Charades Card Deck with Category & Difficulty Levels

Charades needs no board, no screen and no reading from the audience, which is why it keeps coming back to living rooms year after year. What usually trips it up is the deck: people stall trying to think of something to act, and the energy drops. This kit fixes that with ready-made cards sorted by difficulty, so every actor can pick a level they are comfortable with.

What is in the kit

Easy cards (one dot) — actions and animals such as “brushing teeth” or “penguin”. Good for ages six and up.
Medium cards (two dots) — jobs, sports and everyday situations like “changing a flat tire”.
Tricky cards (three dots) — phrases and abstract ideas, e.g. “a surprise party goes wrong”.
Blank cards for your group’s own in-jokes.
Gesture cheat sheet and a team score card.

Standard gestures

Agree on these before the first turn. They save a lot of frantic waving.

Gesture	Meaning
Hands opening like a book	It is a book title
Cranking an old film camera	It is a movie
Hand cupped to ear	Sounds like…
Fingers held up, then tapped on arm	Number of words, then which word you are acting
Pinching thumb and finger together	A short word such as “a”, “the” or “of”
Pulling hands apart	Make the word longer (e.g. from run to running)
Touching your nose, pointing at a guesser	You got it!

How to play

Split into two teams
Sit teams on opposite sides of the room so the actor can face their own team.
Shuffle the deck by level
Keep easy, medium and tricky cards in three piles. The actor chooses a pile.
Act without words
The actor has 60 seconds. No talking, mouthing words or pointing at objects that spell the answer.
Team guesses out loud
Only the actor’s team may guess. The other team keeps time and watches for rule slips.
Score by level
Easy = 1 point, medium = 2, tricky = 3. A card that is not guessed scores nothing.
Alternate teams
Teams take turns until the deck runs out or you reach an agreed score, such as 20.

Printable card previews

Easy •

Penguin

Animal1 pt

Easy •

Brushing teeth

Action1 pt

Medium ••

Changing a flat tire

Everyday2 pts

Medium ••

Figure skater

Sport2 pts

Tricky •••

A surprise party goes wrong

Scene3 pts

Blank

Write your own

__________________

Category: _________

Level: • •• •••? pts

Use the Print this kit button: the page switches to a light, ink-saving layout with dashed cut lines around every card. Card stock (or regular paper glued to a cereal box) holds up best for repeat games.

Variations

Variation	Good for	Twist
Kids’ charades	Ages 4–7	Animals and actions only; the actor may make animal sounds.
Speed round	Competitive groups	Actor gets 90 seconds to get through as many cards as possible.
Pairs charades	Larger parties	Two actors perform the same card together without talking.
Freeze-frame	People who dislike acting	Actor makes a single frozen pose; no movement allowed.

Host notes

Keep a timer where both teams can see it; a phone propped against a vase is fine. The most common charades problem is dead air between turns, so have the next actor stand up while the current card is being scored. If a card is too hard for everyone, let the actor swap it once per game without penalty.

For mixed-age groups, pair a child with an adult as co-actors. Children often come up with the clearest, funniest mimes, and adults get to play the supporting role. Write a few blank cards before the party about shared memories — “the time the tent collapsed” — and slip them into the tricky pile.