Charades for kids
How to play the charades for kids game
This is a pleasantly simple game to play. For those who have never tried it before, here is what you need to do.
First of all, you will need to print and cut out the charades game cards. You can choose just one topic or mix several together to make it a bit more challenging. Place the game cards in a basket or a pile upside down at the front of your classroom or playing area.
Next, divide your group into two teams. A player from one team is to come to the front and choose a card. They must act out the word on the page for their team members to guess. Once the team guesses the charades word correctly, they get a point. The acting player should then choose another word card at random and repeat this process.
There should be a time limit for this, 1 or 2 minutes works well! Each team should try to guess words and get as many points as they can before time is up. After several rounds or when all the cards are gone, the game is over. Whichever team amassed the most points is the winner.
Note that the players who act out should not use sound. For young children, however, you can make an exception if you like. This can be especially fun with the animals charades cards.
Another variation of the game is to let children play as individuals, not in teams. In this way the first player to guess the word correctly gets a point. They should then come to the front and choose a word to act out.
Charades for kids - Objects
Here are 36 easy objects and things for kids to act out. They are all simple objects that most children are familiar with. A good way for players to show the words is to pretend they are using them.
For example, they might mime making and throwing a paper plane, or opening an umbrella in the rain. For some of the objects, children can pretend to be them. They might move their arms like the hands on a clock or move in a robot way.
The objects on these printable charades cards are – a clock, key, robot, map, pencil, balloon, guitar, coffee, flower, umbrella, television, money, feather, stairs, calculator, bell, paper lane, lighthouse, sunglasses, wave, hammer, fan, microphone, bomb, rocket, saxophone, piano, eraser, wall, snow, compass, drums, flag, flashlight, ball, and lamp.
Charades for kids - Food
Next, we have some charades words about food. There are some suggestions on the cards such as eating, peeling, and cooking, these can be ignored if you like. An easy way for kids to show these words is by drawing them in the air.
To show the word donut a player can take their finger and draw 2 imaginary circles and so on.
The words included in this set are – sandwich, tea, hamburger, pizza, noodles, cake, apple, fries, grapes, chicken, eggs, corn, banana, popcorn, watermelon, donut, potatoes, and candy.
If you would like more food words, have a look at the 52 food flashcards that can be used to play a more comprehensive game of charades just on this topic alone.
Charades for kids - Sports
Sport is a fantastic topic for a game of charades. These physical activities are easy to mime and for others to guess. Players shouldn’t have much of a problem pretending to play these sports. This is a great activity to teach sports vocabulary to children.
The sports include in this set are – football, golf, tennis, ping pong, swimming, bowling, volleyball, baseball, cycling, running, sumo wrestling, soccer, basketball, scuba diving, hockey, weight lifting, karate, surfing, fencing, rugby, cricket, horse riding, aerobics, badminton, darts, boxing, and billiards.
If you are teaching sports, also try the free printable sports worksheets that are great for reinforcing sports and sports equipment names.
Charades for kids jobs
Jobs are another fun topic to act out. Players can do actions that these occupations do on a daily basis. To show the word firefighter, kids can pretend to hold a hose and spray water. For a photographer, they might pretend to hold a camera and take a picture.
The jobs on these picture and word game cards are – artist, football player, policeman, firefighter, detective, scientist, farmer, diver, chef, pilot, doctor, tailor, mail carrier, photographer, soldier, mechanic, lifeguard, and reporter.
Looking for more jobs picture and word cards? Check out the 60 free printable jobs flashcards.
Charades for kids - Feelings
Below are some basic feelings for kids to act out in a game of charades. The pictures on these cards make it very easy for kids to play. If you want more emotions cards, have a look at the feelings flashcards which you can also use to play.
The words included in this printable are – funny, sad, scared, cold, hot, angry, hungry, tired, and happy.
Charades for kids - Daily routines
Finally, we have some cards about daily routines, simple things that we do each day.
The actions in this set are – to get up, read, have a bath, sleep, brush your teeth, eat breakfast, ride a bike, get dressed, and play with toys.
If you are teaching this topic and are looking for something else fun, you might want to try the daily routines dominoes and picture cards. They can be used as a fun picture and word-matching game.
