Charades provide endless fun that reinforces higher-order skills- challenging kids to use creative, nonverbal communication and quick thinking. The classic game relies on topics usually written on paper and drawn out of a bowl. Participants must act out the word and describe it to their teammates with the goal of them guessing the topic. This fun activity strengthens improv-acting skills and supports interpersonal communication. We’ve compiled a list of 26 topics with a host of fun ideas under each one. So, get exploring and get playing!
Here are a few tips for playing Charades:
#1 – Hold up the number of fingers that corresponds to the number of words your team will need to guess.
#2 – To give clues for a particular word, hold up the corresponding finger and then act out that clue.
#3 – Think about hand signals or physical actions that could represent the type of clue, such as opening your hands to indicate a book title, or dancing to indicate a song title.
1. Unusual Animal Occupations
– Moose Mountain-climber
– Cow Chef
– Lion Ballerina
– Beaver Bodybuilder
– Sheep Shepherd
– Camel Cameraman
– Porcupine Pilot
– Alligator Astronaut
– Bear Barber
– Raccoon Writer
Learn More: Moms & Munchkins
2. Famous Kids Show Characters
– Donald Duck (“Mickey Mouse Clubhouse”)
– Sven (Frozen)
– Muffin (Bluey)
– The Ocean (Moana)
– Hey Hey (Moana)
– Spider Gwen (Spiderverse)
– Night Ninja (PJ Masks)
– Max the Horse (Tangled)
– White Rabbit (Alice’s Wonderland Bakery)
– Meekah (Blippi)
Learn More: Pint-Sized Treasures
3. Interesting Actions
– A fan failing to cool someone off
– Opening the freezer & getting cold
– Silencing a phone that keeps ringing
– Googling on your phone
– Putting on rollerskates & skating poorly
– Prepping ingredients to bake a cake
– Putting away toys that your dog keeps taking back out
– Feeding animals at a zoo
– Greeting animals at a pet store
– Watching a scary movie
Learn More: SplashLearn
4. Emotions
– Furious
– Scared
– Joyful
– Frustrated
– Disgusted
– Courageous
– Depressed
– Worried
– Unfocused
– Bored
Learn More: Youth First
5. Sports Activities
– Heading the ball in soccer
– Endzone dance in football
– Tip-off in basketball
– Hitting a hard-to-reach shot in tennis
– Spiking the ball in volleyball
– Getting a strike in bowling
– Passing the puck in ice hockey
– Butterfly stroke in swimming
– Running a marathon in track & field
– Getting a hole-in-one in golf
Learn More: Healthy Happy Impactful
6. Locations
– Amusement Park
– Skating park
– Roller rink
– Junkyard
– Beach
– Arcade
– Dinosaur museum
– Indy 500 Racetrack
– Subway
– Bookstore
Learn More: Kinoo
7. Household Objects
– Dining room table
– Kitchen Counter
– Sofa
– Recliner
– Attic
– Ceiling fan
– Washing Machine
– Dishwasher
– Paper shredder
– TV
Learn More: Gathered Again
8. Disney Sayings
– Hakuna Matata
– Cinderella!
– “Bippidi-boppidi-boo
– A whole new world
– A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down
– Eva
– The cold never bothered me anyway
– Anyone can cook
– Dumb bunny, Sly Fox
– Whistle while you work
Learn More: PrepScholar
9. Food
– Sushi
– Corn on the cob
– Soft pretzel
– Lasagna
– Cotton Candy
– Apple Pie
– Frozen Yogurt
– Guacamole
– Ketchup
– Popsicle
Learn More: Peanut App
10. Children’s Book Titles
– The Wonky Donkey
– Ada Twist, Scientist
– The Very Hungry Caterpillar
– Paddington
– Matilda
– Where the Wild Things Are
– Peter Rabbit
– Harriet the Spy
– The Wind in the Willows
– Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
Learn More: Childhood 101
11. Children’s Song Titles
– The Wheels on the Bus
– The ABC Song
– Frere Jacques
– Shake Your Sillies Out
– Sesame Street Theme
– Down by the Ba
– Baby Shark
– The Clean-Up Song
– Itsy Bitsy Spider
– London Bridge Is Falling Down
Learn More: Confessions of Parenting
12. Modes of Transportation
– Motorcycle
– School bus
– Skateboard
– Helicopter
– Rowboat
– Horse & Buggy
– Taxi
– Tractor Trailer
– Minivan
– Police Car
Learn More: My Kind of Meeple
13. Fairy Tales & Stories
– Rapunzel
– Thumbelina
– The Pied Piper
– The Gingerbread Man
– Snow White
– Rumpelstiltskin
– The Fox and the Hare
– Three Little Pigs
– The Princess and the Pea
– Goldilocks & the Three Bears
Learn More: Pantomime Popkultur
14. Dr. Seuss Books
– The Cat in the Hat
– The Lorax
– Ten Apples Up on Top
– Hop on Pop
– Oh! The Places You’ll Go!
– Green Eggs & Ham
– One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish
– The Foot Book
– Wocket in My Pocket
– Horton Hears a Who
Learn More: Sugar Bee Crafts
15. Famous Modern Heroes
– George Washington
– Martin Luther King, Jr.
– Serena Williams
– Amelia Earhart
– Barack Obama
– Hillary Clinton
– Abraham Lincoln
– Oprah Winfrey
– Lin Manuel Miranda
– Michael Jordan
Learn More: Icebreaker Ideas
16. Harry Potter Charades
– Golden snitch
– Playing Quidditch
– Dobby
– Getting to Platform 9 3/4
– Getting mail from your owl
– Eating Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans
– Drinking butterbeer
– Making a potion
– Playing Wizard’s Chess
– Getting the lightning bolt scar
Learn More: The Activity Mom
17. Famous Landmarks
– Statue of Liberty
– Pyramids
– Sahara Desert
– Washington Monument
– The North Pole
– Leaning Tower of Pisa
– Eiffel Tower
– Golden Gate Bridge
– Amazon Rainforest
– Niagara Falls
Learn More: Ponly
18. Interesting Animals
– Kangaroo
– Duck-billed platypus
– Koala
– Penguin
– Jellyfish
– Camel
– Blowfish
– Panther
– Orangutan
– Flamingo
Learn More: Parade
19. Musical Instruments
– Trombone
– Harmonica
– Cymbals
– Xylophone
– Violin
– Ukelele
– Tambourine
– Accordion
– Saxophone
– Triangle
Learn More: Young Catholics
20. Freetime Activities
– Building a sandcastle
– Going through a carwash
– Shoveling snow
– Catching a wave while surfing
– Picking vegetables in your garden
– Chewing bubble gum
– Curling your hair
– Shooting a bow and arrow
– Painting a wall
– Planting flowers
Learn More: Scary Mommy
21. Video Games
– Pacman
– Mario Cart
– Angry Birds
– Zelda
– Tetris
– Pokemon
– Minecraft
– Roblox
– Zelda
– Sonic the Hedgehog
Learn More: Happier Human
22. Random Objects
– Wig
– Soda can
– Bubble bath
– iPad
– Pancakes
– Light bulb
– Diaper
– Tap shoes
– Sculpture
– Sun
Learn More: PsyCat Games
23. Halloween
– Trick or Treating
– Ghost scaring someone
– Mummy walking
– Walking into a spider web
– Getting scared by something
– Haunted House
– Witch flying on a broom
-Carving a pumpkin
– Eating candy
– Black cat hissing
Learn More: KC Edventures
24. Thanksgiving
– Cornucopia
– Mashed Potatoes
– Parade
– Pumpkin pie
– Turkey
– Stuffing
– Corn maze
– Naptime
– Cranberry sauce
– Recipes
Learn More: BonBon Break
25. Christmas
– Jingle Bells
– The Grinch
– Christmas tree
– Ornament
– Lump of coal
– Scrooge
– Gingerbread House
– Christmas cookies
– Candy canes
– Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Learn More: White Elephant Rules
26. Fourth of July
– Fireworks
– American flag
– Sparkler
– Watermelon
– Parade float
– Picnic
– Uncle Sam
– Declaration of Independence
– United States
– Potato salad
Learn More: Holidappy
20 Awe-Inspiring Allusion Activities 