How do you play Fishbowl with children?

How Fishbowl works

Fishbowl turns one bowl of paper slips into three guessing games. Two teams take turns guessing the same set of answers in every round, and the clues get harder each time: describing, then one word, then silent acting. Because players heard the answers earlier, remembering a clue from round one can help in round two or three.

This version is meant for 6 to 16 players aged five and up. You need a bowl, paper slips, pencils and a timer both teams can see. Everyone can sit together while guessing. Actors can use hand movements, or stand up if there's room.

For each turn, the clue-giver draws one slip at a time and only their teammates guess. The other team listens quietly instead of calling out answers, because they'll need to remember those slips later.

Prepare the slips and pick the teams

Count everyone who will actually play, including the birthday child, siblings and any adults joining a team, and write slips based on that number. Choose words everyone recognizes, write one answer on each slip, fold it twice and mix all the slips in the bowl.

Once you've counted players, choose how you'll split them into two teams, such as drawing names, rather than having captains pick in front of everyone. Choosing teams without hurt feelings offers several methods.

Split the players into two teams, mixing younger and older players on each. Write down the order of clue-givers for each team, and let everyone on the list have a turn before anyone goes again. If you plan to give prizes, set aside two or three small ones and decide beforehand how you'll share them if the game ends in a tie.

Explain the turn order and any prize plan before the first slip is drawn, so everyone knows what to expect. Clear rules may still leave a player disappointed, so be ready to help. Running fair team games covers balancing teams and deciding how to explain prizes.

If you give prizes, choose small items you have enough of for a shared win, and give tied players the same award. Party game prizes covers choosing awards and telling guests how they'll be given out.

Use the random prompt picker to find prompts while preparing the slips, or select **Print all 42** for the full list. During play, draw from your paper bowl so correctly guessed slips stay out until the round ends. The picker does not track which slips your teams have completed.

Play the three rounds

Team A starts, then the teams swap after every turn. Set the timer for 60 seconds. For teams of six- and seven-year-olds, you can agree on 90 seconds instead. Either way, both teams get the same turn length.

Put correctly guessed slips in a pile beside the bowl, then draw another slip while time is left. A player can pass. Put the passed slip aside and return it to the bowl when the turn ends. If there are no slips left to draw during a turn, end that turn early and put back any passed slips or slips that broke a rule. An empty bowl only finishes the round when every slip has been guessed correctly, so check after returning the set-aside slips. If any went back in, the round carries on with the other team's turn. A round can also end early under the house rules in the scoring section below.

Round 1, describe it: say what the thing does, where you find it or what it looks like, without saying any word on the slip. For Birthday cake, you might say: You eat this at parties. It has candles on top. You blow them out and make a wish. Each correct slip is worth 1 point.

Round 2, one word: put all the slips back in the bowl and mix them. Say exactly one word for each slip, and it can't be a word from the answer. You can repeat your word, but you can't add more words or act it out. For Birthday cake, say candles. Each correct slip is worth 1 point.

Round 3, act it out: put the same slips back and mix again. Act without words or sounds, and don't mouth the answer. For Birthday cake, pretend to spread frosting, light the candles and blow them out silently. Each correct slip is worth 2 points.

If players are new to acting out clues, the same basics as charades apply. Only the actor's team guesses. Fishbowl still reuses the slips and scores 2 points here. See playing charades with mixed-age groups.

Help children who can't read yet

You don't need to leave out children who can't read yet. Give them easy prompts and someone to read the slip to them.

Fishbowl still involves reading the slips, so it needs a reading helper. If nobody is free or the group prefers it, party games with no reading required offer separate alternatives.

Keep score and end the game

Agree on these house rules before you start, so the game has a clear ending. A round ends in one of three ways: every slip has been guessed correctly (counted after any passed or rule-break slips have gone back in the bowl), the round's agreed time limit runs out, or two turns in a row, one from each team, score no slips. If the round ends because time ran out or both teams are stuck, read out the remaining answers without giving points, and keep those slips for the next round so everyone knows them.

Write points in the team columns, not the number of slips guessed. In rounds one and two, each correct slip is 1 point. In round three, multiply the correctly guessed slips by two before you write the score down. Example: five correct slips in round three is 5 × 2 = 10 points.

Start each new round with whichever team was due to play next. After round three, add up each team's three round scores. Example: if a team scores 6 points in round one, 5 in round two and 10 in round three, its total is 6 + 5 + 10 = 21. These numbers are just for illustration. The higher total wins. Equal totals mean a shared win, including 0 to 0. To play again, clear the scores, choose new prompts, refill the bowl and decide who goes first.

Example: a 30-minute game

Here's one possible timing for eight players and 24 slips. It's an example, not a promise that every game will take 30 minutes. Collect the slips as guests arrive, then play after food and before cake.

If you collect slips while guests arrive, that time sits inside your arrival period rather than adding to it. Add the game's example 30 minutes, plus any time moving between food, the game and cake, to your arrival, food, cake and pickup times. How long a children's birthday party should last helps you check the total.

Tell players the time limit for each round before you start. When a limit is reached, stop the current turn, count only completed answers, and read out any remaining slips without points. If a round finishes early, just move on. Allow extra time if you're using 90-second turns.

• 0:00–0:10: Round 1, describe it (10 minutes)
• 0:10–0:11: Write down the scores, read out any unguessed answers and refill the bowl (1 minute)
• 0:11–0:20: Round 2, one word (9 minutes)
• 0:20–0:21: Write down the scores and refill the bowl (1 minute)
• 0:21–0:29: Round 3, act it out, 2 points per slip (8 minutes)
• 0:29–0:30: Add up the totals and announce the winner (1 minute). Total: 30 minutes

Checklist before you start

• Bowl, slips, pencils and a timer everyone can see
• Players counted, with three slips each (two each for ages five to seven)
• Prompts checked: one answer per slip, words players recognize, nothing aimed at another guest
• Two mixed-age teams, each with a written order of clue-givers
• Reading buddies set up for children who can't read yet
• Turn length, round time limits and point values agreed
• Score table copied and any prizes or tie plan ready

Sources and further reading

• How to play Fishbowl with kids

Related questions

• How do you play charades with children and mixed-age groups?
• How do I run fair team games and choose prizes?
• How do I handle a child who is upset about losing a party game?
• How can children of different ages play party games together?