Scattergories categories
Categories game for kids
First up, we have some simple categories that most elementary-level school children should have no problem with. These printables include these topics –
Sheet 1 – Animals, cities, food, clothing, things at school, and jobs.
Countries, names for a girl, cartoon characters, something red, sports, and drinks
Movies, weather words, something in a kitchen, books, breakfast, and something green.
Something in the ocean, toys, something hot, fruits, songs, and body parts.
Sheet 2 – Ocean animals, famous people, video games, language, things in a bathroom, and mountains.
Something made of wood, a name for a boy, transport, something smelly, a place in a city, and a math word
Hobbies, television shows, something in the sky, animal sounds, vegetables, and something round.
Something on a pizza, something scary, A kind of tree, sweet food, school activities, and superheroes.
More difficult Scattergories categories
The next 2 Scattergories categories printables are slightly more challenging and are better for older learners. They include the topics of –
Sheet 3 – Instruments, rivers, furniture, crimes, things in a stadium, and electronic devices.
Something made of metal, a band name, a kind of bird, something blue, a tool, and a nice word.
A phone app, a bad habit, something expensive, unhealthy food, a fashion company, and a beautiful sound.
An action movie, something on your head, a kind of insect, an extreme sport, a National Park, and a cooking utensil.
Sheet 4 – Medicine, asports team, a herb or spice, stationery, something black, and a daily routine.
Something plastic, A large company name, a kind of fish, something in a suitcase, an illness, and a word about water.
A household chore, something you often buy, something underground, a family activity, a kind of monster, and something in the garden.
A capital city, something at an airport, a way to relax, a pet, a monument, and a geography word.
Variations on the Scattergories categories game
There are several different ways for this fun categories game to be played. One version, often known as “Stop the bus” in ESL classrooms, makes the contest a kind of race. In this variant, no time limit is set. When a team or player completes their list, they are to shout out “Stop the bus” and all other competitors are to put down their pens or pencils, and then scoring begins.
Another interesting way to play is to only award points for original answers. For example, if the letter chosen was M and 2 or more teams gave the answer monkey for an animal, they would not get a point. Any team or player that had a different word than everyone else, such as manatee or mongoose, would be given a point. You can also make duplicate answers worth 1 point and more inventive ones worth 2 or 3 points. This makes players think a lot more deeply and try not to come up with obvious answers. It does seem, however, to work a lot better with a set time frame.
You can also award bonus points for answers that contain 2 words beginning with the target letter. Let’s say the topic was food and the given letter was L. If someone provided the answer of lettuce leaves, they could get a bonus point. Finally, if you want to make the game very challenging, you can ask for words that use double letters. They don’t need to start with them, just simply include them.
Blank Scattergories categories printables
Here are a couple of blank sheets that can be used to create your own games. In the classroom environment, this makes for an excellent brainstorming activity. They can also be used to target certain areas of vocabulary that students are focusing on. Let your learners come up with their own categories and then choose the best ones to start playing this great word game. You can also use them in conjunction with the list of categories provided below.
Further Scattergories categories
In case you are looking for more categories, here is a list of alternative ones that are mostly more advanced and suitable for teens and adults. Some topics may require multi-word answers, but that is all fine if the first word begins with the assigned letter for the round. You may get some obscure answers for some of these, in which case, put it to a vote to see if players agree. You can always choose to award half points on such answers. Remember, it is all a bit of fun at the end of the day!
Also, it is best to allow the emission of articles such as a/an/the. For example, in the case of an answer for a landmark with the letter G, Grand Canyon can be acceptable, forgetting about The at the start of its name.
The extra list of categories has these topics –
Things you can find at the beach
A 5-syllable word
Things that people do on public transport
Dangerous jobs
Things that people often throw away
A type of personality
A kind of ball
Desserts
DIY projects
Ways to make money
Popular tourist destinations
Things in a desert
Kinds of weapons
Ways to say hello
Famous foreign food
Ways people get injured
Hot drinks
Ways to help someone
Authors
Infamous people
Scientists or inventors
Things lazy people do
Sports equipment
Halloween costumes
Something you would see on a farm
Sportspeople/Athletes
Mythological creatures
A restaurant problem
Outdoor events
Cleaning products and equipment
Something in an office
Things that make people sick
Something people laugh at
A Valentine’s Day gift
Ways to cook
Something that keeps people warm
Places to go for amusement
Verbs related to animals
Precious stones and gems
Holidays or festivals
Things people gamble on
Board games
Ways to break a phone
Dog breeds
Something people study
Something that smells beautiful
Things children love
Something you would put in a jar
Kinds of food containers
Lakes
Things gold is used for
Kinds of art
Things made of glass
North American animals
Ways to cross a river
Reasons people run
Things that are loud
Health care products
Parts of a car
Something in space
Ways to exercise
Quiet places
Annoying things
Things that often break
A computer problem
A word associated with wisdom
Something you can’t eat raw
Ways to stay cool
A synonym for beauty
A polluted place
Things people do with their hands
Something you put on your feet
How fires can be started
A present for an elderly person
A famous person from history
Things that bees do
Animals that live longer than 40 years
Something in a hardware store
Things you take camping
Types of aircraft
A physical gesture
Nationalities
Things people wear in summer
A kind of sauce
Something that comes in a can
Indoor plants
Things people worry about
Something that is often repaired
An excuse for being late
Reptiles
Things people wash regularly
Reason for quitting a job
Models of cars
Something people carry every day
Something you eat with a spoon
Types of housing/accommodation
Things cats play with
Words related to happiness
Things people do with their teeth
Jobs that require uniforms
A famous place in Africa
Things people write on
Something you can buy for less than 2 dollars
Something soft
Things in a bedroom
Things people like to do alone
Busy places
Something found in a museum
A task a zookeeper would do
Things that are sticky
A world leader
Things people collect
Movie villains
A cold dinner food
Something in a sandwich
A computer program
Traffic offenses
Things that need a cable
House decorations
Things you can fix with superglue
Building materials
An expression about water
Places people keep or hide money
Things to do in the countryside
Something an eagle would do
A use for paper
An 8-letter word
Places to eat
Things that very rich people buy
Things people sit on
Fashion accessories
Things that bite
Animals that don’t eat meat
Things with wheels
Something in a cave
Places people dance
Things on a road
A word associated with time
A beach name
Things people cut with scissors
Something bright
Places to buy a T-shirt
Comedy movies
Poems
Body language
documentaries
Intelligent people
Words related to education
