Bible charades: 250+ characters, stories and parables by difficulty
Bible charades is charades where every word comes from Scripture: a character like Noah, a story like David and Goliath, a parable or an object like the burning bush. One player acts it out without words and the group guesses. It is a favorite for youth groups, Sunday school and family devotions because kids retell the stories with their whole body, and the guessers have to remember them.
Teachers know the moment: you ask who remembers the story of Zacchaeus and the room goes quiet. Ask a child to act out a short man climbing a tree to see Jesus, and suddenly everyone remembers. Bible charades turns review into play. The lists below are sorted from easy to hard, with Old and New Testament stories kept separate so you can match them to what your class has been studying.
What is Bible charades?
Bible charades is a version of charades that uses people, events, parables and objects from the Bible as the words to act out. The actor may not speak; the guessers call out answers until someone names the right one. It works for ages 5 and up, in groups of 4 to 40, and needs nothing but a list.
How to play Bible charades in a classroom
- Pick a list that fits the group.Easy for ages 5-8, medium for ages 9-12, hard for teens and adults.
- Prepare slips.Write each word on a slip of paper and fold it. A basket or an offering plate works as the hat.
- Split into two teams.Rows, tables, or boys against girls if that suits your class.
- One actor at a time.The actor draws a slip, acts for 60 seconds (90 for younger kids), and only their team guesses.
- Score one point per correct answer,then switch teams. Play 15-20 minutes, or until everyone has acted once.
- Close with the story.After a correct guess, ask one quick question: "What happened next?" or "What does this story teach us?"
Helpful signals: hands together like an open book means "this is a book of the Bible", fingers show the number of words, and tugging your ear means "sounds like". The full signal list is on our how to play charades page.
Easy Bible charades (ages 5-8)
These are the stories most children know from picture Bibles. Each one has a clear action to show.
- Adam
- Eve
- Noah
- Abraham
- Moses
- David
- Goliath
- Jonah
- Daniel
- Samson
- Joseph
- Mary
- Jesus
- Peter
- Zacchaeus
- the shepherds
- the wise men
- the angel Gabriel
- Noah’s ark
- animals two by two
- the rainbow promise
- David and Goliath
- Jonah and the big fish
- Daniel in the lions’ den
- baby Moses in a basket
- the parting of the Red Sea
- the walls of Jericho
- Jesus is born in a manger
- the star of Bethlehem
- Jesus walks on water
- Jesus calms the storm
- feeding the 5,000
- Zacchaeus climbs a tree
- Adam and Eve in the garden
- Jesus blesses the children
- fishing for people
Medium Bible charades (ages 9-12)
These need a little more Bible knowledge and more creative acting, which makes them perfect for upper elementary and middle school.
- the creation
- the Tower of Babel
- Abraham and Isaac
- Jacob’s ladder
- Esau sells his birthright for stew
- Joseph’s coat of many colors
- Joseph in the pit
- Joseph interprets Pharaoh’s dreams
- the burning bush
- the ten plagues
- manna from heaven
- the golden calf
- the Ten Commandments
- Moses strikes the rock
- Balaam’s talking donkey
- Gideon’s fleece
- Samson and Delilah
- Ruth gathers grain
- Samuel hears God calling
- David plays the harp for Saul
- Solomon’s wise judgment
- Elijah fed by ravens
- Elijah on Mount Carmel
- Elijah goes up in a whirlwind
- Naaman washes in the Jordan
- the fiery furnace
- the writing on the wall
- Queen Esther before the king
- Nehemiah rebuilds the wall
- Jonah sulks under a plant
- the angel visits Mary
- no room at the inn
- the shepherds see angels
- the wise men bring gifts
- Jesus at the temple at age 12
- John baptizes Jesus
- water into wine
- Jesus calls the fishermen
- the paralyzed man lowered through the roof
- Jesus heals a blind man
- Jairus’ daughter
- Mary and Martha
- Jesus raises Lazarus
- the widow’s offering
- the triumphal entry on a donkey
- Jesus washes the disciples’ feet
- the Last Supper
- Peter denies Jesus three times
- the empty tomb
- doubting Thomas
- breakfast on the beach
- Pentecost
- Saul on the road to Damascus
- Paul and Silas sing in prison
- Peter walks on water
- the shipwreck on Malta
- Philip and the Ethiopian official
- Peter’s rooftop vision
- Cain
- Abel
- Sarah
- Isaac
- Rebekah
- Jacob
- Esau
- Pharaoh
- Aaron
- Miriam
- Joshua
- Rahab
- Gideon
- Deborah
- Ruth
- Naomi
- Samuel
- Saul
- Solomon
- Elijah
- Elisha
- Esther
- Nehemiah
- John the Baptist
- Matthew
- Thomas
- Judas
- Martha
- Lazarus
- Paul
- Mary Magdalene
- Nicodemus
- Pontius Pilate
- Herod
- Timothy
- Lydia
Parables of Jesus for charades
Parables are short stories with a clear picture, which makes them ideal to act out. A good follow-up question after each one: "What was Jesus teaching with this story?"
- the Good Samaritan
- the Prodigal Son
- the Lost Sheep
- the Lost Coin
- the Sower
- the Mustard Seed
- the Wise and Foolish Builders
- the Ten Bridesmaids
- the Talents
- the Rich Fool
- the Unforgiving Servant
- the Pearl of Great Price
- the Hidden Treasure
- the Workers in the Vineyard
- the Pharisee and the Tax Collector
- the Persistent Widow
- the Great Banquet
- the Lamp Under a Basket
- the Two Sons
- the Wheat and the Weeds
- the Yeast
- the Fishing Net
Bible objects and places
Objects are quick rounds and great for younger kids. Ask the guessers to name the story the object belongs to for a bonus point.
- the ark
- a rainbow
- a dove with an olive leaf
- a sling and five stones
- stone tablets
- the burning bush
- Moses’ staff
- manna
- the golden calf
- the coat of many colors
- a harp
- trumpets
- a fleece
- a crown
- a manger
- gold, frankincense and myrrh
- five loaves and two fish
- fishing nets
- a mustard seed
- a lamp
- a rooster
- palm branches
- thirty pieces of silver
- the empty tomb
- the Garden of Eden
- Egypt
- the Red Sea
- Mount Sinai
- the Promised Land
- Jericho
- Bethlehem
- Nazareth
- Jerusalem
- the Jordan River
- the Sea of Galilee
- the Garden of Gethsemane
Hard Bible charades (teens and adults)
For youth group, small groups or a church family night. These names and events are harder to act and harder to recall, which is exactly the fun for people who grew up in church.
- Methuselah
- Melchizedek
- Nebuchadnezzar
- Belshazzar
- Habakkuk
- Jehoshaphat
- Zerubbabel
- Ezekiel and the dry bones
- Jacob wrestles with God
- Joseph’s brothers bow down
- Rahab’s scarlet cord
- Hezekiah’s shadow goes back
- Ananias and Sapphira
- Eutychus falls out of the window
- Elisha and the floating axe head
- the widow’s oil
- Gideon’s 300 men
- Absalom caught in a tree
- the Song of Songs
- Lamentations
- Leviticus
- Deuteronomy
- the Beatitudes
- the Lord’s Prayer
Acting out books of the Bible ("Numbers", "Acts", "Revelation") is a great challenge for teens who are memorizing the order of the books.
Variations for Sunday school and youth group
- Bible Who Am I? Tape a character name on a player’s back. They ask yes-or-no questions ("Was I a king?") until they guess. Easy to run with a large group.
- Team relay. One actor per team acts the same story at the same time; the first team to guess wins the round.
- Draw it. Swap acting for drawing on a whiteboard. Noah’s ark and Jonah’s fish are classics.
- Describe it. No acting, just words, but the actor may not say the name. Good for a bus ride to camp.
- Reverse charades. The whole team acts and one person guesses. Shy kids hide in the group. See reverse charades.
- Story of the month. Pick only stories from the current curriculum to review before a lesson ends.
In December, a nativity round fits naturally next to our Christmas charades. For feelings-based rounds in a children’s ministry setting ("how did Jonah feel inside the fish?"), borrow ideas from emotion charades, and for general lists see charades for kids.
Play Bible charades on one phone
The Guessy app runs charades on one phone: the player holds it to their forehead, the group acts, describes, draws or hums, and a tilt down scores, a tilt up passes. The timer and the scoreboard are built in, with teams or solo players by name. The app has no built-in Bible topic, but with premium you can create your own category, type in the words from this page and play your Bible charades list on any iPhone or Android. The free topics (like Act It Out and Animals) are handy for warm-up rounds. See all charades categories, or draw random everyday words with the free charades generator.
Timer, teams and scores on one phone. With premium, type in your own Bible words as a custom category. iPhone and Android.
Download freeFrequently asked questions
What is Bible charades?
A version of charades that uses Bible characters, stories, parables and objects as the words. One person acts without speaking and the others guess. It is popular in Sunday school, youth groups and family devotions.
What are easy Bible charades for kids?
Noah’s ark, David and Goliath, Jonah and the big fish, Daniel in the lions’ den, baby Moses in a basket, the parting of the Red Sea, Zacchaeus climbing a tree, and Jesus walking on water.
How do you play Bible charades with a large group?
Split into two teams, write the words on folded slips, and let one actor per team perform for 60 seconds while only their team guesses. For 30 or more kids, use the team relay, where one actor from each team acts the same word at the same time.
Is it OK to act out Jesus in Bible charades?
That is up to your church or group. Many leaders keep it respectful by having kids act the people around Jesus, such as the disciples or the crowd, and by leaving the crucifixion out of the game.
Is there an app for Bible charades?
Guessy for iPhone and Android has no built-in Bible topic, but premium lets you create your own category. Type in the Bible words you want and the app handles the timer, teams and scoring.