How to Play Charades

The Game

• 1

  Divide the group into two teams of at least three people each. Decide on a time limit - between 3 and 5 minutes - for each round.

• 2

  Have each team write titles of books, TV shows or movies, or other phrases (see Tips), on individual scraps of paper, then fold them to hide the writing. Each team then places its scraps in a separate bowl.

• 3

  When it's your turn, close your eyes and pick a piece of paper from the other team's bowl. Read its contents to yourself.

• 4

  Without speaking, help your team try to guess the title by giving signals using appropriate gestures (see the following section).

• 5

  Stop when your team guesses the title or time runs out.

• 6

  Sit down and watch the other team draw a title and act it out.

• 7

  When it's your team's turn again, watch as one of your teammates draws a new title out of the bowl; now it's your turn to try to guess what your teammate is acting out.

• 8

  Record how many clues it takes each team to guess correct titles (or add up the number of correct guesses per team) to determine the winner.

The Clues

• 9

  To indicate a book title, put your hands together as if you are praying, then unfold them flat.

• 10

  To indicate a film title, form an O with one hand to pantomime a lens while cranking the other hand as if you are operating an old-fashioned movie camera.

• 11

  Indicate a television show by making a box with your fingers.

• 12

  Make quotation marks in the air with your fingers to indicate a quote.

• 13

  Pose like Napoleon (with a hand on your chest and the tips of your fingers tucked partway into your shirt) to indicate a famous person.

• 14

  Pull on your ear to indicate that the word being guessed sounds like another word.

• 15

  Hold up fingers to indicate the number of words in the title, quotation or name; hold up a number of fingers again to indicate which word you want your teammates to guess.

• 16

  Hold fingers against your arm to indicate the number of syllables in a particular word.

• 17

  Pinch your thumb and forefinger or open them up to indicate a short or long word.

• 18

  Confirm that your partners have guessed a word correctly by tapping your index finger on your nose and pointing to the person or persons who made the correct guess.

• 19

  Wipe your hand across your forehead to let your teammates know that they are getting hot.

• 20

  Cross your arms and shiver to let them know that they are getting cold.