TELEPHONE GAME RULES

telephone rules title

OBJECTIVE OF TELEPHONE: Whisper a phrase to the next person in line so that they can pass it on to the next person.

NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 3+ players, but the more, the better

MATERIALS: None needed

TYPE OF GAME: Word game

AUDIENCE: 6+

OVERVIEW OF TELEPHONE

telephone overview

Telephone, also sometimes called Broken Telephone game, is a fun parlor game that is played all over the world. This is a must-play game if you have absolutely no supplies on hand at your party. While often touted as a children’s game, Telephone can also be enjoyed by adults. You can amp up the difficulty by creating difficult or confusing phrases to pass down the line. You might wonder what does the telephone game teach kids; well, it’s a great demonstration to show how unreliable verbal communication can be and to always go back to the source, making it one of the best back to school games.

HOW TO PLAY TELEPHONE

telephone gameplay

Line up all players or sit them in a circle, ensuring that there is enough space between each player so that they cannot hear any whispering that is not directed at them. The first player thinks of a phrase to pass down all the way to the final person of the line. The player can be as creative as you want with the phrase, but if you want to make the game more difficult, consider a confusing or tricky phrase. Here are some examples of phrases you can use:

  • The players played a game of football.
  • Why did the cat jump over the keyboard?
  • The turtle tumbled, tripping down a trampoline.
  • The cat ate a fishy snack.
  • The freckled Frenchmen had fried figs.

Once the phrase has been decided, the first person whispers the phrase to the second person in line. The second person then whispers the same word or phrase (or what they think they heard) to the third person, and so on, all the way down to the final player. Keep in mind two things:

  1. The phrase must be whispered so that the other players cannot hear the phrase.
  2. The phrase cannot be repeated. So, players must listen carefully when it’s their turn.

END OF GAME

The game continues until the phrase is whispered to the last person. This person then loudly announces to the group what they heard. You’ll be surprised at how much a simple phrase can change as it passes down from person to person!

GREAT TELEPHONE GAME SENTENCES

This game can be played with words or phrases so here’s a few different options for examples.

TELEPHONE GAME WORDS

  • Applegate
  • Bohemian
  • Surreal
  • Worthier

BROKEN TELEPHONE PHRASES

  • I fell into a carnival cave
  • She was wishy washy
  • Where are the weather reports

FUNNY TELEPHONE GAME PHRASES

  • Find Fine Fish For Festival Feast
  • Thursday’s thirst think through
  • Sorry sad Sally seriously
Lev
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