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.
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Operations (1–10)
acute lower back strain (commonly called a “thrown-out back” or lumbago)
The correct medical term is “acute low back pain,” referring to severe back pain that occurs when you lift something heavy or twist your body.
From how difficult it can be to even stand, you can sense just how intense and persistent the pain is.
When expressing a slipped back (lumbago) through gestures, be sure to convey a pained expression and use your hand placement to show that the source is the lower back.
Focusing on the aspect of pain so severe you can’t remain standing, gradually crouching down would likely communicate it well.
Whether you’ve experienced a sudden back strain yourself may also affect how convincingly you can act it out.
put on makeup
An easy makeup pose to imagine is like dusting on powder.
Hold a compact in one hand, and with the other hand, lightly pat your face—thinking of it that way makes it easy to understand.
If you slightly stretch your upper lip area at that moment, it might help create a more realistic expression! Another good gesture is squinting a little as if you’re drawing eyeliner.
to clean
For a cleaning gesture, you could pose as if you’re holding a broom and sweeping the floor.
Or hold a vacuum with both hands and move your arms like you’re loudly sucking up dust.
If you have enough space, try a “floor-wipe” run: place both hands on the floor like a sprinter in a crouching start and dash forward as if wiping with a cloth.
You can also do a feather-dusting gesture: raise one hand up and give a light pat-pat motion.
There are lots of poses to try! Find the gesture that feels most natural for you.
loach scooping
Dojo-sukui is a traditional dance performed with choreography set to the folk song “Yasugi-bushi” from Yasugi City in Shimane Prefecture.
As the name suggests, it reenacts the motion of scooping up loaches with a basket, and is characterized by a comical atmosphere, including its posture.
The striking look—such as the nose piece made from an old one-mon coin or inserting a short chopstick into the nose—also leaves a strong impression, so be sure to convey these adornments clearly through facial expression.
Since it’s an act performed to music, rhythmic and comical movements that align with the tune are essential to this prompt.
piano
When expressing a musical instrument through gestures, the key is to clearly imagine the act of playing and recreate it to convey the answer.
Even just showing the motion of pressing keys with your hands while seated can make the answer easy to understand.
It’s also important to see how delicately you can reproduce the key-pressing motion—pay close attention to the movement of your fingers.
In some cases, people might answer “pianist,” but if they get that far, it might be acceptable to consider it correct.
to yawn
A yawn that slips out with a soft “fwaaah” before you even notice.
Has it ever gotten you scolded while you were with your partner or friends? The yawn gesture is really simple, right? Just make a sleepy face, open your mouth wide, then go back to looking sleepy—done! If you care about manners, it’s nice to cover your mouth with your hand, too.
And when you do the yawn gesture, it often makes you actually yawn, doesn’t it?
Eat natto
When it comes to natto, it’s one of Japan’s traditional foods that people tend to either love or hate—and the dividing line is probably that sticky, stringy texture.
Try to capture the scene of whipping it up vigorously until silky threads stretch from your chopsticks, and the slurping as you eat it.
Before you know it, just miming the motions will have you craving natto yourself.
