Christmas acting cards for families
Act out wrapping a present, getting tangled in Christmas lights or riding in a one-horse sleigh while your family guesses. This 26-card deck has 12 easy cards, seven harder two-part scenes and seven Christmas song cards. Print the pack above, or show a card privately on your phone, then use the rules below for a mixed-age game.
What’s in the 26-card deck?
Keep two piles: Easy holds 12 familiar actions; Harder holds the seven two-part scenes and seven songs. Younger children can act just the main movement on an easy card. For “Build a snowman and give it a carrot nose,” stacking imaginary snowballs is enough to get started. Older players can add the carrot.
For a harder scene, act both parts: untangle imaginary lights, then show that you have become wrapped in them. On a song card, your team must name the song rather than just the action. For “Jingle Bells,” try ringing imaginary bells and holding the reins of a sleigh. These are pretend scenes; you do not need real props.
The Draw another card button picks from all three groups, not just the easy pile. Keep the screen out of the guessers’ view. If it picks the wrong difficulty or repeats a card, draw again before starting the timer. Use printed piles when you want to control difficulty and avoid repeats.
For other options at the same gathering, see Christmas games for mixed-age families. The charades for kids guide has more prompts and ways to help a player who gets stuck.
Get the cards ready
Print and cut before guests arrive, then sort the cards and find the timer. At the start of the game, demonstrate an easy action and a song clue without scoring either one.
- Use Print all 26 above and check the print preview. White card stock makes the cut cards easier to reuse; start at 100 percent scale and adjust if text is clipped. Page count depends on your printer and settings.
- Cut the printed prompts into separate cards. Put the 12 easy cards in one stack and the 14 harder cards in another. Label the stacks Easy and Harder.
- Put out a discard bowl, a pencil, the score sheet below and a timer everyone can see.
- Clear enough room for one actor, away from the food table and furniture.
- Agree on passing, points and when you will stop. If you want a prize, decide on it before the first turn; choosing the next game is one option.
If another adult will lead the game, put the cards, timer and rules together. The printable party games guide can help you write notes a helper can follow.
Your checkmarks are not saved when you leave this page.
Pair children with a reading buddy
For six to eight players, two teams of three or four fit the original buddy format. For a larger gathering, use more teams and keep roughly the same number of players on each. Put a reader beside each child who needs help; you do not need a non-reader on every team if all your guests can read.
The buddy whispers the card only to the actor, before the timer starts. They may act together for the first ten seconds, then the child can finish alone. If the child still wants a partner, let the buddy stay and use that same house rule for everyone who needs it.
Start younger players with the easy pile and offer teens and adults the harder cards. Suggested ages are 4+ for easy cards with help and 8+ for harder cards, but familiarity matters: swap a song or activity the actor does not know. A guest can guess, keep time or keep score without taking an acting turn.
How to play a 60-second turn
Actors give clues without speaking, singing or spelling the answer. Before starting, agree that a player may pass once and draw a replacement while the same timer continues. There is no point penalty for passing.
- Draw one card. The actor takes a card from their pile and reads it privately, with a buddy if needed. Keep the answer hidden from the guessers.
- Start the 60-second timer. The actor mimes the card while their own teammates guess. Another team watches the clock. A buddy may join in for the first ten seconds under the rule above.
- Finish and record the points. End the turn on a correct guess or when time runs out. Award one point for an action card or two points for naming a song. An unguessed card scores zero. Discard the card, including any passed card.
- Give the next team a turn. Rotate actors within each team. Stop after everyone who wants to act has had the agreed number of turns, rather than letting one team take extra turns. Add the points; the highest total wins and tied teams share the win. Shuffle the discards if everyone wants a rematch.
Example 12-minute game for six players: allow two minutes to explain and demonstrate, eight minutes for six turns with handoffs and scoring, then two minutes to add scores and decide whether to play again. That is 2 + 8 + 2 = 12 minutes, not a promise about your group. Six full turns use six minutes of acting time; all 26 full turns would use 26 minutes before handoffs.
For a cooperative version, let the whole room guess and add points to one shared total. Choose a stopping time instead of promising to finish the deck. For a faster rematch, try 30-second turns; keep the same scoring and pass rule.
Team notes and score sheet
Print these notes with the cards. Write the acting order before you start, and add each turn’s points to the running total. Use more copies for additional teams or rounds.
Turn limit: __________ seconds · Turns per actor: __________
Buddy help: ____________________ · Pass rule: ____________________
Prize, if any: ____________________ · Stop after: ____________________
| Team | Players in acting order | Reading buddies |
|---|---|---|
| __________ | ______________________________ | ____________________ |
| __________ | ______________________________ | ____________________ |
| __________ | ______________________________ | ____________________ |
| Turn | Team and actor | Card or song | Points | Team total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | __________________ | __________________ | ______ | ______ |
| 2 | __________________ | __________________ | ______ | ______ |
| 3 | __________________ | __________________ | ______ | ______ |
| 4 | __________________ | __________________ | ______ | ______ |
| 5 | __________________ | __________________ | ______ | ______ |
| 6 | __________________ | __________________ | ______ | ______ |
Cards to change next time: __________________________________________________
Store the deck for next Christmas
Band the two piles separately and put them in envelopes labelled Easy and Harder. Keep the rules with them so a different host can run the game next year.
If the family remembers every answer, replace the easiest cards with five new prompts. Use a familiar holiday action or a song the players know, and try the prompt yourself to see whether it can be acted without words.
What to play after charades
Pick one next activity based on what guests want to do. Christmas picture bingo offers picture matching with a caller; Christmas matching cards offers a seated card game. Neither needs someone to perform in front of the room.
For readers who want a pencil game, see the Christmas word-game pack. For looking and counting instead, the Christmas I Spy sheets describe a picture-search activity. Check what preparation each page needs before putting it on the party schedule.
Guests who want to make something can try the Christmas paper puppet kit. If someone wants a break from turns and timers, offer an activity they can join or leave freely, such as drawing; see activities without turns or a watching audience. For another seated group game, browse quiet party games.
Christmas acting card questions
What if a child cannot read a card?
A reading buddy whispers the prompt privately before the timer starts. The buddy can act alongside the child for the first ten seconds, or stay for the whole turn if that is your agreed house rule. Keep the answer hidden from the guessers.
Can we play without printing?
Yes. Show the actor a prompt on your phone without letting the team see it. The picker draws from every group and can repeat cards, so draw again before the timer starts if the prompt is unsuitable or already used. Printed piles give you more control over difficulty.
How long does the game take?
Choose how many turns each actor gets. At the full 60-second limit, six turns need six minutes of acting plus time for reading, handoffs and scoring. The 12-minute example above allows for those extras. Playing all 26 cards could take 26 minutes of acting alone.
What if nobody knows the song?
Trade it before starting the timer, or leave the song cards out and play the seven two-part scenes as the harder pile. For a song you keep, the team must name its title for two points; guessing only “bells” or “a snowman” is not enough.
Can we play without points or a timer?
Yes. Let everyone guess together and give each willing player an acting turn. The actor can finish or pass when ready. Keep the reading buddy and the two difficulty piles, even when you leave out scoring.