Emotion Charades: 50 Feelings to Act Out — Free List & Generator
A Charades Game That Builds Emotional Intelligence
Emotion charades is more than just fun — it's a powerful, playful way to help kids (and adults!) recognize and express feelings. By acting out emotions with their face and body, players learn to read body language, name their feelings, and build empathy. It's beloved by teachers, counselors, and parents, and it works beautifully as a regular charades round too.
This guide gives you 50 emotion charades ideas sorted by difficulty, plus how-to-act-it-out tips, classroom and therapy uses, and fun variations. Let's get those expressive faces going!
Easy Emotion Charades (Basic Feelings)
Core emotions even young kids know:
Happy · Sad · Angry · Scared · Excited · Tired · Surprised · Shy · Silly · Bored · Nervous · Proud · Sleepy · Worried · Cheerful
Medium Emotion Charades (Subtle Feelings)
A step up — feelings that take more expression:
Jealous · Embarrassed · Confused · Frustrated · Disappointed · Curious · Confident · Lonely · Grumpy · Hopeful · Annoyed · Relieved · Suspicious · Overwhelmed · Content
Hard Emotion Charades (Complex Feelings)
Trickier, nuanced emotions for older players:
Nostalgic · Anxious · Determined · Guilty · Envious · Awkward · Sympathetic · Indifferent · Smug · Vulnerable · Conflicted · Apprehensive · Empowered · Bittersweet · Mischievous
Bonus Emotion Charades (15 More Feelings)
Extra feelings to round out the list and keep the game fresh:
Grateful · Calm · Loved · Brave · Disgusted · Impatient · Peaceful · Amazed · Hurt · Joyful · Furious · Terrified · Playful · Gloomy · Delighted
Emotion Charades for Kids (By Age)
Quick picks from the lists above, sorted by age so every child can join in:
Ages 3–5: Happy · Sad · Angry · Scared · Sleepy · Silly · Surprised · Loved
Ages 6–8: Excited · Bored · Shy · Proud · Worried · Grumpy · Brave · Disgusted · Impatient
Ages 9–12: Embarrassed · Jealous · Frustrated · Disappointed · Relieved · Confident · Lonely · Grateful · Curious
Teens: Nostalgic · Anxious · Awkward · Conflicted · Bittersweet · Vulnerable · Determined · Smug · Overwhelmed
Emotion Scenarios Charades (Themed Round)
Act out a situation that causes the feeling — great for learning:
Opening a great gift (joy) · Losing a pet (sadness) · A surprise party (shock) · A scary movie (fear) · Winning a race (pride) · Waiting for results (nervous) · A long boring wait (boredom) · Making a new friend (happy) · Stage fright (anxious) · A big achievement (proud)
How to Act Out Tricky Emotions
It's all about the face plus the body. Coach your players with these:
| Emotion | How to Act It Out |
|---|---|
| Happy | Big smile, bounce, arms open wide |
| Sad | Droopy shoulders, wipe tears, slow movements |
| Angry | Clenched fists, stomp, furrowed brow |
| Scared | Wide eyes, hands up, shrink back, tremble |
| Embarrassed | Cover your face, blush, look away |
| Jealous | Eye someone's "thing," cross arms, pout |
| Confused | Scratch your head, look around puzzled, shrug |
| Excited | Jump, clap, big eyes, can't stand still |
| Nervous | Bite nails, fidget, glance around anxiously |
| Proud | Chest out, chin up, hands on hips, beam |
Pro tip: Encourage players to use their whole body, not just their face. A sad person doesn't only frown — they slump, move slowly, and droop. Full-body emotion is easier to guess and builds real empathy skills.
Emotion Charades for Classrooms & Therapy
This category is a favorite of educators and counselors for good reason:
- Names feelings — helps kids put words to emotions.
- Builds empathy — reading others' body language is a core social skill.
- Safe expression — acting feelings out is low-stakes and fun.
- Great for SEL — fits social-emotional learning curricula perfectly.
- Calms big feelings — naming an emotion helps manage it.
Try the "scenario round" for therapy and classrooms — acting out situations that cause feelings teaches cause and effect. See our classroom charades guide for more.
Fun Emotion Charades Variations
- Guess the Feeling: Pure face-and-body emotion, no scenarios.
- Scenario Round: Act out a situation that causes the emotion.
- Emotion Match: After guessing, players share a time they felt that way.
- Opposites Round: Act an emotion, then its opposite (happy → sad).
- Mood Meter: Rate how strong the emotion is (a little sad vs devastated).
Tips for the Best Emotion Charades
- Use the whole body, not just facial expressions.
- Try scenario rounds to teach cause and effect.
- Match difficulty to age — basic feelings for tots, nuanced ones for teens.
- Pair it with a chat — "when did you last feel proud?" deepens the learning.
- Use a generator for instant emotion and action words.
Emotion Charades Lesson Plan (35 Minutes)
Want to run emotion charades as a social-emotional learning (SEL) lesson? This simple plan works for a classroom, small group or counseling session.
| Lesson detail | Plan |
|---|---|
| Time | About 35 minutes |
| Grades | K–2 (easy list), 3–5 (easy + medium), 6–8 (medium + hard) |
| Skills | Naming feelings, reading body language, empathy, communication |
| Materials | Emotion cards or the charades generator, a timer, a whiteboard |
| Group size | Whole class in two teams, or small groups of 4–6 |
1. Pre-discussion (5–8 minutes)
Start by talking about feelings before anyone acts. Ask a few warm-up questions:
- What are some feelings you have had this week?
- How can you tell when a friend is happy? What about when they are upset?
- Can your face and body show a feeling without any words?
- Why might it help to notice how other people feel?
Write the feelings students name on the board. This becomes your class word bank.
2. Model it (3 minutes)
Act out one easy feeling yourself, like "tired." Yawn, stretch, rub your eyes and droop. Let students guess, then point out which clues helped: the face, the shoulders, the speed of your movements.
3. Play the game (15 minutes)
- Split the group into two teams.
- One player draws an emotion card (or taps the generator) and acts it out with no words or sounds.
- Their team has 60 seconds to guess. A correct guess earns a point.
- Teams take turns until everyone has acted at least once.
- For older students, add a scenario round: act out a situation that causes the feeling.
4. Post-discussion (5–8 minutes)
Wrap up with a few of the discussion questions below. This is where most of the learning sticks.
5. Extension ideas
- Have students draw a face for each feeling and make a class feelings chart.
- Keep a "feeling of the day" card on the board and act it out each morning.
- Ask students to write about a time they felt one of the emotions they acted out.
- Pair emotion charades with a favorite picture book about feelings and pause to act out what the characters feel.
Discussion Questions After the Game
Use these empathy-building questions after a round of emotion charades:
- Which feeling was the easiest to guess? Why?
- Which feeling was the hardest to guess? What could make it clearer?
- Were any two feelings easy to mix up, like nervous and scared? How are they different?
- What did people do with their bodies, not just their faces, to show a feeling?
- When was the last time you felt proud? What happened?
- If you saw a friend looking lonely at recess, what could you do?
- How can you tell if someone is feeling frustrated before they say anything?
- What is something that helps you feel calm when you are upset?
- Can someone feel two feelings at the same time? When might that happen?
- How does it feel when someone notices how you feel and is kind to you?
Printable Emotion Charades Cards
Prefer paper cards? Making a set takes just a few minutes:
- Copy the easy, medium, hard and bonus feelings from this page into a document, one feeling per box.
- For young kids, add a simple face drawing or emoji next to each word so non-readers can play.
- Print on cardstock and cut the boxes apart.
- Use a different paper color for each difficulty level so you can match the deck to your group.
- Store each set in an envelope labeled Easy, Medium or Hard.
No printer handy? The free charades generator draws a random word with a timer and team scoring, so you can play right away on any phone, tablet or classroom screen.
Looking for more ways to play with kids? Try our charades words for kids, the charades rules for kids, and our family charades ideas.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are good emotion charades words?
Core feelings like happy, sad, angry, scared, and excited for beginners, plus nuanced ones like jealous, embarrassed, and nostalgic for older players.
How do you act out an emotion in charades?
Use your whole body, not just your face — a sad person slumps and moves slowly; an excited person jumps and can't stay still.
Is emotion charades good for teaching kids?
Yes — it helps children name feelings, read body language, and build empathy, making it a favorite for classrooms and social-emotional learning.
What are easy emotions for kids to act out?
Happy (big smile, bounce), sad (droopy, tears), angry (stomp, fists), and scared (wide eyes, shrink back) — the core feelings kids know well.
How is emotion charades used in therapy?
Counselors use it to help clients safely express and name feelings; the "scenario round" (acting out situations that cause emotions) teaches cause and effect.
What's a good emotion charades variation for learning?
The "Scenario Round" — act out a situation (opening a gift, losing a pet) and guess the feeling it causes. It builds emotional understanding through play.
What age is emotion charades for?
Emotion charades works from about age 3 up through adults. Preschoolers can act out basic feelings like happy, sad and scared, elementary kids can handle medium feelings like jealous and relieved, and teens and adults enjoy the complex ones like nostalgic and bittersweet.
How long does emotion charades take?
A quick round takes 10 to 15 minutes. A full classroom lesson with a pre-discussion, the game and a post-discussion takes about 35 minutes.
Do I need a printable to play emotion charades?
No. You can read feelings straight from the lists on this page or tap the free charades generator for a random word. Printed cards are handy for classrooms and young kids who cannot read yet, but they are optional.
How does emotion charades help with empathy?
Players have to watch faces and body language closely to guess a feeling, which is the same skill people use to notice how others feel in real life. Talking about the feelings afterward helps kids connect the emotion to real situations and think about how to respond kindly.
More Charades Guides
Ready to Get Expressive?
You've got 50 emotions, full-body acting tips, and classroom-ready variations — now make those expressive faces and let the emotion charades begin. Make it effortless:
👉 Open the free Charades Generator — instant emotion words, a timer, and team scoring. No app, no signup. 😊
Can your group tell "nervous" from "excited"? Act it out — and build empathy while you laugh!
