyone has someone to ask – you might need to help make sure no one is left out.

Get to know each other and work as a team

1. Once everyone is paired up and sat down, pairs should ask each other questions to find out more about each other, such as their favourite films, what hobbies they have, what you have in common, what special skills you have.
2. You should then set a teamwork challenge to let the new pairs work together. For example, they could:

• Create the tallest structure with mini-marshmallows and toothpicks
• Make the highest playing card tower
• Make the longest paper chain in 3 minutes
• Use a whole toilet roll to wrap a person and make them in to a mummy the fastest. The toilet roll can be reused for games, placed single sheets in bathrooms in a tub, or for arts and crafts
• Write down as many items as they can on a particular topic in 60 seconds, such as Disney films or Scout badges
• Have a logo quiz and identify as many logos as you can in 3 minutes
• Keep a balloon from touching the ground for the longest time
• Attach two strings to a felt tip, making enough so there’s one for each team. Have each pair stand on either side of a table and take a string. Together, the pair will need to communicate in order to manipulate the pen and draw a required image onto a piece of paper.

Feedback on your teamwork

1. Once everyone has finished, gather back together in a circle. Ask everyone how the challenge went working with your teammate and new friend. What did they do to be a good team player and help their team? How did they work together? What did they find out about their new friend?