155 Kids Charades Ideas: Easy, Funny & Family-Friendly

Quick Kids Charades Ideas by Difficulty

Start with recognizable animals and actions, then move to longer movie titles and fairy-tale characters.

Tip: Let younger children use sounds or a partner if silent acting feels too difficult.

How to Play Charades with Kids

1. Choose one child to act and show them a prompt privately.
2. Give the group 60 seconds to guess the word or character.
3. Use gestures only for traditional charades, or allow sounds for younger children.
4. Award a point for a correct guess and rotate actors.
5. Keep the emphasis on participation rather than winning.

Need the standard gestures and team rules? Read our complete guide to how to play charades.

155 Charades Words for Kids

Choose one category for a themed round or mix all five. Animals and actions are easiest for young children; movies, rhymes, and fairy tales work well for older kids.

31 Cartoon and Animated Movie Charades

1. Toy Story
2. Finding Nemo
3. Frozen
4. The Lion King
5. Moana
6. Shrek
7. Despicable Me
8. Minions
9. Cars
10. Monsters, Inc.
11. Kung Fu Panda
12. Aladdin
13. Beauty and the Beast
14. Ratatouille
15. Wreck-It Ralph
16. Zootopia
17. Madagascar
18. The Incredibles
19. Coco
20. Pocahontas
21. Up
22. The Little Mermaid
23. Inside Out
24. Ice Age
25. Rio
26. Peppa Pig
27. Bluey
28. SpongeBob SquarePants
29. My Little Pony
30. Adventure Time
31. Teen Titans Go!

31 Nursery Rhyme and Song Charades

1. Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
2. Old MacDonald Had a Farm
3. Humpty Dumpty
4. Mary Had a Little Lamb
5. The Wheels on the Bus
6. Baa Baa Black Sheep
7. Row, Row, Row Your Boat
8. Itsy Bitsy Spider
9. Jack and Jill
10. London Bridge is Falling Down
11. Hickory Dickory Dock
12. I’m a Little Teapot
13. Five Little Monkeys
14. This Old Man
15. Rock-a-Bye Baby
16. Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes
17. Do-Re-Mi
18. If You’re Happy and You Know It
19. Yankee Doodle
20. ABC Song
21. Pat-a-Cake
22. The Farmer in the Dell
23. Little Bo Peep
24. Pop Goes the Weasel
25. Over the Rainbow
26. Sing a Song of Sixpence
27. Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary
28. Simple Simon
29. Little Miss Muffet
30. The Grand Old Duke of York
31. Oh! Susanna

31 Animal Charades for Kids

1. Dog
2. Cat
3. Elephant
4. Lion
5. Tiger
6. Bear
7. Monkey
8. Giraffe
9. Zebra
10. Frog
11. Fish
12. Bird
13. Butterfly
14. Horse
15. Pig
16. Sheep
17. Goat
18. Rabbit
19. Duck
20. Chicken
21. Owl
22. Kangaroo
23. Panda
24. Koala
25. Cow
26. Raccoon
27. Squirrel
28. Deer
29. Seal
30. Otter
31. Parrot

31 Actions and Sports to Act Out

1. Jumping
2. Running
3. Skipping
4. Clapping
5. Dancing
6. Swimming
7. Riding a Bicycle
8. Kicking a Ball
9. Throwing a Frisbee
10. Racing
11. Rolling
12. Swinging
13. Hopping
14. Singing
15. Waving
16. Tickling
17. Brushing Teeth
18. Playing Hide and Seek
19. Crawling
20. Skipping Rope
21. Hugging
22. Jump Rope
23. Surfing (pretend)
24. Sliding
25. Scooting
26. Crab Walking
27. Balancing
28. Sprinting
29. Falling (safely)
30. Stretching
31. Rolling on the Floor

31 Fairy-Tale Characters for Charades

1. Cinderella
2. Snow White
3. Little Red Riding Hood
4. Rapunzel
5. Sleeping Beauty
6. Goldilocks
7. The Three Little Pigs
8. The Big Bad Wolf
9. Jack (from Jack and the Beanstalk)
10. Hansel
11. Gretel
12. Pinocchio
13. Peter Pan
14. Tinker Bell
15. Aladdin
16. Genie
17. Beauty (from Beauty and the Beast)
18. The Beast
19. Mermaid
20. Prince Charming
21. Fairy Godmother
22. Robin Hood
23. Pied Piper
24. King Arthur
25. Queen (or Princess)
26. Dragon
27. Wicked Witch
28. Snow Queen
29. Wizard
30. Magic Mirror
31. Little Mermaid

Tips for Playing Charades with Children

• Use visual prompts: animals and everyday actions are easiest for pre-readers.
• Keep rounds short: 45 to 60 seconds maintains attention.
• Allow a pass: unfamiliar movies and rhymes should not stop the game.
• Pair younger players: acting with a sibling or adult builds confidence.
• Celebrate creative answers: the funniest interpretation is often the best part.