Skip to main content
Telephone: a sticker of a pair of tin-can telephones joined by a taut string

How to Play the Telephone Game

Whisper a sentence down the line, then hear how much it changed by the end.

  • A line or circle
  • 5 min
  • Nothing to prepare
  • Kindergarten to 5th grade
  • Quiet
One page with all five steps

How to Play

5 steps
  1. Telephone, step 1: Line up

    Line up

    Stand in a line or sit in a circle.

  2. Telephone, step 2: Whisper once

    Whisper once

    The first player whispers a sentence to the next, only once.

  3. Telephone, step 3: Pass it on

    Pass it on

    Each player whispers what they heard to the next.

  4. Telephone, step 4: Say it out loud

    Say it out loud

    The last player says the sentence to everyone.

  5. Telephone, step 5: Compare

    Compare

    The first player says the original. Laugh at the difference.

Ways to Change It Up

  • Picture TelephonePlayers take turns drawing and describing on a folded sheet.
  • Vocabulary TelephonePass a definition and see if the word survives.

What You Need

No tools needed: Telephone takes nothing but the class.

More Icebreaker Games

All Icebreaker Games

Telephone Questions

Plan the Game into the Week

Drop a game into any lesson plan in EMStudio, with the rules attached. Free to start.

Get Started for Free
Checked by a teacher