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120 Charades Ideas

120 Charades Ideas

Whenever people start planning a game night, it always seems like Charades is a must. Not only is it a classic game that anyone can learn, but since you can’t talk and can only use actions, there are so many charades ideas and ways to get people involved and having a fun time. It’s also good for people of all ages. You just have to adjust the level of words for each age group, and you will be fine. If the level of words are too difficult, or too easy for people, then it can easily zap away the energy for playing the game. It can even affect the mood for any other games you have planned later on.

Having fun is key! Sure, some competitiveness is also good, but if you aren’t having fun, then what’s the point?

We love going to and hosting game nights, and Charades is usually one of the first games we start off with. We love to rotate words and ideas for each night as it keeps the game fresh for our friends and introduces new, funny, and competitive situations. These make for great memories and keeps people interested in playing again in the future.

Now, remember that there are standard hand signals you can use to communicate the answer to your teammates. These can come in handy especially for characters or people.

For example:

• You can hold up your hand with the number of syllables in the word.

• Show if the word is long or short by spreading or shortening your arms.

• Tapping your nose towards the person who almost guessed correctly to let them know they’ve almost got it.

Remember to also say the category before each round so people will have better chances at guessing the answer. 

Need some new ideas for your Charades game? We’ve got you covered. Let’s take a look at some different words and categories you can add to your arsenal and have some fun with your friends and family!

*Note that we’ve divided the categories into kids and adults, but use your own judgement and use them whenever you want to*

Food (for kids & adults)

Food is a popular category for Charades. Everyone loves food, and words like these can be good for younger kids to act out since it’s easy to make movements eating something by using your hands. Here are some good food words to use:

• Fried chicken

• Pancakes

• Scrambled eggs

• Brownies

• Sushi

• Corn on the cob

• Kit Kat candy bar

• Burrito

• Barbeque

• Pizza

• Orange

• Crab

• Ramen

• Milkshake

• Hamburger

Movies (for kids)

Kids love movies and some of the most popular kids’ movies will make for a fun time for them trying to copy the different characters in each movie. Here are some well-known kids’ movies to use.

Spongebob

• Pokemon

• Toy Story

• The Incredibles

• Frozen

• Wreck it Ralph

• Winnie the Pooh

• Despicable Me

• Finding Nemo

• Lego Movie

• Sonic the Hedgehog

• How to Train Your Dragon

• Shrek

• Harry Potter

• Pinocchio

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Activities (for kids)

Activities are easy and fun for kids to do. This would be a great category to start off with since almost everyone can relate to the actions and activities (things we do basically every day). Here are some fun activities and actions for kids to mimic.

• Playing basketball

• Doing yoga

• Brushing your teeth

• Doing your homework

• Taking a shower

• Riding a bike

• Roller skating

• Flying a paper airplane

• Tying your shoes

• Swimming

• Walking the dog

• Baking a cake

• Building Legos

• Climbing a tree

• Raking leaves

Animals & Insects (for kids and adults)

This category can provide for some funny and awkward poses from people trying to mimic the movements of the different animals. You will see people trying to walk on all fours or even stand on one leg. This category is great for adults and kids since the animals are well known a commonly learned in school. Remind people not to make any animal sounds (very difficult for lots of people with the animal and insect category)! 

• Snake

• Flamingo

• Kangaroo

• Crocodile

• Owl

• Hippo

• Dragonfly

• Polar bear

• Ant

• Honeybee

• Cow

• Spider

• Mouse

• Mosquito

• Caterpillar

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Famous People (for adults)

Since this category is a bit more difficult to pull off, the ideas listed here are recommended for adults. However, don’t be afraid to try these with kids either. A good recommendation is to save this category as a sort of tie-breaker or challenging round to make the game more interesting. 

• Scarlett Johansson

• Albert Einstein

• Lionel Messi

• Barack Obama

• Abraham Lincoln

• Lady Gaga

• Michael Jordan

• Isaac Newton

• Mahatma Gandhi

• Usain Bolt

• Alex Morgan

• Amelia Earhart

• Marilyn Monroe

• Oprah Winfrey

• Bill gates

Movies (for adults)

Earlier in this article, we did a movie category for kids. Now it’s time for the adults to have some fun acting out movies. Most adults should know these and should have a great time mimicking the movements of characters in these movies to get people guessing.

• Alien

• Titanic

• Pulp Fiction

• The Dark Knight

• Mad Max: Fury Road

• Jaws

• Gladiator

• 300

• Jurassic Park

• The Lord of the Rings

• Texas Chainsaw Massacre

• Kill Bill

• Mission Impossible

• Ocean’s 11

• Top Gun

Activities (for adults)

Here are some more activity ideas for charades. These are a bit harder, so we’ve put this in the ‘for adults’ category. These will be more of a challenge and people can have a lot of entertaining situations trying to act them out. These will involve a lot of hand movement.

• Cooking steak

• Watching Netflix

• Playing foosball

• Driving a truck

• A job interview

• Paying your taxes

• Watching Youtube

• Mailing a package

• Building a model

• Fixing a clogged sink

• Going scuba diving

• Sailing

• Riding an ATV

• Flying a kite

• Flying a drone

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Famous Places (for kids and adults)

For our last idea category, we’re adding a list of places you can use. We would rate these as a medium since most kids learn about famous places in school. However, you may not want to try this list with kids under 8 or 9. Using body movements and body parts to make the shape of a famous landmark or place will definitely be a cool challenge for your friends and family to take on!

• The Eiffel Tower

• The Burj Khalifa Tower

• The Great Wall of China

• The Sahara Desert

• The Taj Mahal

• The Golden Gate Bridge

• The Statue of Liberty

• Mt. Everest

• The North Pole

• The Amazon Rainforest

• The Leaning Tower of Pisa

• The Pyramids of Egypt

• The Grand Canyon

• London Bridge

• The Sydney Opera House

We hope these ideas will provide some great entertainment for your game night or even in the classroom!