Relay Charades: Guess the Fairy Tale

A team charades game played as a relay: one player runs to grab a card with a well-known fairy tale or character and acts it out silently until the team guesses it. It blends running, body expression and nonverbal communication.

How to play

1. Form 5 teams of 5 (2 min) and line each team up behind a starting cone. About 15 yards away, in the center, place a face-down stack of cards with tales and characters (Little Red Riding Hood, Pinocchio, Cinderella, Puss in Boots...).
2. On the whistle, the first player on each team runs to the center, takes a card, reads it silently and jogs back to the team.
3. In front of the team, the player acts out the story using only gestures and movement, without talking or pointing at nearby objects; they may show the number of words with fingers.
4. When the team guesses correctly, the actor hands the card to the teacher to check and the next player runs for another one. If nobody guesses within 1 minute, the actor may swap cards.
5. Play two 6-minute rounds; each correct card is one point. Between rounds, take 2 minutes to talk about which gestures worked best.
6. Wrap up (2 min) with one actor per team performing their favorite card for the whole class.

Rules

• No talking, word sounds or spelling with fingers.
• Run out in your team's lane and come back along the side, without crossing other teams.
• Everyone acts once before anyone goes again.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: a teammate does the run and the student acts out the card from their spot using trunk, arms and face.
• Hearing impairment: start each turn by raising a flag and confirm a correct guess with a thumbs-up.
• Shy students: they may act out the first cards together with a partner.

Learning goals

• Communicate ideas and characters through gestures and movement.
• Read classmates' body language.
• Follow turns and rules in a team relay game.

Equipment for a class of 25

• cards: 50
• cones: 5

Teacher tip

Prepare about 50 cards so nothing repeats, and make sure every student knows the stories. Many kids point at things around them: remind them before you start, and praise creativity, not just speed.

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