Reverse charades
In reverse charades the roles flip: one player guesses while the rest of their team acts out the word together. It is louder and sillier than the normal game, and nobody is stuck performing alone, which makes it a reliable icebreaker for teens, offices and big parties.
The best words give everyone a part: a roller coaster, a marching band, a car wash. These 514 ideas are easy to medium so the acting team can get going without planning.
Making a sandwich
How to play reverse charades
You need at least six people, split into two teams.
- Team A sends one guesser to the front, facing their team. Everyone else on Team A can see the word.
- Start a 60-second timer. Team A acts out the word together, silently. The guesser shouts answers.
- Each correct guess scores a point and the team moves straight to the next word until time runs out.
- Team B takes a turn with a new guesser. Rotate guessers each round.
Big group scenes
Ideas that need several actors. The best ones for reverse charades.
- Playing hide and seekEasy
- Playing tagEasy
- Pillow fightEasy
- Three-legged raceMedium
- Conducting an orchestraMedium
- Relay raceMedium
- Doing the waveMedium
- Tug of warMedium
- LimboMedium
- Conga lineMedium
- Posing for a group photoMedium
- Riding a roller coasterMedium
- Playing leapfrogMedium
- Marching bandMedium
- Building a human pyramidMedium
- Being a washing machineMedium
- Rowing a dragon boatMedium
Animals for a group to act40 of 132
This set has 132 ideas. Start with "Dog", "Cat", "Elephant" — give each actor 60 seconds; it mixes quick single-word turns with longer scenes, so swap easy and hard cards to keep the pace even.
- DogEasy
- CatEasy
- ElephantEasy
- MonkeyEasy
- LionEasy
- TigerEasy
- SnakeEasy
- BirdEasy
- FishEasy
- FrogEasy
- RabbitEasy
- HorseEasy
- CowEasy
- PigEasy
- SheepEasy
- DuckEasy
- ChickenEasy
- BearEasy
- PenguinEasy
- KangarooEasy
- GiraffeEasy
- ZebraEasy
- ButterflyEasy
- BeeEasy
- SpiderEasy
- OwlEasy
- TurtleEasy
- CrabEasy
- SharkEasy
- WhaleEasy
- DolphinEasy
- OctopusEasy
- MouseEasy
- SnailEasy
- AntEasy
- BatEasy
- CrocodileEasy
- GorillaEasy
- PuppyEasy
- KittenEasy
Actions50 of 179
This set has 179 ideas. Start with "Brushing teeth", "Jumping rope", "Riding a bike" — give each actor 60 seconds; it mixes quick single-word turns with longer scenes, so swap easy and hard cards to keep the pace even.
- Brushing teethEasy
- Jumping ropeEasy
- Riding a bikeEasy
- SleepingEasy
- Eating spaghettiEasy
- Blowing bubblesEasy
- Flying a kiteEasy
- Building a sandcastleEasy
- Climbing a treeEasy
- Taking a bathEasy
- Reading a bookEasy
- FishingEasy
- Walking a dogEasy
- Watering plantsEasy
- Eating ice creamEasy
- Playing the guitarEasy
- Playing the drumsEasy
- Playing the pianoEasy
- Hula hoopingEasy
- Kicking a ballEasy
- Driving a carEasy
- Riding a horseEasy
- Rowing a boatEasy
- Digging a holeEasy
- Jumping on a trampolineEasy
- Going down a slideEasy
- Swinging on a swingEasy
- Taking a photoEasy
- Watching TVEasy
- Mailing a letterEasy
- Sweeping the floorEasy
- Washing the dishesEasy
- Making the bedEasy
- Taking out the trashEasy
- Washing a carEasy
- Flipping pancakesEasy
- Hammering a nailEasy
- Sword fightingEasy
- Climbing a mountainEasy
- Slipping on a banana peelEasy
- SnoringEasy
- Feeding a babyEasy
- Washing handsEasy
- ClappingEasy
- CryingEasy
- LaughingEasy
- SneezingEasy
- YawningEasy
- Waving goodbyeEasy
- Hopping on one footEasy
Jobs and characters40 of 120
This set has 120 ideas. Start with "Pirate", "Doctor", "Cowboy" — give each actor 60 seconds; it mixes quick single-word turns with longer scenes, so swap easy and hard cards to keep the pace even.
- PirateEasy
- DoctorEasy
- CowboyEasy
- NurseEasy
- NinjaEasy
- TeacherEasy
- SuperheroEasy
- FirefighterEasy
- PrincessEasy
- Police officerEasy
- PrinceEasy
- ChefEasy
- KingEasy
- FarmerEasy
- QueenEasy
- PilotEasy
- KnightEasy
- AstronautEasy
- WizardEasy
- DentistEasy
- WitchEasy
- Mail carrierEasy
- FairyEasy
- Construction workerEasy
- MermaidEasy
- ArtistEasy
- RobotEasy
- SingerEasy
- ZombieEasy
- DancerEasy
- GhostEasy
- BakerEasy
- AlienEasy
- WaiterEasy
- MonsterEasy
- HairdresserEasy
- GiantEasy
- LifeguardEasy
- CavemanEasy
- ScientistEasy
Sports30 of 66
This set has 66 ideas. Start with "Soccer", "Basketball", "Baseball" — give each actor 60 seconds; it mixes quick single-word turns with longer scenes, so swap easy and hard cards to keep the pace even.
- SoccerEasy
- BasketballEasy
- BaseballEasy
- FootballEasy
- TennisEasy
- GolfEasy
- SwimmingEasy
- BowlingEasy
- BoxingEasy
- KarateEasy
- SkiingEasy
- SnowboardingEasy
- Ice skatingEasy
- SurfingEasy
- SkateboardingEasy
- Roller skatingEasy
- CyclingEasy
- Running a raceEasy
- Ice hockeyEasy
- VolleyballEasy
- GymnasticsEasy
- BalletEasy
- DodgeballEasy
- HopscotchEasy
- SleddingEasy
- Car racingEasy
- YogaEasy
- Thumb wrestlingEasy
- ArcheryMedium
- FencingMedium
Printable charades cards
64 cards from this list, eight to a page with cut lines and card backs for double-sided printing. Free PDF.
Questions
What is reverse charades?
A team version of charades: one person guesses and everyone else on the team acts out the word at the same time.
How many people do you need for reverse charades?
At least six, in two teams of three or more. It gets better with bigger teams; ten a side is chaos in a good way.
What are good reverse charades ideas?
Scenes with roles for everyone: roller coaster, marching band, conga line, car wash, washing machine, tug of war.
Is reverse charades good for team building?
Yes. Teams have to coordinate fast without talking, and nobody performs alone, which helps quieter colleagues join in.
Can you talk in reverse charades?
The actors cannot speak or mouth words. Sound effects are usually allowed; agree before you start.