When to use it
Form two teams and grab paper, a whiteboard or a drawing app. One artist spins privately, then has sixty seconds to draw while teammates call out guesses. No letters, numbers or spoken hints are allowed on the page.
It is a natural fit for classrooms with a whiteboard and for parties with a big sheet of paper taped to the wall. Groups of four to twenty work well, and younger children can draw too, because every word is a familiar object.
Online, one player can share their screen with a digital whiteboard while the rest guess in chat, making it a reliable game for remote team socials.
Ideas
- Whiteboard relay: each team member adds one line to the drawing before passing the marker to the next person.
- Silent studio: the artist draws with their eyes closed for the first ten seconds, which leads to wonderfully odd sketches.
- Art class review: use the words as quick warm-up sketches before a lesson on shape and outline.
Variations
- Make a seasonal word list for winter or summer parties and save it on your device for the next event.
- Use the team generator to mix up teams between rounds so the best artists do not always end up together.
- Keep score on the whiteboard, giving each team a point for every word guessed within the time limit.
Tips
- Start with big shapes and add details only after your team is close. Outlines get guesses faster than shading.
- Agree that drawing an arrow or a circle to highlight part of the sketch is allowed, which helps with tricky words.
- Keep each round short. Shorter time limits produce sillier drawings and more laughter.
Make it yours
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