5 best pantomime games for kids where you have to explain words with gestures


Pantomime in body language

The term “pantomime” is also used by specialists in the field of “body language” (police officers, investigators, professional card players, thieves “in trust”, negotiation specialists, diplomats, and, of course, representatives of the jurisprudence, such as judges, prosecutors, and lawyers), capable of assessing the motivations and internal state, as well as the credibility of the information coming from their interlocutors, regardless of the text they pronounce, and relying in their assessments exclusively on the bio-mechanical manifestations of the opponent’s body (positioning of the hands, posture, spontaneous movements of the lips, changes in body temperature, manifested in the appearance of a “blush” or its sudden disappearance, dilation or reduction of pupils, etc.) [ source not specified 1727 days

]

Theater of new times

Pantomime first appeared as a theatrical ballet in 1702 at London's Drury Lane Theatre. Throughout the 18th century it was performed as an interlude during the intervals of comedies and tragedies. As a dance, pantomime became part of the ballet-drama of J. J. Nover.

As a separate variety act, the “silent” skit was actively developing in music halls and miniature theaters in Europe at the end of the 19th century. Later, a pantomime school arose in Marseille, headed by L. Ruff. For the first time, an actor who will eventually gain world fame, the best silent comedian, Charles Chaplin, appears on the stage of the London theater. In Germany, M. Reinhardt practiced this type of art.

In the second half of the 20th century, objectless pantomime appeared - a kind of story using non-existent, imaginary objects. The mime of our days must have perfect control of his body. He must be universal: a juggler, an acrobat, a dramatic artist, and at the same time have a perfect understanding of the language of ballet. Moreover, a good mime is, first of all, a philosopher, capable of instilling certain moods, thoughts, experiences in other people with the help of gestures alone.

Development of the art of pantomime in Russia

In Russia, the art of pantomime originates in folk rituals and holidays, which were not complete without games, dances and songs. People dressed up as animals and parodied various characters. The games were often accompanied by elements of pantomime, when the words of the songs were explained with movements and gestures. Such scenes were often found in rituals dedicated to holidays: Maslenitsa, Christmastide, Christmas. Examples of pantomime games can be seen in amateur performances dedicated to various events: the end of the harvest, matchmaking, weddings, etc. Gradually, elements of pantomime began to penetrate various areas of art:

  • to the Russian professional ballet theater;
  • on the farcical stages of theater squares;
  • circus arenas;
  • drama theatres;

Over time, moving from the square to the stage, pantomime acquires technical virtuosity, enriched with expressive techniques. Stanislavsky and his great students turned to the art of pantomime, among whom were the titans of the theatrical education system Vakhtangov, Meyerhold, Tairov.

Origins, types, definition of pantomime

The art of pantomime has been known since ancient times.
Its beginnings can be found in the pagan religious rituals of primitive cultures. In Rome, during the reign of Augustus, it emerged as an independent type of theater, becoming a fashionable entertainment at the imperial court. In the Middle Ages, pantomime began to be persecuted, but it continued to live and develop in the performances of traveling comedians around the world. There are 4 types of pantomime:

  • Dance pantomime originates in the culture of primitive society; some elements are still preserved in folk dances of people of various nationalities.
  • Classical pantomime - originated from the spectacular performances of ancient Greece and Rome, includes three components: poetry, music, action.
  • Acrobatic pantomime - originally from the theaters of the East, is accompanied by jumping and juggling.
  • Eccentric pantomime - based on a comic situation and using grotesque props.

The art of pantomime can be used in any genre: from tragedy to humoresque, from sharply satirical miniatures to dramatic novellas. It is very difficult to determine the boundaries between them; they are often closely interconnected and seem to penetrate each other. Pantomime can be performed by just one actor or by a whole group of mimes. One thing remains unchanged: to convey a story to the viewer without a single word, to recreate a character, to make them laugh or excite.

Game "Crocodile"

“Crocodile” is perhaps one of the most harmless psychological games. Of course, in group therapy, a trainer can also present it in order to identify the most problematic areas among group members. But in general, as a rule, the game is used as a warm-up - that is, an easy psychological exercise designed to unite the group, switch the participants’ attention from everyday activities to the work of the training and “warm up” a little - that is, stir up the emotional sphere.

"Crocodile" is a pantomime game

.
In order to successfully complete the task, you need to have very good control of your own body and facial expressions. The game is very useful - after all, in reality, few adults, with the exception of Jim Carrey, can boast of the ability to express emotions and feelings with the help of gestures. It’s hard to even imagine what a dead end you can put adults in if you ask them to say “I love you” with gestures. Well, the group will give five or six options - and that’s it! But in reality there are just a sea of ​​them! a game like “Crocodile”
is dedicated to exploring .

Rules of the game "Crocodile"

The rules are very simple. Participants are divided into two teams. The first team thinks of a word and tells it to the opponents' representative. This is the chosen one who must portray the word using pantomime to his team. The person depicting cannot speak, but the members of his team can ask him questions and list the options that appear. The person depicting the word is allowed to nod his head “yes” or “no” - but no more! At this time, the team that guessed the word can simply roll with laughter, seeing the efforts of the opponents, often without results for a long time. If the word is guessed, the teams change roles. Of course, a new player is put up for the image each time.

For those who are just learning the game, you can start with the basics: guessing the names of household appliances, furniture, etc. It will be more difficult with abstractions: for example, the word “many” took a long time to guess. Now think for yourself, how can you portray “perfection”? If you have more or less figured out the words, you can move on to depicting phrases, then proverbs. In general, it turns out to be very fun and funny, especially if a company is selected that is able to accept the jokes and appreciate the efforts of the other.

Of course, in each company the game will take on a special meaning and individual sound. Young people sooner or later turn to sexual topics and think of something like “pornography” or “perversion.” Of course, during the show, both teams laughed until they cried. Older people with more traditional upbringings like to use phrases like “light blue aquamarine” or “beautiful life.” This is already entertainment for the philologically minded intelligentsia. And, of course, proverbs and all sorts of wedding sayings are wildly successful. For example: “Don’t be a jerk,” “Mother-in-law is a man’s friend.”

Let's go back to the beginning. If the game is so easy and fun, what is its danger? In the “undercurrents” of the individuals playing it. Someone may be embarrassed to depict something, and if urgently asked, he will become upset to tears and be offended by everyone. depicting. So much for unplanned hysteria. Therefore, it is better to know which topics in the game should not be voiced and be attentive to your leisure partners. Remember when you were a child? The rules always changed if they didn’t suit someone.

"Crocodile" is good entertainment. Kind and cheerful. Suitable for all ages and education levels. With reasonable caution, it will bring a lot of positive emotions and make any holiday fun. Good game!

Different words for crocodile can be used, but it is imperative that the word or phrase that you wish to know is known by all participants. You can start by guessing one word, then guessing two, and then whole phrases. offers you word options for the game "Crocodile".

A few simple words to warm up

snow, stick, cloud, chair, dog, candle, Santa Claus, globe, laptop, etc.

Phrases from songs

  1. There is no point in bending to the changing world; it would be better if it bends to us...
  2. We choose, we are chosen, How often this does not coincide...
  3. Share your smile, and it will come back to you more than once...
  4. We are not stokers, not carpenters...
  5. A million million million red roses...
  6. The girls are standing on the sidelines...
  7. Hope is my earthly compass...
  8. Five minutes, five minutes, is it a lot or a little...
  9. etc

Sayings and proverbs

  1. For a beaten person they give two unbeaten ones
  2. Tears of sorrow will not help
  3. The well-fed are no friend to the hungry
  4. If you like to ride, you also like to carry sleds
  5. There is safety in numbers
  6. Fight fire with fire
  7. The word is not a sparrow - it will fly out and you won’t catch it
  8. The quieter you go, the further you'll get
  9. Whatever you call the boat, that’s how it will float
  10. Teach your grandmother to suck eggs
  11. Beats means loves
  12. No matter how much you feed the wolf, he keeps looking into the forest
  13. The eyes are afraid, but the hands do
  14. He aimed at the heel and hit him on the nose.
  15. If you love to talk, love to listen too
  16. etc.

Funny and unusual phrases

  1. Broken tooth
  2. Dove eyes
  3. Screen for the monster
  4. Elder miracle worker
  5. Nurse hunter
  6. The worm is thirsty
  7. Philip the Cat
  8. Daisies on a birch
  9. Right turn of the chandelier
  10. Friendly company of deer
  11. Smoked salmon accuracy
  12. Tambov paradise
  13. Nasty weirdo
  14. Orange crumb
  15. Three mos theory
  16. Day after tomorrow soup
  17. Children's wallpaper with dinosaur
  18. Phone photographer
  19. Puzzle before bed
  20. Scary goose name
  21. Dreamer chicken
  22. etc.

Game "Crocodile"

is able to amuse absolutely any company, regardless of its age and views, it reveals the acting abilities and ingenuity of the players. As soon as you start playing, all participants begin to feel excitement and unprecedented enthusiasm in their eyes. My friends and I have been practicing this game for a very long time, and, nevertheless, it always goes off with a bang, and if new people appear in the company, they join in with great pleasure. You can even make up the entire party entertainment program from various variations of this game, and your guests will be very pleased. In addition, the game does not require preliminary preparation, as well as special equipment and premises, just the desire to play is enough. And now I will tell beginners the rules of the game and give some tips.

The essence of the game

A word, phrase or phrase is guessed (at the discretion of the presenter or participants). One of the players must show what was planned without words, only with gestures, facial expressions, and poses, i.e. pantomime.

There are two versions of this game - individual and team.

In the first case, one of the players tells the other a task (a word or phrase), and he tries to explain the mystery to the others through “pantomime”. The player who is the first to name this word or phrase will, in turn, have to explain in the same way the next task that the previous driver will give him. You can prepare cards with tasks in advance, and the players will pull them out at random.

In a team game, all players are divided into two teams. One of them gives a task to a player from the opposing team. Within a certain period of time (for example, 3-5 minutes), he must depict the meaning of this task so that his team can guess the given word or phrase. If you did it right, you got a point, and now it’s the second team’s turn to guess. And so on - until you get tired of it!

Rules of the game "Crocodile"

1. The player shows the word using only facial expressions, gestures, and movements. He is prohibited from pronouncing words (any words, even “yes”, “no”, etc.) and sounds, especially those by which it is easy to guess the word (for example, by the sound of “meow” you can easily guess that the word is a cat).

3. It is forbidden to show the hidden word by letter, i.e. show words whose first letters will form the hidden word!

4. Guessers can: ask the player any questions; ask the player to show synonyms; list any options that appear. Remember that a lot depends on the activity of those who guess, on their ability to ask the most significant questions.

5. A certain amount of time is allocated to display a word or phrase. If the correct answer is not given before the end of this period, then the word is considered not guessed.

6. If one word is guessed, then it must be a noun in the nominative case and singular (for example, any object or animal).

7. Attention! A word is considered solved if the word is pronounced exactly as it was spelled (with exactly the same prefixes, suffixes, etc.). For example, if the word “sun” was guessed, in this case “sun” would be the wrong answer.

Special Gestures

It is best for players to agree in advance on special gestures that indicate certain concepts. For example:

  • first, the player shows on his fingers how many words are in the task, and then begins to depict any word (the team helps the player and asks: “Is this a noun?”, “Is this an adjective?”, etc.)
  • cross with hands - “forget it, I’ll show you again”
  • the player points his finger at one of the guessers - he named the word closest to the solution
  • circular or rotational movements of the palm - “pick up synonyms”, or “close”
  • a large circle with hands in the air - a broader concept or abstraction associated with the hidden word
  • the player claps his hands and makes a wave with one hand - you need to add a suffix to the word named by the team, the root of the word is named correctly (darling - cute, dress - dress)
  • crossed fingers - prefix "not"
  • the player points a finger behind his back - past tense verb
  • the player claps his hands - “hurray, the word was guessed correctly,” etc.
  • Come up with your own variants of gestures for the concepts “I repeat”, “quite the opposite”, “showing in parts”, “close in meaning”, etc.

Tasks for the game

For those who are just learning the game, it is better to start with simple words on a specific topic, then move on to more complex abstract words (for example, “perfection”, “science”, etc.). Experienced and artistic players can think of phrases, famous expressions, films (it is advisable to immediately show the number of words on your fingers), or famous personalities and characters.

When tasks can no longer be invented, you can use available fiction and philosophical books. Experience shows that guessing phrases from books is much more difficult than those made up on the fly.

You can depict anything you want:

  • Any arbitrary words
  • Words related to a specific topic (the topic can be any: circus, office, store, school, fruit, names of sweets, animals, clothes, sports, professions, etc.)
  • Emotions, feelings
  • Famous personalities
  • Fairy tale characters
  • Phrases from songs
  • Movies
  • Sayings and proverbs
  • and many many others…

Variants of the game "Crocodile"

Zoo

Each person in turn pulls out a note from the box indicating which animal they should portray, and the group must guess which one they are portraying.

Emotions and feelings

Players take turns pulling out cards on which various emotions and feelings are written (joy, sadness, boredom, surprise, disappointment, etc.). Each participant is given two minutes to depict the emotional state that he received.

Catchphrases

Assignment: well-known popular expressions from films are written on the sheets of paper. Players must, without words, only with the help of pantomime, portray these catchphrases to their team. The team that completed the task faster wins.

Mute poet

Assignment: poems are written on pieces of paper, players read them to themselves and, using facial expressions and gestures, retell them to their team so that they can quickly guess.

Famous personality

Prepare cards with the names of famous personalities in advance, roll them up and put them in a hat. The essence of the game: players draw cards from a hat, read the name of a celebrity on it and try to portray this celebrity without words (with gestures, facial expressions). The one who guesses draws a note from the hat and imitates the celebrity that fell out to him. You can award a point for each answer and give the winner a prize at the end of the game.

Make up a song

Print out the lyrics of songs everyone knows in advance, fold them and put them in a bag. Then choose the first driver from all the players. He pulls a song from the bag, reads the text “to himself” and, using pantomime, tries to convey to the players the meaning of each line. The one who guesses the song changes places with the driver and takes out the next song from the bag.

TV show

The players’ task is to depict a TV program: to show its most striking, distinctive features. The rest must guess what the “TV” is showing.

Guess the item

Various items are prepared in advance: keychain, toothpaste, pen, soap, chocolate, balloon, notepad, etc. The names of these items are written on separate pieces of paper, which are then rolled up so that the participants cannot see what is written. Then the participants sort out the pieces of paper. Everyone must depict the object that he received, and the rest of the participants must guess what is being depicted. The participant who is the first to name the item being shown receives it as a gift.

Witness testimony

You need to choose one person who will guess. He leaves for a while while the company (or the presenter) figures out who the criminal will be. You can make a guess for anyone, including the guesser himself. When the player returns, everyone present, without the help of words, but only with gestures and facial expressions, depicts him the appearance of the criminal. If the player does not guess the criminal after three attempts, he drives again. If he guesses right, a new person is chosen and the game continues until he gets tired of it.

Places held

Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret in the war performance of Aladdin

at Windsor Castle

Pantomime is performed in the UK, Ireland, France, Switzerland, Bermuda, Australia, Canada, Zimbabwe, Jamaica, South Africa, India, Gibraltar, Malta and Andorra. It is performed mainly during Christmas and New Year.

United Kingdom and Ireland

Many theaters in cities and towns throughout the UK and Ireland continue to stage professional pantomimes each year. Pantomime is also very popular among amateur theatrical societies throughout Great Britain and Ireland, and during the pantomime season (roughly late November to February) pantomime performances will be held in many village halls and similar venues throughout the country.

Andorra

It was first produced annually in Andorra by a group of English-speaking mothers from the British community of former patriarchs at the Theater de le Fontetes in the parish of La Massana. It is now produced by English-speaking and English-speaking international volunteers as part of the Advent celebrations with the support of the Comú de La Massana, local businesses Club International d'Andorra and the Vallnord ski station to raise money, most recently, for the less privileged. children of Andorra.

Australia

Pantomimes were once very popular in Australia at Christmas, but the genre has declined greatly since the mid-20th century. Several later professional productions did not recoup their costs.

Canada

Christmas pantomimes are performed annually at the Hudson Village Theater in Quebec City. Since 1996, Ross Petty Productions has staged pantomimes at the Elgin Theater in Toronto every Christmas season. Pantomimes imported from England were staged at the Royal Alexandra Theater in the 1980s. The White Rock Players Club in White Rock, British Columbia has presented annual pantomimes during the Christmas season since 1954. The Royal Canadian Theater Company produces pantomimes in British Columbia written by Ellie King.

Malta

The pantomime was imported for British expatriate audiences and then adapted by Maltese producers for Maltese audiences. Although pantomime began to fall out of favor in many former territories of the British Empire after independence as it was seen as a symbol of colonial rule, research has shown that the genre remains strong in Malta.

Jamaica

The Jamaica National Pantomime was founded in 1941 by educators Henry Fowler and Greta Fowler, pioneers of the Little Theater movement in Jamaica. Among the early players was Louise Bennett-Coverley. Other notable players included Oliver Samuels, Charles Hyatt, Willard White, Rita Marley and Don Penn. The annual pantomime opens on Boxing Day at the Little Theater in Kingston and is heavily influenced by aspects of Jamaican culture, folklore and history.

Switzerland

Pantomime was brought to Switzerland by British immigrants and is performed regularly in Basel, where the first British-style pantomime was performed in 1994 in a hangar at Basel Airport. In 2009, the Basel English Panto Group was formed and performs at Scala Basel every December.

United States

Styles of Lucy, Lady Duff-Gordon, used in vaudeville pantomime; sketch of Margaret Martin from St. Louis Post-Dispatch

, April 1918

Pantomime has rarely been performed in the United States, although several productions have been mounted in recent years. As a consequence, Americans generally understand the word "pantomime" to refer to the art of mime as it was practiced by, for example, Marcel Marceau and Nola Rae. However, some shows that come from the pantomime tradition, especially Peter Pan

, are performed quite frequently, and several American theater companies produce traditional British-style pantomime as well as American adaptations of the form.

According to Professor Russell A. Peck of the University of Rochester, the earliest pantomime productions in the United States were pantomime productions of Cinderella

in New York in March 1808, again in New York in August 1808, in Philadelphia in 1824 and in Baltimore in 1839.
Humpty Dumpty's
Olympic Theater in New York hosted no less than 943 performances (according to one source, 1,200 performances) between 1868 and 1873, becoming the longest-running pantomime in history.

In 1993, UCLA's Freud Theater staged a production of Cinderella

"starring Zsa Zsa Gabor. Stages Repertory Theater in Houston, Texas has been performing original pantomime-style musicals during the Christmas season since 2008. Lythgoe Family Productions has produced pantomimes every winter since 2010 in California.

Why do mimes have white faces?

– Why do mimes make up their faces? – It allows you to neutralize emotions. It came from the famous actor Marcel Marceau. It is allowed to emphasize some part of the face.

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Game Crocodile: interesting words

Simple level

  • yellow daffodils
  • diary
  • subbotnik
  • calendar
  • soap bubble
  • leopard
  • sauna
  • daily regime
  • chainsaw

As you can see, in this case the words for Crocodile are a list of simple words and phrases that we use everywhere.

Average level

  • blooming garden
  • ophthalmologist
  • cellar
  • red squirrel
  • smiling conductor
  • drama
  • publishing house
  • sad end
  • translator
  • toffee
  • cute skier
  • non-standard approach
  • guard
  • Universal Soldier
  • glamorous teacher

It is best to take difficult words for the game Crocodile in the form of lines from songs and poems, scientific books and encyclopedias.

Difficult level

  • Crocodile Competition
  • Where the maple makes noise
  • A lilac fog floats above us
  • Don't look for me, I'm Lyuli-Luli
  • Now I'm Cheburashka
  • I draw with white chalk

Of course, the Crocodile competition and the words for the game can be selected in accordance with the theme of the holiday. , Birthday, March 8th or corporate party - all this can become a topic for inventing new words.

Simple level

  • felt boots
  • The Forest Raised a Christmas Tree
  • runaway bunny
  • New Year's gift
  • snowstorm
  • March 8
  • frying pan
  • bouquet

Average level

  • cash bonus
  • I love my job
  • Father Frost
  • festive corporate party
  • Friendly team
  • pancakes with poppy seeds

Difficult level

  • good boss
  • Human Resources Department
  • strict reporting
  • unemployed programmer
  • logics
  • long-term contract
  • The snow is spinning, flying, flying
  • Once upon a time there was a dog
  • Happy Birthday to You

Very often, players like to use various complex words for Crocodile, based on the specifics of their work. It is better to leave physical and chemical terms, special expressions and meanings for a circle of colleagues, since the competition can turn from a fun game into a long and boring test.

Don't forget that words for a Crocodile are interesting and funny phrases that are not so easy to show without words, and the most difficult words for a Crocodile are not necessarily difficult to pronounce terms and concepts.

Difficult level

  • female foreman
  • little tractor driver
  • The Pursuit of Happyness
  • Oh, this wedding-wedding sang and walked
  • Fantastic
  • taekwondo
  • Anton Chekhov
  • bright rain

When writing simple words for playing Crocodile, do not forget to think about animals and plants, shades and natural phenomena.

Simple level

  • heavy rain
  • night thunderstorm
  • Lazy cat
  • big mouse
  • speaking parrot

When preparing for a party, it is best to print out phrases and words for the game Crocodile in advance. They can be used for other holidays, so it makes sense to create separate cards for such a game. In this case, put the blanks for the competition in a separate box, decorated thematically. Thus, you will have a home set for the game Crocodile, which you can replenish at any time.

Are you preparing a Crocodile competition and the words should be funny? Then you! Here we have collected funny phrases for you and your guests!

Crocodile game: tasks and words without categories

  • Swan geese
  • stylish wallet
  • huge scarf
  • radar
  • promotion
  • subscription
  • solarium
  • aristocrat
  • beautiful umbrella
  • long vacation
  • vegetables
  • sleepy captain
  • black flamingo
  • nail glitter
  • avalanche
  • cookies with chocolate
  • silver bullet
  • stupid mermaid

We hope that our article will help you play the game even more fun and active!

29Deb

Crocodile is a pantomime game. And you probably can’t imagine a better game than this game during interesting gatherings with friends. Sometimes not a single holiday with friends can do without this game. It perfectly lifts the mood of everyone around, and also develops imagination and fantasy, and is great for a large company of adults and children. If you don’t know how to play the crocodile game, now we will tell you its rules, and also recommend some interesting words for it.

What are the rules of the game of crocodile?

The rules of the crocodile game are quite simple. All participants are divided into two teams. Sometimes it happens that teams are divided separately into girls and boys, which results in quite interesting gameplay. Then one team must think of a difficult word and tell it to one person from the opposing team. He, in turn, must, with the help of gestures and facial expressions, depict the word that was given to him for his team. It is prohibited to speak or give hints to your team during the image! The team must guess the word themselves by asking questions or making their own guesses. The person depicting can only answer by shaking his head “yes” or “no” whether his team guessed the hidden word or not. If the word is guessed, then the teams change places, and a new person is always put up for the image.

There is another option on how to play the crocodile game

, in case there are few players to split into two teams. Then there are the following rules. Only one team participates. One person thinks of a word and tells it to the second player. At the same time, no one else knows the hidden word. Then the person depicting must also depict this word, and those players who do not know it must guess. The one who guesses the word takes the place of the one depicting, and the one who depicted in front of him must tell him the new word.

Interesting words for the game crocodile

The more difficult a word you come up with for your opponent, the funnier and more interesting the game will be. Imagine what your opponent will do if you think of words such as: egg cutter, colorblind, vampire, or even worse if you think of whole phrases, for example: “excited female praying mantis.” There are a great many such interesting words, and if you find it difficult to come up with them yourself, then there are sites on the Internet with a ready-made list of words for the game crocodile https://wordparty.ru/. You can use simple words to warm up and then move on to more complex ones. You can guess not only individual words, but also entire sentences, phrases from songs, sayings or proverbs, and so on..

Cheerful, noisy groups love to get together and play psychological games. The game "Crocodile" is one of such games. It itself is universal. To play, you don’t need any special equipment or premises, just a cheerful company of at least three people is enough. In addition, “Crocodile” not only improves mood but also develops non-verbal thinking. From the article on the site, you will learn about the features of such psychological games, rules and examples of words for this game.

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