🌍 Name, Place, Animal, Thing
A classic pen-and-paper word game also known as Stop the Bus or Categories. Pick a letter, race to fill in a name, a place, an animal and a thing that start with it, and score extra for answers nobody else thought of.
What you need
Equipment: Paper and a pen for each player. Choose 6-10 categories from the list below and have each player draw a table with a column for the letter, one column per category, and a points column at the end. Make sure everyone has a pen.
How to play Name, Place, Animal, Thing
- Check that everyone has the same categories in the same order.
- One player silently runs through the alphabet in their head, and another player says "Stop!". The letter they reached is the letter for the round.
- Write the letter in the first column, and everyone starts at the same time.
- Fill in one answer per category. Every answer must start with the round's letter.
- The first player to fill every category shouts "Stop the bus!" and everyone puts their pens down.
- Go category by category: each player reads their answer out loud.
- Not sure an answer counts? The group votes.
- Write your score in the last column and start a new round with a new letter.
Scoring and wrapping up
Scoring: Correct answer: 10 points. An answer nobody else wrote: 20 points. No answer: 0. First to finish: 10 bonus points.
To finish: After 5 rounds, add up all the points and crown the champion. Print a new sheet and play again with different categories.
By age
- Ages 6-8: just 3 categories, no time limit, and help with spelling.
- Ages 9-12: 5 categories and 90 seconds per round.
- Ages 13 and up: harder categories and a speed mode of 45 seconds per round.
Variations
- Big group: play in teams of 3-4 sharing one sheet. They must agree on every answer, which leads to plenty of funny arguments.
- Capy twist: at the end of each round, draw one category at random that scores double, revealed only after everyone has written.
Tips for the adult in charge
- Let the shyest child be the one who runs through the alphabet. It is a powerful role with no pressure to answer.
- Skip tricky letters like Q, X and Z for younger kids.
🖨️ Printable category list
Tick the categories you want to play and copy them into the columns of your game sheet.
- ☐ Name (a person's first name)
- ☐ Place (country or city)
- ☐ Animal
- ☐ Thing
- ☐ Food
- ☐ Fruit or vegetable
- ☐ Color
- ☐ Job
- ☐ Sport
- ☐ Something in the kitchen
- ☐ Something in a classroom
- ☐ Clothing
- ☐ Movie or TV show
- ☐ Famous person or character
- ☐ Brand
- ☐ Musical instrument
- ☐ Something that flies
- ☐ Something you find at the beach
- ☐ Body part
- ☐ Plant or flower
Questions and answers
What are the rules of Name, Place, Animal, Thing?
Choose a letter, then race to write a name, a place, an animal and a thing that all begin with it. Unique answers score 20, shared ones 10, and the first to finish calls Stop.
Is it the same as Scattergories?
It is the same idea. Scattergories is a boxed version with set category lists and a letter die, while Name, Place, Animal, Thing only needs paper and pens.