📞 Telephone
A message is whispered from ear to ear and changes along the way. Telephone is the classic whisper game: no equipment, works with any group and ends in giggles every time.
What you need
Equipment: Nothing (a list of sentences helps). Sit or stand everyone in one line or a circle, close together. The host prepares 8 to 10 long, funny sentences and writes them down to compare at the end.
How to play Telephone
- The host whispers the first sentence into the first player's ear, just once.
- No asking for a repeat, and no talking out loud.
- The first player whispers what they heard to the second, the second to the third, and so on.
- Each player whispers only once, and only to their neighbor.
- The last player says out loud what reached them.
- The host reads the original sentence from the list, and everyone laughs at the difference.
- Quickly ask 'Where did it change?' and go back along the line to find the mix-up.
Scoring and wrapping up
Scoring: The sentence arrived almost the same = 3 points for the group. It got completely scrambled = 3 points for the laugh. Everyone wins.
To finish: After 5 or 6 sentences, vote for the funniest mix-up of the game and write it on the board.
By age
- Ages 6-7: short sentences of 5 to 7 words.
- Ages 8+: longer sentences with names, numbers and tongue twisters.
Variations
- Big group: make two lines and race the same sentence down both. Which line keeps it closer?
- Capy twist: feelings telephone. Each player whispers the message in a different mood: happy, grumpy, scared or sleepy.
Tips for the adult in charge
- Long, silly sentences work best.
- Remind players to whisper clearly, not mumble on purpose.
🖨️ Printable Telephone sentences
Read one sentence to the first player and keep the sheet to compare at the end.
- ☐ My grandma's purple cat eats spaghetti on Tuesdays.
- ☐ The giant pancake rolled down the hill and into the lake.
- ☐ Seven silly sheep sang songs on a sunny Sunday.
- ☐ A penguin in sunglasses ordered three strawberry milkshakes.
- ☐ The dragon lost his toothbrush under the bouncy castle.
- ☐ Uncle Bob's bicycle has a bell that plays the national anthem.
- ☐ Please don't put the jelly beans in the washing machine.
- ☐ The astronaut forgot her sandwich on the moon.
- ☐ Twelve tiny turtles tiptoed through the tulips.
- ☐ My teacher has a pet hamster called Professor Fluffington.
- ☐ The pirate's parrot only speaks when it smells pizza.
- ☐ A robot and a rabbit raced around the rainbow.
- ☐ Never trust a banana wearing a top hat.
- ☐ The snowman wanted to go on holiday to the desert.
- ☐ Grandpa danced the cha-cha with a broom in the kitchen.
- ☐ The yellow submarine is full of rubber ducks.
- ☐ Fred the frog jumped over forty-four fluffy pillows.
- ☐ The birthday cake had a candle shaped like a dinosaur.
- ☐ A sneaky squirrel stole my left sock this morning.
- ☐ If you sneeze three times, the king gives you a cookie.
Questions and answers
What is the Telephone game also called?
It is also known as Pass the Message, Broken Telephone or Gossip in different countries. The rules are the same everywhere.
What are funny Telephone game sentences?
Long sentences with silly details and names, like 'My grandma's purple cat eats spaghetti on Tuesdays'. See the printable list below.
What does the Telephone game teach kids?
Careful listening and clear speaking, and it shows in a fun way how messages change when passed along.