Emotion charades
Feelings and moods to show with the face and body. Teachers use it to build emotional vocabulary; families use it because watching someone act “stubbed your toe” is funny.
90 words · free · no app, no sign-up
Feelings game
In a classroom, project the screen and let the class guess together, or run 3–4 teams.
All 90 emotion charades
Easy31
- happy
- sad
- angry
- scared
- surprised
- tired
- bored
- excited
- hungry
- cold
- hot
- sick
- shy
- proud
- nervous
- confused
- grumpy
- silly
- lonely
- disgusted
- thirsty
- dizzy
- itchy
- relaxed
- brave
- jealous
- embarrassed
- in love
- full
- curious
- ticklish
Medium32
- stubbed your toe
- brain freeze
- got a paper cut
- waiting in a long line
- lost in a crowd
- stage fright
- homesick
- hiccups
- sunburned
- starstruck
- out of breath
- guilty
- suspicious
- impatient
- frustrated
- relieved
- grateful
- disappointed
- overwhelmed
- determined
- heartbroken
- stuck in a sweater
- sore muscles after the gym
- waking up from a bad dream
- sitting on something wet
- toddler having a tantrum
- hopeful
- winning a race
- sore loser
- seasick
- awkward
- late for school
Hard27
- surprise party guest
- pretending to like a gift
- trying not to laugh
- holding in a sneeze
- realizing you left the stove on
- walking into the wrong classroom
- last one picked for a team
- waiting for test results
- opening your report card
- nostalgic
- skeptical
- mischievous
- smug
- bittersweet
- fake smile for a photo
- sending a text to the wrong person
- reaching the top of a mountain
- watching a horror movie through your fingers
- stuck in an elevator
- your ice cream falling off the cone
- stepping on a toy brick
- hearing your favorite song on the radio
- cutting onions
- trying to stay awake in class
- missing the bus
- tasting something too spicy
- goalie facing a penalty kick
Using emotion charades in class
- Start with Easy: happy, sad, angry, scared, surprised, proud.
- After each guess ask: When have you felt this way? One sentence per student.
- Medium and Hard turn feelings into situations — “waiting for test results”, “homesick” — good for older kids and ESL learners.
- Add your own lesson words under Add your own words.
Emotion charades questions
What age is emotion charades for?
Easy feelings work from about 4; Medium and Hard situations suit 8 and up, teens and adults.
Can this be used for social-emotional learning?
Yes, it is a common SEL warm-up. The game itself is just charades — the discussion after each word is where the learning happens.
More decks to play
- Classic Charades 184 words Everyday actions, objects and jobs — the all-round deck.
- Movie Charades 181 words Film titles from the 70s to today, from Jaws to Wicked.
- Charades for Kids 127 words Animals, toys and simple actions for ages 5 to 10.
- Charades for Adults 142 words Office life, dating, parenting — grown-up but clean.
- Drawing Game Words 199 words Words picked to be drawn with a finger in a minute.
- Christmas Charades 151 words Santa, songs, movies and holiday chaos.
- Christmas Drawing Words 97 words Holiday words that are fun to draw.
- Thanksgiving Charades 121 words Turkey, football and the kids’ table.
- Halloween Charades 119 words Costumes, monsters and trick-or-treat — not gory.
- New Year’s Eve Charades 89 words Countdown, resolutions and midnight.
- Disney Charades 165 words Characters and films from Disney and Pixar.
- Animal Charades 113 words From dogs to narwhals, plus animals doing silly things.
- Action Charades 131 words Verbs and activities — great for classrooms.
- Funny Charades 122 words Everyday disasters that are hilarious to act out.
- Hard Charades 143 words Idioms, abstract ideas and long phrases.