Prompt cards

How to play

1. Print the sheets and cut along the dashed lines so each prompt becomes a separate card.
2. Shuffle the cards before you start, or generate them with Shuffle prompts turned on.
3. Place the cards face down in a pile on the table.
4. Take the top card and read it silently, so the other players cannot see it.
5. Act it out, draw it, or start a conversation about it. The other players guess, sketch or respond.
6. Agree on a gentle time limit together, and allow a pass or a partner if someone would like one.

Tips

• Keep each prompt short. The maker accepts up to 80 characters per line, but a few words are easier to act or draw at a glance.
• Choose six cards per page for the most room to draw or write, or twelve for a compact pile.
• Mix the kinds of prompt, such as an action, an object, a sound and a feeling, so the game keeps moving.
• Print and cut one test sheet first, to check the card sizes and that the dashed lines sit where you expect.
• Leave out private names and personal details on cards that will be shared, and check that each prompt suits your group.

Where it comes from

Acting out a word or phrase for others to guess, known as charades, is a parlour game played in many countries, and its origins are not well documented. Prompt cards follow the same simple pattern of one card, one idea and one round at a time, whether the prompt is an action, a drawing or a question for discussion.

Questions