Animal charades
Animals are the easiest way into charades: everyone knows how a monkey moves. This list has 162 animals, from farmyard favourites for toddlers to tricky ones like the platypus and the narwhal.
For young children, allow animal noises. For older players, ban them and see how long "giraffe" takes.
Parrot
Easy animal charades for kids
This set has 68 ideas. Start with "Dog", "Cat", "Elephant" — give each actor 30 to 60 seconds; it one clear gesture each, so the round moves fast and every player gets a fair turn.
- 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
- GoatEasy
- DonkeyEasy
- CamelEasy
- DeerEasy
- FoxEasy
- WolfEasy
- SquirrelEasy
- HippoEasy
- RhinoEasy
- PandaEasy
- KoalaEasy
- FlamingoEasy
- ParrotEasy
- SwanEasy
- LadybugEasy
- WormEasy
- DinosaurEasy
- T. rexEasy
- GoldfishEasy
- HamsterEasy
- RoosterEasy
- TurkeyEasy
- BullEasy
- PonyEasy
- UnicornEasy
- DragonEasy
- ReindeerEasy
- Polar bearEasy
Imaginary creatures
This set has 5 ideas. Start with "Bigfoot", "Yeti", "Phoenix" — 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.
- BigfootMedium
- YetiMedium
- PhoenixHard
- PegasusHard
- Loch Ness MonsterHard
Medium animal charades
This set has 62 ideas. Start with "Peacock", "Caterpillar", "Jellyfish" — 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.
- PeacockMedium
- CaterpillarMedium
- JellyfishMedium
- SeahorseMedium
- StarfishMedium
- LobsterMedium
- HedgehogMedium
- PorcupineMedium
- SkunkMedium
- RaccoonMedium
- BeaverMedium
- OtterMedium
- SealMedium
- WalrusMedium
- MooseMedium
- LlamaMedium
- AlpacaMedium
- OstrichMedium
- EagleMedium
- HawkMedium
- WoodpeckerMedium
- HummingbirdMedium
- PelicanMedium
- ToucanMedium
- ChameleonMedium
- LizardMedium
- GeckoMedium
- CheetahMedium
- LeopardMedium
- HyenaMedium
- MeerkatMedium
- SlothMedium
- MosquitoMedium
- FlyMedium
- DragonflyMedium
- GrasshopperMedium
- ScorpionMedium
- SquidMedium
- StingrayMedium
- Killer whaleMedium
- PufferfishMedium
- Guinea pigMedium
- GooseMedium
- PigeonMedium
- CrowMedium
- VultureMedium
- BuffaloMedium
- ChipmunkMedium
- PantherMedium
- ChimpanzeeMedium
- TortoiseMedium
- ClownfishMedium
- Sea turtleMedium
- SeagullMedium
- PoodleMedium
- DalmatianMedium
- BulldogMedium
- SlugMedium
- FireflyMedium
- MothMedium
- WaspMedium
- BeetleMedium
Hard animal charades
This set has 27 ideas. Start with "Iguana", "Jaguar", "Armadillo" — give each actor 90 seconds; it leans on long titles and "sounds like" clues, so give actors the longer timer and expect half the round to need a second pass.
- IguanaHard
- JaguarHard
- ArmadilloHard
- AnteaterHard
- PlatypusHard
- ManateeHard
- NarwhalHard
- ParakeetHard
- BisonHard
- YakHard
- MoleHard
- BadgerHard
- FerretHard
- GazelleHard
- AntelopeHard
- WarthogHard
- BaboonHard
- OrangutanHard
- LemurHard
- Komodo dragonHard
- TadpoleHard
- PuffinHard
- CoyoteHard
- ChihuahuaHard
- TarantulaHard
- TermiteHard
- CentipedeHard
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 animals are easy to act out in charades?
Monkey, elephant, kangaroo, snake, frog, penguin, chicken and dog. Each has a movement or shape you can show with your body.
Can you make animal noises in charades?
Traditional charades is silent, but most families allow noises for young children. Agree before you start.
What are hard animals for charades?
Animals without a signature move, or that look like others: platypus, armadillo, narwhal, lemur, anteater.
Is animal charades good for preschoolers?
Yes. Whisper the animal or show a picture, and let them move and make noises. It also works as a movement break in class.
Can I use animals for a drawing game too?
Yes. Every animal here also appears in the drawing game words.