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Winter charades ideas (2026): charades is the rare game that needs no box, no screen and no setup, which makes it perfect for snow days, ski cabins and long January evenings. Below are 54 winter charades ideas, split into easy prompts for kids, medium actions for mixed groups, hard ones for competitive adults and a round of snowy movie and song titles. Print the list, cut it into slips and drop them in a hat.
Best boxed game when you run out of slips: Monikers
Monikers takes charades to the next level: the same deck of famous names is used over three rounds, first with any words, then with one word, then with acting only, so inside jokes build all night. It handles big groups and costs about $25.
Price band: $20–$30 (about $25) · Check today’s price on Amazon
How to play winter charades
- Split into two teams and pick a timekeeper with a phone.
- One player draws a slip and has 60 seconds to act it out without speaking or mouthing words.
- Their team shouts guesses. A correct guess scores 1 point.
- Teams alternate until every slip is gone, and the team with the most points wins.
Use the classic signals so nobody wastes time: hold up fingers for the number of words, tap your forearm for syllables, cup your ear for “sounds like,” and make a rolling film camera for a movie title. For kids under 7, drop the timer and let a grown-up whisper hints.
Easy winter charades for kids
Every one of these is a simple action young kids already know, so nobody gets stuck.
- Building a snowman
- Making a snow angel
- Sledding down a hill
- Shivering at the bus stop
- Drinking hot cocoa
- Putting on mittens
- Catching snowflakes on your tongue
- A penguin waddling
- Ice skating
- Having a snowball fight
- Shoveling the driveway
- A polar bear swimming
- Wrapping up in a scarf
- Slipping on ice
Medium winter charades for family groups
These need a little more acting, which is where the laughs come from. They suit ages 8 and up.
- Scraping ice off a windshield
- Ice fishing
- Building an igloo
- Skiing down a mountain
- Snowshoeing
- Roasting marshmallows by the fire
- Brushing snow off the car
- A snowplow driver
- Making a paper snowflake
- Warming your hands by a heater
- Taking off wet snow boots
- A husky pulling a sled
- Getting a brain freeze
- A hockey goalie making a save
Hard winter charades for adults
Save these for a competitive crowd. Several are ideas rather than actions, so actors need to get creative.
- Static shock from a wool sweater
- Snow day announcement
- Frozen pipes
- Cabin fever
- A snowboarder doing a trick
- Defrosting the freezer
- Curling (the sport)
- Cross-country skiing
- Black ice
- A blizzard
- Chapped lips
- Hibernating bear
- Waiting for the car to warm up
- Losing a glove in the snow
Winter movie and song titles to act out
Use the film-camera or music-note signal first, then act out each word or the whole scene.
- Frozen
- Happy Feet
- Ice Age
- The Polar Express
- Elf
- Home Alone
- Snow Day
- Cool Runnings
- Eight Below
- The Shining
- Let It Snow (the song)
- Winter Wonderland (the song)
Winter charades variations
- Snowball relay: each correct guess earns a crumpled paper snowball for your team’s bucket. Most snowballs wins.
- Freeze frame: the actor must freeze in place every ten seconds when the timekeeper says so.
- Mitten round: act with oven mitts or ski gloves on. Fine detail becomes impossible and everything gets funnier.
- Pass the parka: the actor must wear the biggest coat in the house. It slows everyone down.
How to keep score with a big group
With more than ten players, split into three teams and rotate actors so everyone performs at least twice. Keep a tally on a whiteboard, and give a bonus point when a team guesses a hard prompt in under 20 seconds. If one team pulls far ahead, let the trailing team choose its own slips from the hard pile for double points.
Party games for the next snow day
Two picks that run on the same act-it-out energy.
- Best for big groups: Monikers — three rounds of the same names, ages 17+ (about $25)
- Best for families: Catch Phrase — electronic pass-the-timer word guessing (about $19)
Want more cold-weather fun? Try our winter would you rather questions, the funniest charades ideas for adults or a Christmas charades round closer to the holidays.
Winter charades FAQ
What are easy winter charades for kids?
Building a snowman, sledding, a penguin waddling and catching snowflakes on your tongue are all easy, active and familiar to young kids.
How many charades ideas do you need for a party?
Plan on about five slips per player for a one-hour game. This list has 54, enough for a group of ten.
Can you play charades over video?
Yes. The actor stays on camera and teammates guess in the chat or out loud. Move back from the screen so your whole body is visible.
