Charades is a classic guessing game where players silently act out a word or phrase while everyone else tries to guess it before time runs out. Because it doesn’t require any equipment, it’s easy to play almost anywhere. You can play Charades at family game nights, birthday parties, classrooms, camps, and sleepovers. The key to a successful, fun game is having plenty of charades ideas ready to go.
How to Play Charades
When playing charades, you’ll want to divide into teams. One person acts out the word or phrase but can’t use talking or sounds. Set a timer for anywhere from 30-90 seconds, and the team has to guess before the time runs out. You can keep score if you want, or you can just play for fun.
Since you can’t use words or sounds, some players use common hand gestures to help other players guess what they are acting out. Common gestures include pointing to your ear to mean “sounds like,” holding up fingers to show the number of words, and then holding up one finger, two fingers, or three fingers to indicate which word you’re acting out. You could also act out opening a book if the phrase is a book title, or pretend to crank an old movie camera so players know to guess a movie.
An optional idea if younger kids are playing is to let them pass if they get a difficult prompt. You can also create separate piles of easy, medium, and hard charades ideas so everyone has a chance to participate.
Charades Categories
Sometimes it can help to play charades by choosing a category. This makes guessing much easier because you know you’re in a specific category and it really narrows down the guessing options. Here are some of the most popular categories for playing charades.
- Animals
- Jobs
- Sports
- Movies
- TV shows
- Books
- Disney characters
- Foods
- Emotions
- Holidays
- Superheroes
- Fairy tales
- Musical instruments
- Transportation
- Household chores
- Nature
Charades Ideas
The best charades ideas are things players can easily recognize through actions alone. Choose prompts that are familiar to your group and can be acted out using only body language and facial expressions, avoiding anything that relies on speaking or using props. Remember that you only have about one minute to guess the right answer, so it is best to choose topics that could be solved in a minute or less!
Charades Ideas for Kids
For kids, try sticking with simple ideas they already know. Here are some easy charades ideas for kids to start your game with. Take into consideration what things the kids are into. If you choose topics that are interested in, they are more likely to be highly engaged.
- Elephant
- Detective
- Monkey
- Dinosaur
- Blowing bubbles
- Washing your hands
- Butterfly
- Superhero
- Frog
- Chef
- Turtle
- Lion
- Swinging
- Coloring
- Jumping rope
- Doctor
- Princess
- Penguin
- Pirate
- Wizard
- Snake
- Hopscotch
- Giraffe
- Firefighter
- Brushing your teeth
- Reading a book
- Teacher
- Mermaid
- Swimming
- Kangaroo
- Dog
- Baking cookies
- Riding a bike
- Building a snowman
- Bear
- Knight
- Sleeping
- Cat
- Making a sandwich
- Climbing a tree
- Rabbit
- Owl
- Cowboy
- Flying an airplane
- Eating ice cream
- Flying a kite
- Playing tag
- Astronaut
- Zebra
- Fish
- Catching a fish
- Fairy
Charades Ideas for Teens
When playing with teens, you can include more challenging charades prompts like pop culture references or longer phrases. These ideas are more challenging than the charades ideas for kids, but they’re still easy enough to keep the game fun!
- Taking a selfie
- Ice skating
- FaceTiming a friend
- Playing basketball
- Playing guitar
- Cheerleading
- Posting on Instagram
- Taking notes
- Watching Netflix
- Soccer game
- Skateboarding
- Doing homework
- Snowboarding
- Graduation
- Texting
- Driving
- Lacrosse
- Homecoming
- Group project
- Theme park
- Taking an exam
- Karaoke
- Going on a road trip
- Gaming
- Shopping at the mall
- Going to prom
- Ordering coffee
- Bowling
- Track meet
- Escape room
- Making a playlist
- Camping
- Roller skating
- Taking driver’s ed
- TikTok dance
- Going to the gym
- Watching fireworks
- Concert
- Surfing
- Listening to music
- Walking into school late
- Volleyball
Charades Ideas for Adults
When playing with only adults, the prompts can be a little more complicated, but still try to keep them recognizable and fun. Whether it is at a backyard party or as an office ice breaker, these ideas are great for adults.
- Filing taxes
- Folding laundry
- Grocery shopping
- Drinking coffee
- Booking a vacation
- Putting together furniture
- Decorating for Christmas
- Vacuuming
- Calling customer service
- Changing a tire
- Changing a light bulb
- Giving a presentation
- Camping trip
- Paying bills
- Washing the car
- Mowing the lawn
- Stuck in traffic
- Fishing
- Golfing
- Walking through an airport
- Yoga
- Shoveling snow
- Hiking
- Barbecue
- Taking the dog to the vet
- Gardening
- Cooking breakfast
- Painting a room
- Cooking dinner
- Fixing a leaky faucet
- Planting flowers
- Wrapping presents
- Painting a fence
- Walking the dog
- Traveling
- Cleaning windows
- Hosting Thanksgiving
- Wine tasting
Funny Charades Ideas
Mixing funny charades ideas into the game can make everyone laugh and keep the rounds moving. These ideas are very silly to act out, and results in hilarious situations!
- Chicken crossing the road
- Carrying too many grocery bags
- Blowing up a balloon
- Walking on hot sand
- Walking into a glass door
- Fighting with an umbrella in the wind
- Walking in high heels
- Stepping on a Lego
- Swatting mosquitoes
- Losing your keys
- Cookie Monster
- Grilling burgers
- Bank robbery
- Getting stuck in quicksand
- Chasing a runaway balloon
- Sneezing over and over
- Riding an invisible horse
- Trying to open a pickle jar
- Slipping on a banana peel
- Trying not to laugh
- Burning your tongue on pizza
- Trying to catch a fly
- Waking up late
- Dancing like nobody’s watching
- Bad karaoke
- Rock climbing
- Black belt in karate
- Being afraid of a spider
- Wearing oversized shoes
- Chasing a squirrel
- Being ticklish
- Dancing in the rain
- Eating spicy food
- Trying to untangle headphones
- Slipping on ice
- Hot dog eating contest
- Being chased by bees
Hard Charades Ideas
If you want to add more of a challenge, here are some hard charades ideas to try. The following ideas should be a lot more difficult to guess!
- Time travel
- Magician
- On cloud nine
- Once in a lifetime
- Hanging on by a thread
- Winning the lottery
- Solving a mystery
- Peer pressure
- Spill the beans
- Finding a needle in a haystack
- Cliffhanger
- Pillow talk
- Brain freeze
- Helicopter Pilot
- Check mate
- Happy birthday
- Out of the blue
- Deja vu
- Pilates Instructor
- Building a snow man
- Roller coaster
- High heels
- Hit the books
- Outer space
- Break the ice
- Treasure hunt
- Under the weather
- Keeping a secret
- Piece of cake
- Back to square one
- Piggy bank
- Stealing a cookie from the cookie jar