Halloween Charades for Kids (Free Printable Cards)

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These free printable Halloween charades cards turn spooky characters and silly actions into an easy guessing game for kids and families. The two illustrated sheets show 18 cards to cut out, with prompts such as a witch casting a spell, a bat flying, and carving a pumpkin.

Use them for a classroom celebration, family game night, or Halloween party. You’ll find the rules, extra ideas, and email signup below. For more activities to pair with this one, browse our printable Halloween games.

Why Kids Will Enjoy Halloween Charades

• Simple setup: Print the cards, cut them apart, and put them in a bowl.
• Pictures and words: The illustrations give players a clue, while an adult can quietly read the full prompt when needed.
• Room to be silly: Children can pretend to fly, stir a potion, or walk through a spider web.
• Flexible play: Keep score in teams or take turns guessing together without a winner.

Choose cards your group recognizes and let players pass if they feel stuck. Nobody has to perform alone; a child can act with a partner.

How to Play Halloween Charades

You’ll need the printed cards, scissors, a bowl or face-down pile, and a timer if you want timed rounds. Paper and a pencil are handy for keeping score.

1. Prepare the cards. Cut around each box and mix the cards. An adult should help with cutting as needed.
2. Choose teams or group play. For teams, divide players into two groups with at least two people in each. For a small group, let everyone guess together.
3. Draw one card. The actor looks at the prompt without showing it to the guessers. A helper can whisper the words to a child who needs reading support.
4. Act without words. Use gestures and movements instead of talking or sound effects. Try 60 seconds per turn, or leave the timer off for younger players.
5. Guess and score. In team play, award one point for a correct guess before time runs out. You can optionally give the other team one guess to steal; agree on this rule before starting.
6. Take turns fairly. Switch teams and actors after each card. Give teams the same number of turns, then total the points. A tie can stay a tie or lead to one extra turn for each team.

For a quieter activity between rounds, try Halloween bingo. If your group wants to keep moving, follow charades with a Halloween scavenger hunt.

The Halloween Charades Printable

The two card sheets pictured here each contain nine illustrated prompts, for 18 cards in total. They include Halloween characters and actions, such as a scary ghost, a mummy, eating candy, a witch making a potion, and trick-or-treating.

These are the illustrated cards shown in the previews. The 40 extra ideas farther down this post are a separate list you can write onto scrap paper; they are not 40 additional printable cards.

Printing and Preparing the Cards

Get the printable through the signup box below, then open the downloaded file and check the print preview. Make sure all the card borders fit on the page before printing.

Regular printer paper works for a quick game. Use printer-compatible cardstock for sturdier cards, and cut around the individual boxes. If you laminate them for repeated classroom use, round off any sharp corners after cutting.

Keep the printed side hidden from the guessers. If the pictures show through thin paper, draw cards from a bowl rather than holding them up.

40 Extra Halloween Charades Ideas

Want to keep playing after the printable cards are used? Write these words and phrases on slips of paper. Some overlap with the illustrated cards, so skip repeats if you want a fresh set.

Easy Characters and Actions

• Ghost
• Witch
• Zombie
• Vampire
• Skeleton
• Mummy
• Bat
• Black cat
• Scarecrow
• Trick-or-treating
• Pumpkin carving
• Broomstick

Start with familiar actions. For a bat, flap your arms; for pumpkin carving, pretend to scoop out a pumpkin and cut a face. Give a quick demonstration before the first round if the game is new to your group.

More Challenging Halloween Words

• Werewolf
• Jack-o-lantern
• Haunted house
• Spider web
• Cauldron
• Full moon
• Frankenstein
• Dracula
• Grim Reaper
• Headless Horseman
• Gargoyle
• Coffin
• Tombstone
• Candy corn

These prompts can take more imagination. Choose words everyone knows, or help younger children turn them into an action, such as stirring a cauldron or walking through a haunted house.

Movie, TV, and Music Prompts for Older Players

• Hocus Pocus
• Monster Mash
• Phantom of the Opera
• The Addams Family
• The Mummy
• The Invisible Man
• Beetlejuice
• Sleepy Hollow
• Poltergeist
• The Exorcist
• The Shining
• Psycho
• The Twilight Zone
• Casper the Friendly Ghost

Use this optional category only with players who recognize the titles. Several are adult horror titles, so leave them out of a children’s game and stick to the easy characters and actions instead.

Tips for Different Groups

Can Two People Play?

Yes! Take turns acting and guessing without teams. You can play cooperatively and see how many cards you solve together, with or without a timer.

What If a Child Can’t Read the Cards?

Have a helper quietly read the prompt before the turn. Use the picture as a reminder, choose familiar actions, and let the child act with a partner if they prefer.

How Do You Play in a Classroom or Large Group?

Use small groups so children spend less time waiting. Give each group a few cards and rotate the sets, or have pairs act while their group guesses. Allow seated gestures, skip the timer when useful, and make passing a card part of the rules.

You can find more decorations and activities in our Halloween printables. For a party candy table, our please take one Halloween sign is an easy addition.

Grab the Free Printable

Grab the Halloween charades printable here! Put your name and email in the pink box below, and we’ll send the printable straight to your inbox.

These cards are for personal or classroom use. Print as many copies as you need for your group, but please don’t sell or redistribute the printable.

Pick a few familiar cards, choose your rules, and give everyone a chance to act or guess. The funniest moments often come from the simplest prompts!