Play charades
Play a family friendly game of charades by acting out words or phrases without speaking, creating clue cards, and taking turns guessing each other's clues.
Step-by-step guide to play family-friendly charades
How To Play: Charades, A Gold Mime of Family Fun | University Games
Step 1
Gather all the materials listed and bring them to a clear table or floor space.
Step 2
Pick a family friendly theme for your clues like animals actions jobs or everyday objects.
Step 3
Cut the paper into equal strips to make your clue cards.
Step 4
Write one word or short phrase on each strip to make a single clue per card.
Step 5
Decorate the cards with colours or little drawings if you want to make them fun.
Step 6
Fold each card and drop it into the bowl or hat to mix them up.
Step 7
Decide who goes first and which players are on each team.
Step 8
Agree a time limit for each turn like 60 seconds and make sure everyone knows it.
Step 9
The first player draws a card and silently acts out the clue without speaking or pointing to objects.
Step 10
Other players shout out guesses until someone gets the right answer or the time runs out.
Step 11
When a clue is guessed correctly give that card to the acting player's team as a point and then rotate to the next player.
Step 12
Share your charades game and the clue cards you made on DIY.org.
Final steps
You're almost there! Complete all the steps, bring your creation to life, post it, and conquer the challenge!
Help!?
What can we use if we don't have plain paper, scissors, or a bowl/hat to mix the cards?
Tear cereal-box cardboard or magazine pages into equal strips to make clue cards, use a ruler and blunt knife or safe craft scissors to cut them, and mix folded cards in a mug, shoebox, or large jar instead of a bowl or hat.
What should we do if players keep accidentally speaking, pointing, or arguing about the time limit during a turn?
Remind everyone of the 'no speaking or pointing' rule from the acting step, simplify clues to one clear word or short phrase if guesses stall, and use a visible 60-second phone timer so turns stop unmistakably when time runs out.
How can we adapt the game for younger children or older kids using the same steps and materials?
For toddlers draw pictures on the paper strips instead of writing words and allow longer turns, for early elementary write single easy words, and for older kids use multi-word phrases or jobs and shorten the timer for a tougher challenge.
How can we extend or personalize the charades activity after we've made and played with the clue cards?
Decorate each folded clue card with colours or little drawings, create separate themed decks (animals, actions, jobs), keep won cards as a score pile or trophy, and photograph your favourite cards to share the game on DIY.org.
Watch videos on how to play family-friendly charades
How to Play Charades
3 Videos
How to Play Charades
How To Play Charades For Kids
How To Play Charades For Kids
Facts about acting and drama activities for kids
⏱️ Adding a short timer (30–60 seconds) makes rounds more exciting and trains players to think and guess quickly.
🤝 Charades is a popular icebreaker used in classrooms and parties because it boosts teamwork and sparks laughter.
🕴️ Marcel Marceau, the world-famous French mime, helped popularize silent storytelling across the globe in the 20th century.
🧠 Research shows that acting out ideas with gestures helps kids remember things better than just reading them.
🎭 The modern party game "charades" evolved from 18th-century French parlor puzzles that turned full phrases into acted clues.
How do you play family-friendly charades?
What materials do I need for a family charades game?
What ages is charades suitable for?
What are the benefits, safety tips, and variations for family charades?
One subscription, many ways to play and learn.
Only $6.99 after trial. No credit card required