Free Printable Halloween Charades Game
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Do you know what we sat around discussing at breakfast this morning? Halloween costume ideas. (We have such a good family costume idea this year. I’m so glad that the kids are into it!)
But if the kids are bringing this up at breakfast, it means that Halloween must not be too far off. And one of our favorite things to plan for Halloween are party games. We love spending time together playing games (take a recent Uno game on a train trip). It’s fun, challenging and maybe, just maybe, a little competitive.
For this Halloween, I made this Free Printable Halloween Charades Game. I kept the words on the family friendly side (no blood, gut or gore here). So, you can use this charades game with many different age groups.
Looking for more challenging Halloween Charades? Be sure to check out our Halloween Party Games Pack with Halloween games for every Halloween party.
Why Play Halloween Charades?
Charades is one of our favorite type of group party games. It’s easy to set up and no extra materials are needed. Except maybe a bowl, bag or hat to shuffle the cards for drawing.
You will need some space to act out the different words. Due to this, Halloween charades isn’t the best game for travel – aka a train, car or plane. Although you might be able to use it to pass time in an airport.
It’s also lots of fun and gets everyone involved. Whether you are the designated actor or someone guessing, everyone gets to have a role when playing charades.
How to Play Halloween Charades
First, split into teams. If you don’t have a lot of people or just want everyone to participate, then keep it as one group.
Before playing, make sure that each of the cards is something that your group is familiar with. Pull out any cards that don’t fit your audience.
Place the charade cards into a bowl, bag or hat (or any other non-clear container). Shuffle them.
Choose a player to act out the phrase. He selects a card.
The player acts out the card. Members of the player’s team or the entire group (if you didn’t make teams) guess the word/phrase in a set amount of time. (For older kids, I usually use one minute. Younger kids can be longer or no time frame at all.) The first team to guess correctly gets a point.
Play continues until all of the cards have been acted out. The team with the most points wins.
What to do with non-readers? Although we love playing Halloween charades as a family, it helps that we all can read now. It can be harder to play charades with younger kids because of the reading aspect.
If playing with non-readers, you can designate one person on their team to help them navigate the cards when it’s their turn. This person just wouldn’t be able to guess. You could also draw little pictures on the cards to help them understand the words.
Alternative Ways to Play
If acting isn’t your family’s jam, you can always use these charades cards for other Halloween fun. Check out some alternative ways to play below.
Draw It Out
Instead of acting, try drawing it out. Simply get some white boards and dry erase markers (affiliates) or a pad of paper. Follow the directions above, but draw instead of act out each card.
Head to Head
Instead of letting each team play individually, put the teams head to head. This can definitely add to the excitement. One player from each team receives the same Halloween word. Both act it out at the same time. The first team to guess the point, wins.
Spooky Movie Charades
During play, have the player make their performance a little extra dramatic and spooky. Encourage exaggerated movements and expressions. You can even let them add some spooky sounds to make their acting spookier.
Trick or Treat
Add in some “trick” cards to your Halloween charades game. (These are included in the Halloween Party Games Pack.) Mix them into the Charades cards. If someone draws a “Trick” card, they have to perform the charade with an extra challenge – such as acting with one hand behind their back or pretending to be a monster while acting it out.
Challenge Round
If you have some older players in the group or want to make the game more difficult, mix in some of the Halloween Charade Challenge Cards from the Halloween Party Games Pack. Or use these cards in their own separate stack – so you have an easy version and a challenge one. Make the challenge version worth more points if a card is guessed.
Reverse Charades
Instead of the team guessing and one person acting, turn the game around and play in reverse. In this version, the entire team acts out the clue together while one person tries to guess it.
Halloween Charades List
Here are the words that I chose for these Halloween charades:
- carving a pumpkin
- candy apple
- dancing skeleton
- witch on a broomstick
- scarecrow
- trick or treater
- candy bucket
- ringing doorbell
- haunted house
- friendly ghost
- mixing potions
- werewolf
- spider
- mummy scary
- make up
- full moon
- candy corn
Don’t like one of these Halloween charades? You can always adjust the game to fit your Halloween party needs. Feel free to remove a card or even add a few more of your own. If you have any other suggestion for other charades words, let me know in the comments. I’m always happy to make another version.
Make a Halloween Charades Game
To create your own Halloween charades game, start with downloading your Free Printable Halloween Charades below.
Then, print on medium to heavy white cardstock. Trim using scissors or a paper trimmer. Store your games cards in a bag or small tin until you are ready for play. (affiliate)
Need more tips for printing your design? Check out our Printing Tips Guide for help with paper types, printers and other ideas to help make printing your designs quick and easy.
Other Halloween Party Game Ideas
Halloween is a great time to play games together. And the best part is that you can make them Halloween themed to add to the fun. Here are some fun Halloween party game ideas your friends and family are sure to love. (affiliates)
Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza – Halloween Edition – Based on the traditional Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza card game that has become one of our favorites over the years, this version is Halloween themed. All of the illustrations have been redone with a cute Halloween look. There’s even new special action cards to get everyone laughing.
Eyeball and Spoon Race – For those who want more active play, check out this Eyeball and Spoon Race Game. Based on the traditional egg and spoon race, this version features colorful spoons and matching plastic eyeballs.
Free Printable Halloween Bingo – This is one of my favorite classroom party games this time of year. Check out our FREE version of Halloween Bingo here.
Spider Ring Toss – Set up this inflatable Spider Ring Toss to challenge guests in their accuracy. Toss the rings at the spider’s legs and see how many you can land. Challenge players even more by increasing the distance of the throw.
Halloween Dart Game – This is an easy indoor Halloween party game that’s sure to have all of your guests cheering. Hang the target board on the back of a door or a wall. Throw the Velcro darts at the target and see how many points you can score. I love that this version comes with multiple different types of darts for lots of play options.
Still need to download your Free Printable Halloween Charades?
Love these Halloween Charades and want to save them for later? Be sure to pin it below.
Happy Celebrating,
Natalie