Components
- 88 Picture Cards (2 Sets in Blue and Red)
- 66 Clue Cards
- 2 Category Cards
- Instruction Sheet
Object of the Game
Be the first team to reach 5 points by correctly guessing clues built with the Picture Cards!
Setup
Divide players into 2 teams.
PICTURE CARDS feature a variety of simple drawings. Spread out the blue Picture Cards in front of one team and the red Picture Cards in front of the other team - make sure all the cards are visible.
CLUE CARDS feature ADULT clues on the blue side and KID clues on the yellow side.
Kid Clues
Kid clues aren't broken into 4 categories - instead, they're grouped according to a theme. Themes are printed down the side of the card and will help younger players zero in on the correct answer.
Place the Clue Cards face down to the side of the playing area. If you're using ADULT clues, make sure the blue side is face down. If you're using KID clues, place the yellow side face down. When adults and kids play together, the KID clues should be used.
Category reference cards feature the four ADULT clue category icons. If you are playing ADULT clues, give one card to each team.Both teams select their first "Picturist" - the person who will use the Picture Cards to act out a clue for their team. Both teams always have their own Picturist, and every round the role of Picturist rotates among the different players on a team.
Game Play
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Every round is an All Play, so both teams will compete head-to-head on every clue.
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To begin the first round, the youngest Picturist chooses a number between 1 and 4 then draws a clue card.
Without saying anything to the other players, both Picturists look at the matching clue together (if "3" was the chosen number, they would read the third clue from the top of the card).
On subsequent rounds, the Picturist of the team that won the previous round gets to choose a number for the next clue.
Note: With ADULT clues, the order of categories is random, so you never know what category you'll get!
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When playing KID clues, the Picturists read the card's theme aloud to all the players, but read the clue only to themselves.
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When the Picturists are ready, they say "Go".
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Both Picturists immediately start using their Picture Cards to act out the same clue at the same time while their team- mates shout out possible answers. If playing ADULT clues, the Picturists should point to an icon on the Category Reference Card to let their team know what category they are guessing.
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There is no limit on the number of Picture Cards that can be used to act out a clue.
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The only timer Picturists need to worry about is the other team - it's a race! Both teams keep giving clues until someone guesses the correct answer. If your team is first to guess the correct answer, you score 1 point and keep the clue card to keep track your score (1 card equals 1 point).
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If neither team is able to guess the clue, the Picturists can agree to pass and the clue card is placed on the bottom of the deck.
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Play continues with two new Picturists giving the next clue.
Remember, both teams always compete on every clue.
Tips for using Picture Cards
Don't feel restricted by the simple images on the cards - they can represent anything you want!
For instance, this might look like a spoon, but it could also be...
Try to imagine different ways you can use each shape. Just picture the possibilities!
But don't stop there - you can also build new images by combining Picture Cards!
You can even use Picture Cards to interact with yourself.or with objects in the room! For instance, you could take the "clock" picture card and hold it against your wrist to communicate wristwatch!
Don't be afraid to try all kinds of crazy combinations. Pick up the Picture Cards, use them as props, create scenes from movies, do whatever you can imagine! You'll see that these pictures are worth thousands of words!
Pictionary Card Game Do's and Don'ts
You Can...
Be creative!
Act out the answer using Picture Cards - think of this as charades with picture props!
Use the Picture Cards to build anything related to the answer, no matter how tenuous the link.
Don't feel confined to the playing area - pick up the Picture Cards, stack them, combine them, interact with them (for instance, you can pretend to drink from the picture of the " 'glass) or place them on your body (a picture of "fire" placed over your heart could be "heart burn").
Get players to guess "dock" for "doc", or "flew" for "flu", etc.
Let players know when they correctly guess part of the clue - point at them, nod, touch your nose - whatever signal works for you.
Use basic charades hand gestures such as "bigger" or "smaller" or "shorter", etc.
Pinch your fingers together to communicate small words such as "an", "the", "of", etc.
You Cannot...
Speak to your teammates or make any sounds.
Act out anything without using a Picture Card to do so.
Point at your ear for "sounds like".
Use dashes to show the number of letters in the word.
Use sign language.
End of the Game
The first team to reach 5 points wins the game!
Strictness
How precise an answer must be is up to the teams playing and should be agreed upon at the start of the game. For example, is "sneezing" acceptable for "sneeze"? "Switch hitter" for "switch hit"? You decide!
For Younger Players
To make the game easier, let younger players act out the clues however they want - as long as they use at least one picture card to do so.
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