Charades Word Lists for Kids
Since kids love to play charades, having charades word lists available for kids while playing will reduce the time it takes for kids to think of topics on their own. A list of items, words or phrases can either be provided for the children; an alternative method is to brainstorm items before playing. This way you can ensure that the children know the words being played in the game. The important part of having a ready made list is tailoring the list to the age of the children.
Word Lists for Charades
When making a word list for charades, it is best to think of some broad categories and then fill in the age appropriate words from there. Lower grade kids, preteens and teenagers may have some overlapping words but most likely will have words specific to their age and interests.
Before playing, allowing each child to write down words that correspond with each category (movies, television, books, music, celebrities, or whatever categories were chosen) will get them excited for the game. Another benefit to having younger children brainstorm the word list will be that they will remember the words from having written them down.
Here are some examples of charades word lists for different age groups:
Movies
Ages 5-9
- The Swan Princess
- Tangled
- Cats and Dogs
- Yogi Bear
- Gnomeo and Juliet
Ages 10-13
- Harry Potter
- Spiderman
- Batman
- Superman
- Avatar
- Alice in Wonderland
- The Karate Kid
Ages 14-17
- Shrek
- Toy Story
- Twilight
- Tron
- Freaky Friday
Television
Ages 5-9
- Strawberry Shortcake
- Scooby-Doo
- Word World
- Word Girl
- Blue’s Clues
- Sid the Science Kid
- Barbie
- Sesame Street
- The Electric Company
Ages 10-13
- Hannah Montana
- Spongebob Squarepants
- Big Time Rush
- iCarly
- Wizards of Waverly Place
Ages 14-17
- Glee
- American Idol
- Everybody Hates Chris
- The Simpsons
Books
Ages 5-9
- The Cat in the Hat (or any Dr. Seuss book)
- Angelina Ballerina
- Junie B. Jones
- Amelia Bedelia
- Where the Wild Things Are
- Danny and the Dinosaur
- Ages 10-13
- Harry Potter
- The Giver
- Frankenstein
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid
- Anne of Green Gables
Ages 14-17
- Twilight
- The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
- Huckleberry Finn
- To Kill a Mockingbird
- Aretmis Fowl
Music
Ages 5-9
- Piano
- Drums
- Flute
- Guitar
- Trumpet
- Ages 10-13
- Tuba
- Willow Smith
- Hilary Duff
Ages 14-17
- Jonas Brothers
- Selena Gomez
- Taylor Swift
- Zac Effron
- Alexis Jordan
- Allison Iraheta
Celebrities/Notable People
Ages 5-9
- George WashingtonAbraham LincolnBarack ObamaBetsy Ross
Ages 10-13
- Justin Bieber
- Miley Cyrus
- Franklin Roosevelt
- Amelia Earhart
Ages 14-17
- Kristen Stewart
- Robert Pattinson
- Taylor Lautner
- Miley Cirus
- Abigail Breslin
- Tyra Banks
Themes for Charades
- Holidays
- Sports
- Animals
- Cartoon Characters
- Transportation
- Religion
- Nature
- School
Websites with Charade Lists
Some people have already created very helpful websites with charade word lists for kids.
Charades Ideas has individual words and cards that can be printed. Categories include all of the ones listed above. However, the lists be adapted with categories toggled on and off and it has a special section for kids. This site also offers a set of rules and alternate ways to play the game of charades Another way to play charades is to choose specific phrases for students to act out.
Christmas Charades (found at the bottom of the page) gives examples of themed phrases to use. Phrases chosen need to be familiar to children. If there are kids and adults playing, having mixed aged teams will help the children be part of the team but not have to come up with all of the answers on their own.
Charades Cards allows you to choose categories, then themes and finally print out the word list. Players can also use this site to play the game rather than print out the cards. This site is similar to the word lists above but is based in the United Kingdom.
A similar game to charades is Pictionary. In this game, children can draw out the words and phrases rather than act them out. Some shy children may prefer this version of the game.
Overall, children need to have fun playing charades or pictionary. Shy children may be afraid to get up in front of others and act out the words. If the words are too challenging, children will not know what to do with them. Therefore, finding a good charades word list is important.