Vocabulary Charades Game Night

Index cards with vocabulary words

Pen or marker

A bowl to hold cards

Timer (optional)

Write 15-20 words on cards: enormous, tiny, delighted, exhausted, terrified, furious, confused, graceful, clumsy, sneaky, brave, curious.

Fold and place in a bowl.

Rules: act the word, no talking, everyone guesses.

Model: draw "exhausted" — yawn, rub eyes, slump. Family guesses.

Take turns. 60 seconds per word.

After each guess, discuss: "Exhausted means really tired. When do YOU feel that?"

Keep score or play just for fun.

Add new words each time you play.

Acting out a word requires deep understanding — you have to know what "graceful" looks like, feels like, and how it differs from "clumsy." That's vocabulary knowledge at a much deeper level than just knowing a definition.

Adjectives and emotion words work best for charades. Nouns are too easy (just point at the thing). Verbs are good too: "whisper," "tiptoe," "gallop."

The post-guess discussion is where lasting learning happens. Connecting the word to personal experience ("When do YOU feel exhausted?") anchors it in memory.

This is a perfect party game or family game night activity. Kids of different ages can play together — just adjust the difficulty of words for each player.

Build a growing deck of words over months. Eventually you'll have 50+ cards and can play for much longer sessions.