Animal Charades: Easy and Funny Animals to Act Out
Animal charades is the easiest way into the game: players act out an animal without words or noises while everyone else guesses. Start little ones on dog, cat, frog, rabbit and elephant, then move older players to tricky picks like sloth, octopus, platypus or praying mantis. Group animals by farm, ocean, bugs and wild so you can match the round to your players.
Easy animals for little kids
These are the first words most preschoolers can act and guess. You’ll find easy cards like these in the Animals deck, which is one of the free decks.
| Animal | How to act it |
|---|---|
| Dog | Pant with your tongue out and wag an imaginary tail |
| Cat | Lick your paw and wash your face |
| Rabbit | Two fingers up for ears, then hop |
| Elephant | Swing one arm from your nose like a trunk |
| Frog | Squat low and leap |
| Monkey | Scratch your head and your armpits |
| Snake | Hands together, slither them side to side |
| Penguin | Arms stiff by your sides, waddle with tiny steps |
| Kangaroo | Hold your hands like little paws and bounce |
| Lion | Claw the air and shake your mane |
For toddlers, allow animal noises. It turns the round into a joyful guessing game rather than a test, and you can bring in the silent rule as they get older. Not sure where your group stands? Our guide on whether you can make sounds in charades sets out the classic rule and the kids’ house rules.
Farm animals to act out
Farm cards are perfect for a family round because everyone knows them. These come from the Farm Animals deck:
- Cow: chew slowly with a bored face, then swish a tail.
- Rooster: stand tall, flap your elbows and stretch your neck up at sunrise.
- Goat: butt heads with a teammate (gently).
- Turkey: puff your chest out and fan your hands behind you.
- Foal: wobble on shaky legs like you have just learned to stand.
- Bull: paw the ground and lower your head with finger horns.
- Milking a Cow: sit on a stool and squeeze, one hand after the other.
- Herding: run in a wide circle, waving your arms to guide a flock.
Ocean animals and sea life
Ocean creatures work well because the movements are so different from land animals. Picks from the Ocean Life deck:
- Dolphin: leap in an arc with your hands together above your head.
- Starfish: spread your arms and legs as wide as possible and freeze.
- Seahorse: stand very straight, curl one hand at your chin and bob up and down.
- Pufferfish: suck in a huge breath and puff your cheeks until you might pop.
- Blue Whale: move slowly and enormously, then spout water from the top of your head.
- Hammerhead Shark: put your fists on either side of your head and swim.
- Anglerfish: dangle a glowing light from your forehead in the dark.
Bugs and creepy crawlies
Insect cards make kids squeal and adults commit. Note that the deck uses Ladybird, the British word; in the US and Canada it is a ladybug, and both should count.
| Easy | Medium | Hard |
|---|---|---|
| Ant | Bumblebee | Cicada |
| Ladybird | Queen Bee | Mayfly |
| Mosquito | Scorpion | Pond Skater |
| Snail | Flea | Atlas Moth |
| Praying Mantis | Monarch Butterfly | Weevil |
Quick tips: a mosquito is a buzzing finger landing on someone’s arm, a snail is a slow crawl with a shell on your back, and a flea is a tiny jump that suddenly goes very high.
Funny animals that make adults laugh
Want grown-ups crying with laughter? Hand them these:
- Chicken: the full head-bob strut, with scratching feet.
- Flamingo: stand on one leg as long as you can, neck curled.
- Sloth: do everything in extreme slow motion, including blinking.
- Gorilla: beat your chest, then knuckle-walk across the room.
- Octopus: wave all your limbs at once while trying to walk.
- Camel: a lumpy, swaying walk with a very unimpressed face.
- Peacock: fan your fingers behind you and strut proudly.
Hard animals for a real challenge
Older kids, teens and adults will enjoy tougher picks such as Platypus, Wombat, Narwhal, Axolotl, Capybara and Armadillo, or hard Animals deck cards like Lemur and Rock Hyrax. Show the animal’s most famous feature first, like a narwhal’s single horn or an armadillo rolling into a ball. Australians will spot a wombat in seconds; Canadians may beat everyone to a moose or a beaver.
How to run a great animal charades round
- Mix categories: two farm, two ocean, one bug and one wild animal keeps every player guessing.
- Pair little kids with a grown-up so they can act together and nobody feels stuck.
- Use difficulty levels: easy cards for under-5s, medium for primary school ages, hard for the adults.
- Keep turns short: a minute or two per animal holds attention.
Three twists that keep animal rounds fresh:
- Habitat bonus: after a correct guess, the team earns an extra point for naming where the animal lives, like the Arctic, the outback or the ocean floor.
- Baby animals: act calf, foal, chick or kid, and the team must give the baby name, not just the grown-up animal.
- Animal mash-up: for older players, act two animals at once, such as a flying elephant, and let the team guess both halves.
For more ideas sorted by age, see our list of charades for kids.
