The player then pantomimes the word or phrase he’s chosen to the other players. Here are some common clues used in charades:

To indicate a book, pretend to read a book. To indicate a song, pretend to sing. To indicate a movie, pretend to crank an old movie camera. To indicate the number of words, hold up that many fingers. (Then hold up one finger before pantomiming the first word, two fingers before the second, and so on.) To pantomime a word that rhymes with the word you want players to guess, first tug on your ear to say “sounds like.”

The first person to guess the word or phrase gets a point. If you like, divide into teams before playing. Players from each team take turns pantomiming for their teammates. The first team to guess the word or phrase gets a point. Keep track of the points earned by each player or team. The one with the most points at the end of the game wins.

How to Play Charades for Kids and Families - 31