Collection of gesture game ideas and prompts
A classic, crowd-pleasing recreation that both kids and adults can’t help but get hooked on: the gesture game.
In this article, we’ll introduce a variety of gesture-game prompts, organized by category.
It’s packed with everything from easy prompts to tricky ones that make you think, “Huh? How am I supposed to act that out?”
It’s your time to shine!
Even if the message doesn’t get across in the end, putting in the effort to think and move is the key to making it fun!
Don’t be shy—move as much as you can and try whatever comes to mind.
For harder prompts, try offering hints or using other creative tweaks.
Animals (1–10)
cat
https://www.instagram.com/p/BuLiqyNBqZi/Cats are sometimes said to be becoming more popular than dogs lately, and their gestures are so cute that even people who don’t like cats might find themselves saying so! Among those gestures, the way they raise a front paw like a beckoning cat, wash their faces, or rub up against people and objects are easy to understand examples.
Some people are also really good at imitating the voices of dogs and cats, aren’t they?
rabbit
https://www.instagram.com/p/BvfjfR8l5Ab/When we think of rabbits, their long ears are of course the most striking feature.
Since humans don’t have long ears, the classic approach is to extend your hands to mimic ears as a gesture.
Also, hopping up and down and showing slightly long front teeth could be the key gestures.
Because rabbits are beloved across many generations, this might be a relatively easy, approachable prompt to try.
penguin
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bu33WbDBpQg/Penguins are striking for their black-and-white, uniform-like coloring.
When you think of penguins, that so-called penguin waddle and their flightless wings are probably the key gestures, aren’t they? Walking with a slightly clumsy vibe will make your resemblance spot-on.
Penguins are actually great swimmers too, but a swimming gesture seems pretty tricky, doesn’t it?
dog
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bvfxm49n9Bs/When it comes to gestures that express a dog, dog breath naturally comes to mind.
I recommend imitating a dog’s breathing—“dog breath”—both as a health practice and a vocal technique, so it’s worth trying.
Another tip, though humans don’t have one, is to mimic wagging a tail with high energy.
And those single-minded, earnest eyes of a dog are truly adorable.
gorilla
https://www.instagram.com/p/BveIagyH5pu/One animal said to be quite close to humans is the gorilla, and the chest-beating pose while going “ooh-ooh” seems easy to recognize, doesn’t it? If you fully become the king of the jungle and pound your chest with a wild, lively rhythm, people should get it right away.
Mimicking eating a banana could also be a good hint.
Give it a try.
cat
Animal movements are a staple of gesture quizzes.
It’s also fun how people’s personalities show in which familiar animal movements they choose to highlight.
If the topic is “cat,” for example, washing its face with its paws or throwing playful paw punches at a toy are easy to understand.
You can recreate it just with hand movements, but expressing a cat’s motions with your whole body and turning it into exercise also seems like a good idea.
Since there’s even the phrase “cat back” (rounded back), rounding your back is probably an important point when you’re reproducing the movements.
Sports (1–10)
golf
https://www.instagram.com/p/BviIuj3A_m6/When you think of golf, some people may picture it as a refined pastime for middle-aged and older folks.
And the elegant play of professional golfers can be truly mesmerizing.
It’s not just about swinging the club—adding little touches like feinting a swing right before contact, miming the act of reading the grain of the grass, or checking the wind direction makes it all the more artful.