I love games that I can take with me on the go and pull out at times when I feel my kids are getting “bored”. My kids don’t own devices like the kindle, or IPad; nor are they allowed to use my phone. So, I have to get creative and sometimes I add a twist to the old fashioned games that we used to play as children. One such game is Animal charades. I love animal charades because you can have as many players as you want, it doesn’t require a lot of space and it doesn’t need much preparation. I keep a printout version in my purse and an electronic version on my phone. This is one of the few exceptions that I do use my phone for a kids’ activity.
What you will need to play: Print out the pictures, cut and laminate (optional). click here to print the Game Cards. These will be the game cards. I tie up the game cards with a rubber band and keep them in my purse (you never know when you’ll have to dig in there to entertain a group of kids). Alternatively, save the pictures onto your phone (and use that as game cards). Or, if you are like me, do both. This way, if you have the cards, you won’t have to resort to using electronic devices. But, for those rare occasions when you can actually take a clutch and not a jumbo bag, you can still have a way to keep the little ones entertained.
How to play the game: One person begins the game. You can choose one person to start the game by selecting the youngest, oldest, or a player that has previously played the game (if other players are playing for the first time). Randomly select one of the game cards, and ask the player to act out the animal pictured. The player acting out the card may NOT make ANY sounds. The other children must try to guess the name of the animal. The child who correctly identifies the animal wins the round, and is selected to act out the next card. Continue playing until all players have gotten a chance, or all game cards have been used. In my experience, its best to allow all players to at least get one turn even if it means repeating some of the cards.
