Hangman Game

Guess the word

Supply List:

  • Template and pen
  • Or, Whiteboard and marker

Directions for Caregivers:

Print the template, explain the exercise, and play the game. You can take turns being the player that thinks of the word.

Print, and hand out the template or use the whiteboard, explain the activity. If the participants find it difficult, give them the first letter of the word and give verbal clues as to what the word might be.
If you don’t want anyone to lose the game, keep adding body parts or give the man clothes until the word is guessed correctly.

Early-stage memory care/dementia or as a group activity.

Print and hand out the template or use the whiteboard, explain the activity. If the participants find it difficult, give them the first letter of the word and give verbal clues as to what the word might be.
If you don’t want anyone to lose the game, keep adding body parts or give the man clothes until the word is guessed correctly.

About this Activity

One of the Most Common Whiteboard Games is "The Hangman."

It is a guessing game and can be played with a group or two individuals. It can also be played as a tabletop game.

How to Play the Game

One player thinks of a word, a phrase, or a sentence, and the other(s) has to guess what it is. The words must be proper words, not names of people or places (unless you specify, for example, that the word is a capital city in the US), slang, or rude words.

It makes it easier if you have a theme; for example, decide that the word is a flower, a wild animal, or food.

Player 1 will draw the basic shape without the man and a number of short lines underneath that correspond to the number of letters in the word.

hangman game hangman game

If player 2 (3, 4….in turn) guesses a correct letter, player 1 puts it in its correct position in the line. If player 2 guesses an incorrect letter, a body part is added to the hanged man. The letter is also written below the word and crossed out to show that it has been used. And is a reminder of the letters that have been guessed.

If you like, you can write the whole alphabet under your hangman to make it easier for the participants to think of a letter and then cross them out as they are used.

If the participant(s) guesses the word before the hangman is finished, they win. They lose if the hangman has all his body parts before they get the answer.

You might find that people object to the image of the hanged man. If so, make up your own image with a set number of parts. You could draw a vase with ten flowers that need stems added. When all the stems are added, the game is over. Or a stick Christmas tree that can have decorations added to the ends of the branches.

This is an excellent game for engaging the brain!

Download basic Hangman template here.

Find more Word games and Quizzes here.