What age group is this Christmas charades set for?

The 30 cards are split into three even groups: easy (ages 4-6, single objects and simple actions like a snowman or wrapping a gift), medium (ages 7-9, short scenes like carol singing or church bells), and hard (ages 10-12, feelings and multi-step scenes like waiting anxiously for Christmas Eve). Hand out cards by age so nobody gets stuck with a clue they can't act out.

Do we need any equipment besides the printed cards?

No. Print the page, cut along the card lines, and you're ready to play — no board, no timer, no extra props required, though a kitchen timer or phone stopwatch adds a nice bit of pressure if you want it. That makes this a genuinely zero-prep activity for a busy December.

How is this different from a regular charades deck?

Every single item on these 30 cards is a Christmas scene, object, or feeling — the tree, the gift wrap, the cold walk home, the church bells — rather than generic charades topics like animals or jobs. That holiday focus makes the cards feel more relevant right when families actually sit down to play them, from the first week of Advent through Christmas dinner.

Can adults play too, or is this just for kids?

The hard cards are built with older kids, teenagers, and adults in mind — they call for real acting, not just pointing at an object, which keeps a mixed-age table entertained instead of just watching the kids perform. Hand the easy cards to the youngest player and the hard ones to whoever wants a proper challenge.

What's the best way to run a round so guessing stays fair?

Read the short acting tip on the back before you start, since it tells you exactly what gesture to lean on and exactly which words to avoid saying out loud. Set a simple time limit — 60 to 90 seconds works well — and let the rest of the group shout guesses freely until someone lands on the answer or time runs out.

Christmas Charades – 30 Acting Cards for Kids

Activity Workshop · Printables

Christmas Charades – 30 Acting Cards for Kids

Christmas charades is one of the easiest ways to fill the wait for Christmas with play instead of a screen. No prep, no equipment — just a card and a few minutes while one person in the family acts out a word or scene and everyone else guesses. This set is built entirely around Christmas moments kids already know from their own December: decorating the tree, wrapping a gift, standing with cold feet in the snow on the walk home from school. The 30 cards are split into three difficulty levels, from simple animals and actions for the youngest players to scenes and feelings that call for real acting from older kids and adults. Every card comes with a short directing tip — how to act it out, and exactly what not to say or show, so the guessing round is an actual challenge. Print it, cut along the lines, and keep the deck ready for the last stretch before dinner, a classroom holiday party, or a quiet night in.

About this sheet

Charades works because the rules never get old: someone acts, everyone else shouts guesses, and the clock keeps everyone honest. What makes a card set stand or fall is the acting tip on the back — a good one steers a seven-year-old toward a body-only clue instead of mouthing the word, and reminds a competitive uncle not to just blurt out the answer he's about to act. Every card here spells out exactly what to do and exactly what to avoid saying, so the guessing stays a real guessing game.

Mix ages by handing out cards to match: easy cards to the youngest player waiting their turn, hard ones to a teenager or adult who wants more of a challenge. Nobody has to sit out a round because the card they drew was impossible for them.

This set earns its spot next to a regular charades deck around the holidays specifically because every single card is something a family already lives through in December — the tree, the wrapping, the cold walk home, the church bells. Kids recognize the scene before they've even acted it out, which makes guessing faster and the laughs bigger.

Play it anywhere there's five spare minutes and no screen in reach: the last stretch before Christmas dinner is served, a slow afternoon during the school holidays, or a classroom party where the teacher needs twenty minutes of quiet chaos that still counts as "activity."

What you get

30 printable Christmas charades cards, ready to cut apart
Age-based difficulty levels: easy (4-6), medium (7-9), hard (10-12)
A short acting tip on every card, plus exactly what not to say or show
One printable page — no extra materials needed besides scissors

How to use it

Print and cut. Print the page and cut along the lines to make 30 separate cards. No lamination or extra materials needed — plain paper works fine for a one-off game night.
Sort by age. Split the deck into the three difficulty piles — easy, medium, hard — printed right on each card, and hand them out to match the ages and confidence levels around the table.
Act and guess. One player draws a card, reads the short acting tip silently, and has 60-90 seconds to act it out with no words and no pointing at real objects. Everyone else shouts guesses until someone gets it or time runs out.
Keep it moving. Rotate who's acting after every card so nobody sits out too long, and reshuffle used cards back into the deck if you want to keep playing past the first 30 rounds.

Download free

Pick an age, download the A4 PDF with answers, and print. No sign-up.

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Frequently asked questions

What age group is this Christmas charades set for?: The 30 cards are split into three even groups: easy (ages 4-6, single objects and simple actions like a snowman or wrapping a gift), medium (ages 7-9, short scenes like carol singing or church bells), and hard (ages 10-12, feelings and multi-step scenes like waiting anxiously for Christmas Eve). Hand out cards by age so nobody gets stuck with a clue they can't act out.
Do we need any equipment besides the printed cards?: No. Print the page, cut along the card lines, and you're ready to play — no board, no timer, no extra props required, though a kitchen timer or phone stopwatch adds a nice bit of pressure if you want it. That makes this a genuinely zero-prep activity for a busy December.
How is this different from a regular charades deck?: Every single item on these 30 cards is a Christmas scene, object, or feeling — the tree, the gift wrap, the cold walk home, the church bells — rather than generic charades topics like animals or jobs. That holiday focus makes the cards feel more relevant right when families actually sit down to play them, from the first week of Advent through Christmas dinner.
Can adults play too, or is this just for kids?: The hard cards are built with older kids, teenagers, and adults in mind — they call for real acting, not just pointing at an object, which keeps a mixed-age table entertained instead of just watching the kids perform. Hand the easy cards to the youngest player and the hard ones to whoever wants a proper challenge.
What's the best way to run a round so guessing stays fair?: Read the short acting tip on the back before you start, since it tells you exactly what gesture to lean on and exactly which words to avoid saying out loud. Set a simple time limit — 60 to 90 seconds works well — and let the rest of the group shout guesses freely until someone lands on the answer or time runs out.