Give Us a Clue
Charades with vocabulary words — mime only, no sounds. Teams earn points for correct guesses.
📋 What You Need
A set of vocabulary word cards face down in a pile. A timer set to 60 seconds per turn. A scoreboard on the main whiteboard. Use action verbs, animals, sports, jobs or any concrete nouns from the current topic.
🎮 How to Play
Divide the class into two teams. Teams sit on opposite sides of the room.
One player from Team A comes to the front and picks a word card without showing it to anyone.
They have 60 seconds to mime the word — no sounds, no mouthing, no pointing at objects in the room.
Their own team shouts guesses. If they guess correctly within the time limit they score a point.
If time runs out with no correct answer Team B gets one chance to steal with a single guess.
Teams alternate until everyone has had a turn miming.
💡 Teacher Tips
Review all the words on the cards before starting so no child is miming a word they do not know.
Avoid abstract words — concrete nouns and action verbs mime much more clearly.
Allow the mimer to pass once if they draw a word they cannot mime — keep a discard pile.
Encourage the guessing team to shout in full sentences — "Are you swimming?" not just "swim".
🔄 Variations
Sound allowed — mimer can make animal sounds or sound effects but no words.
Pairs mime — two children mime the same word together for more complex vocabulary.
Category round — all words in a round belong to one category, revealed before miming begins.
Speed round — reduce the timer to 30 seconds and play two rounds back to back for excitement.
Want full 50-minute lesson plans for Ages 7–10?