Phrase Charades
Act out well-known English idioms, colorful figures of speech, and familiar daily sayings by taking figurative expressions and pantomiming them literally word by word.
Ideal for family game nights with kids ages ten and up, simply pick 60, 90 or 120 seconds and tap Got it or Pass on each guess.
Example prompts
Easy
- Break a leg
- Ring a bell
- Sleep on it
- Shake a leg
Medium
- Cold feet
- Cut corners
- Jump the gun
- Rock the boat
Hard
- On cloud nine
- Burning bridges
- Skating on thin ice
- Needle in a haystack
Tips for acting Phrases
- Signal how many words make up the phrase on your fingers before acting any individual parts.
- Act out the literal imagery first, such as spilling beans or barking up a tree trunk.
- When an abstract word stalls your team, tap your ear to indicate a rhyming word instead.
FAQ
Why are some idioms harder to act than single words?
Idioms often rely on figurative meaning, so guessers must piece together several literal clues before recognizing the overall phrase. Breaking phrases down word by word helps teams solve them faster.
What age group is this deck suited for?
This deck works well for ages ten and older because players need enough familiarity with conversational metaphors and common English expressions to connect the physical clues to the idiom.
Can we draw phrase cards without time limits for discussion?
Yes. Try the Charades Generator for random prompts from the phrases deck whenever you want relaxed practice without a clock counting down in the background.
Just want random words? Use the Charades Generator