Christmas charades from four pictures chosen by children
Draw four actions, practise one silent example and let people choose their turn. The pictures decide the game; no reading or acting experience is needed.
Someone pretends to wrap a parcel and the rest of the room tries to name the action. A few pictures can give you a whole small Christmas charades game. Let children choose the actions first, so their job is more than performing a list an adult has handed them.
Draw actions people can show comfortably
Make four picture cards for actions such as hanging a decoration, wrapping a parcel, stirring an imaginary bowl and reading a book. Keep the actions distinct. A picture of a tree alone may be hard to act; a hand putting a decoration on it gives the player something to do.
Choose movements that work in your available space. There is no need to climb, lift a real object or find a prop. A player can mime with their hands while seated. If someone cannot tell what a card means, ask the maker to explain it now, before the silent round begins.
Show one example before taking turns
An adult or willing child picks a card and demonstrates without speaking. For a proposed example, they open an imaginary book, turn a page and look along the lines. Ask the others what they think is happening. Then show the card and agree that “reading” is enough; nobody has to name a particular book.
You can change the mime after this practice if the movement is too hard to recognise. The card is a cue, not a test of acting skill. If the first demonstration ends in laughter and a spoken explanation, it has still shown everyone how the round works.
Give every action a clear reveal
Place the cards face down. Each willing player chooses one, looks at it privately and acts it out. The guessers can call suggestions together or take turns, according to your agreement. A player may pass, ask for a partner or choose a different card.
After a few guesses, invite the performer to show the picture if nobody has named the action. Start the next turn instead of extending one difficult mime indefinitely. You can play one round through the four cards and stop there, without points or a winner. Before another round, ask whether people want new action pictures or would rather finish the game.
Action picture 1: Action picture 2: Action picture 3: Action picture 4: Seated or standing option: When we show the picture:
