Charades ideas for kids, adults and families
The best charades prompts are things people can see in their heads right away. Start the night with the easy and everyday lists to warm everyone up, then move to movies and the hard list once people stop feeling shy.
Easy (good for kids)
- Brushing your teeth
- Riding a bike
- Swimming
- Monkey
- Elephant
- Kangaroo
- Flying a kite
- Eating spaghetti
- Building a snowman
- Playing guitar
- Sleeping
- Baby
- Dog chasing its tail
- Jumping rope
- Superhero
- Robot
- Chicken
- Fishing
- Blowing bubbles
- Opening a present
Actions and everyday life
- Parallel parking
- Losing your keys
- Taking a selfie
- Stepping on a Lego
- Walking a stubborn dog
- Assembling furniture
- Running late
- Stuck in traffic
- Doing yoga
- Making pancakes
- Getting a haircut
- Waiting in line
- Changing a diaper
- Catching a bus
- Spilling coffee
- Hiding from the boss
- Burnt toast
- Lost in a mall
- Chopping onions
- Video call with bad Wi-Fi
Movies and TV
- Titanic
- Jurassic Park
- The Lion King
- Frozen
- Harry Potter
- Star Wars
- Finding Nemo
- Jaws
- Home Alone
- Toy Story
- Spider-Man
- The Wizard of Oz
- Shrek
- Back to the Future
- Mean Girls
- Friends
- The Office
- Squid Game
- Grease
- Ghostbusters
Bollywood films (for dumb charades)
- Sholay
- Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge
- Lagaan
- 3 Idiots
- Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham
- Dangal
- Mughal-e-Azam
- Kuch Kuch Hota Hai
- Taare Zameen Par
- Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
- Chak De! India
- Munna Bhai MBBS
- Queen
- Andhadhun
- RRR
Hard (for grown-ups)
- Writer's block
- Midlife crisis
- Buyer's remorse
- Sleepwalking
- Jet lag
- Stage fright
- Brain freeze
- Speed dating
- Tax season
- Reply all
- Awkward silence
- Group project
- Out of office
- The floor is lava
- Running out of phone battery
The hand signals
- Movie: crank an old film camera beside your head.
- TV show: draw a rectangle in the air.
- Book: open your hands like a book.
- Song: sing with your mouth open and no sound.
- Number of words: hold up that many fingers, then hold up fingers again to say which word you're acting.
- Sounds like: cup a hand behind your ear.
- Small word: hold your thumb and finger close together.
Charades with a twist: Bowl Game
If your group loves charades, try Bowl Game, the Fishbowl party classic. Everyone writes names and things on their phone, then two teams guess the same slips three times: first describing them, then one word only, then acting them out charades-style. By round three the whole room knows the answers and the acting gets very silly. The TV runs the clock and the score. It's part of Hangtime's Launch Pack, and players always join free.
Tips
- Keep turns to a minute. Long turns lose the room.
- Play in teams. Two teams taking turns keeps everyone involved, and it's easier for shy players.
- Let kids write prompts. They love seeing grown-ups act out their ideas.
- No props, no pointing. Pointing at a real object in the room ends the challenge too fast.
Describe it, one word, then act it out. Three rounds with the same slips.
Try Bowl GameNo group handy? Try Wordy Birdy solo, free, in 10 seconds →Questions
What are good charades ideas for kids?
Simple actions and animals: brushing your teeth, riding a bike, a monkey, a kangaroo, flying a kite, building a snowman or blowing bubbles.
What is dumb charades?
It's what charades is often called in India, usually played with movie titles, especially Bollywood films. The rules are the same: act it out with no talking.
How do you show a movie in charades?
Pretend to crank an old-fashioned film camera next to your head. Then show the number of words with your fingers.
Is there an online version of charades?
Bowl Game on Hangtime has a full act-it-out round. Slips are written on phones and the TV runs the timer and the score, in the room or over a video call.