Charades & Pictionary generator
Tick the categories you want, pick a difficulty and a timer, then press Draw a card to get one random prompt to act out or draw. Press List of 10 for a batch you can read from a phone or print. Cards don't repeat until the deck runs out, and every prompt is family-friendly.
More prompts
- frog (Animals)
- snake (Animals)
- swimming (Actions)
- dancing (Actions)
- brushing teeth (Actions)
- apple (Food)
- spaghetti (Food)
- popcorn (Food)
- clock (Everyday objects)
Worked example: what's in the deck
The prompts above are easy cards from the four categories ticked by default (Animals, Actions, Food, Everyday objects), a pool of 90 cards. The full deck has 500 prompts:
| Category | Easy | Medium | Hard |
|---|---|---|---|
| Animals | 25 | 25 | 20 |
| Actions | 25 | 25 | 20 |
| Jobs | 20 | 20 | 20 |
| Sports & games | 20 | 20 | 20 |
| Food | 20 | 20 | 20 |
| Everyday objects | 20 | 20 | 20 |
| Characters & stories | 20 | 20 | 20 |
| Holidays & seasons | 20 | 20 | 20 |
In Animals, a harder card means a less familiar animal: an easy card is "dog", a medium card is "octopus" and a hard card is "chameleon". In Characters & stories, harder cards become little scenes to act out: "superhero", then "a sleepy bear in winter", then "a dragon with a cold".
How the charades generator works
Drawing cards
The tool builds a pile from every category you ticked at the difficulty you chose (Mixed uses all three), shuffles it and deals from the top. You won't see a card twice until the pile is used up, then it reshuffles. Changing a category or the difficulty starts a fresh pile. List of 10 deals ten cards from the same pile, so a list and the single cards after it don't overlap. The timer starts as soon as a single card appears and shows "Time's up!" at zero.
How to play charades
Split into two teams. One player draws a card and acts it out for their own team without speaking, mouthing words, pointing at letters or making sounds. The team shouts guesses until the timer runs out. A correct guess scores a point, then the other team takes a turn. Standard signals save time: hold up fingers for the number of words, tap fingers on your forearm for the number of syllables, and tug your ear for "sounds like".
Playing Pictionary instead
Use the same cards, but the player draws the prompt on paper or a whiteboard, with no letters, numbers or talking. Medium and hard cards work best for older kids and adults, because short phrases are fun to draw in steps. Sixty seconds is a good default; give young children 90.
Choosing the right difficulty
Easy (170 prompts) are single animals, objects and actions that can be shown with one clear movement: good for ages 4 to 8 and mixed-age family games. Medium (170) adds two-step actions, specific jobs and sports, and short character scenes. Hard (160) are scenes like "a dragon with a cold" or "parallel parking" that need real acting. For young children, say the category aloud before they start and let two kids act together.
Tips for a smoother game
Let the actor pass once per turn if a card is too hard; it keeps things moving. For mixed ages, tick Animals and Actions for the little ones and switch to Mixed when it's an adult's turn. In a classroom, project the page and use List of 10 so each team gets the same number of cards.
About the deck
We wrote the deck for family games: no brand names, no film or TV characters, nothing gory or rude. Everything runs in your browser and works offline once the page has loaded.
Frequently asked questions
What are good charades words for kids?
Start with the Easy level in Animals, Actions, Food and Everyday objects. Those 90 cards are single words like "dog" or "sleeping" that need one clear movement.
What are the hand signals in charades?
Fingers held up for the number of words, then for which word you are acting. Fingers tapped on the forearm for syllables. A tug on the ear means "sounds like".
Can I use it for Pictionary?
Yes. The prompts work for drawing as well as acting. Medium and Hard cards make better Pictionary rounds for older players.
Will I get the same card twice?
Not until every card in your chosen categories and difficulty has been dealt. Changing the selection starts a new shuffled pile.
How long should each turn be?
Sixty seconds suits most groups. Use 90 seconds for young children or hard cards, and 30 seconds for a fast adult round.