Animals Charades, Easy

35 words to act out

Easy animal charades is the list you hand to a six-year-old and a sceptical uncle with equal confidence. Every creature here has a silhouette or a movement the whole room already carries in its head: an elephant's trunk, a kangaroo's hop, a penguin's waddle, a snake's glide, a butterfly's drift. Farmyard staples like cow, pig, sheep, chicken and duck are almost impossible to get wrong, which keeps momentum high early in the night. The one house rule worth setting before you start is no sound effects, because a convincing moo ends the round instantly and robs the actor of their moment. Stick to shape, gait and one signature gesture.

1. Dog
2. Cat
3. Cow
4. Horse
5. Pig
6. Sheep
7. Chicken
8. Duck
9. Rabbit
10. Frog
11. Fish
12. Bird

13. Mouse
14. Elephant
15. Lion
16. Tiger
17. Monkey
18. Bear
19. Snake
20. Kangaroo
21. Penguin
22. Owl
23. Bee
24. Butterfly
25. Spider
26. Turtle
27. Goat
28. Donkey
29. Deer
30. Fox
31. Wolf
32. Crocodile
33. Giraffe
34. Zebra
35. Dolphin

Silhouette first, then the signature move

Every animal on this list has two tells, and using them in order is what makes the guess fast. Start with the silhouette: hunch low and wide for a bear, stand tall and stretch your neck for a giraffe, tuck your arms flat to your sides for a penguin. Then add the signature move: a kangaroo hops, an elephant swings a trunk, a snake glides on the floor, a butterfly drifts. Two clear beats will beat thirty seconds of general wriggling every time. Ban sound effects before you start, or half the farm animals will be guessed before the actor has moved, and consider banning pointing at pets in the room, which is technically brilliant and completely against the spirit of the game.

Charades tips & FAQ

How many animals charades words are on this easy list, and can I print them?

Thirty-five familiar animals covering farm, forest and zoo. The list is plain text on the page, which makes it easy to print for a children's party, or to read one at a time from a phone with the screen turned away from the guessers.

What makes these animals clues "easy" rather than another tier?

Every animal here has a silhouette and a signature movement the room shares, a trunk, a hop, a waddle. Two clear beats is usually all it takes, which keeps the pace high and lets small children succeed on their first turn.

How do we run a round of animals charades?

Play in two teams with a sixty-second timer, and agree one house rule before you start: no animal sounds. A single convincing moo ends the round instantly and takes the fun with it. The actor uses silhouette and movement only while their team shouts guesses, and you score a point for each animal named correctly before time runs out. On the easy tier, add a fun rule for children: the guesser who gets it right acts the next animal, which keeps everyone on their feet.

More charades word lists

Keep the party going

Family-Friendly Never Have I Ever

All-ages prompts you can read out with grandparents and eight-year-olds in the same room.

Would You Rather for Kids

Silly, classroom-safe dilemmas that work from roughly age six up.

Never Have I Ever for Teens

School-safe prompts about homework dodges, group chats and snack smuggling.

Want the background rather than another list? Read the charades rules and word-list guide (official gestures, timing, team setup and house rules worth stealing) and the party games night checklist (a running order that keeps a whole evening from stalling).

All tools: Never Have I Ever · D&D Name Generator · Would You Rather · Team Name Generator · Rapper Name Generator