100 Fun Telephone Game Phrases for Young Kids

Need some funny Telephone phrases to play this awesome game with your kids? Here are lots of ideas to get you started.

Another name for the Telephone Game is “Broken Telephone,” but it can also be called “Whispers” or “Pass the Message.” It’s a popular game that’s been around for ages. 

It’s the perfect carpet game – and dinner table game – and is wonderful for developing listening skills.

If you’re playing with young kids, especially preschoolers, it’s important to use words or phrases that are simple to understand and age-appropriate, or the game won’t be fun.

Here are 100 Telephone game short phrases and words so you won’t run out of ideas to make this game super fun.

How Do You Play the Telephone Game?

This game can be played with a small or large group of children and you don’t need any props, except some imagination.

How do you play Telephone?  

• Seat children in a circle (or in a line if you prefer).
• Whisper a phrase into the first child’s ear.
• That child must whisper the message into the next child’s ear, who whispers it to the next child, and so it continues until the message has been passed around the circle.
• The last person in the circle calls out the message and then the first person confirms if the message is correct or if it has been “broken.” 

If playing with young children, the adult should start the round by choosing and whispering a phrase to the first child. 

Older children are more mature and able to think of suitable and even funny telephone game phrases.

What is the purpose of the Telephone game? The purpose is to pass a message around the circle and keep it intact. 

In other words, children must listen carefully to decipher the message and also pass it along clearly so that the next child hears it.

What does the telephone game teach us?

This game teaches kids good speaking and listening skills, but can also be used to practise skills like rhyming, phonological awareness, taking turns, memory and cooperation. It builds vocabulary too.

What is a Good Phrase for the Telphone Game?

The best Broken Telephone game phrases for young kids are short alliterations, tongue twisters, rhymes, funny statements or even nonsense phrases.

They should be suited to the age of the kids who are playing, so don’t make them too long or complicated to be remembered.

100 Telephone Game Phrases for Young Kids

Here are some fun ‘pass the message’ game sentences. Use them as they are or let them inspire you to make up your own.

What’s great about these ideas is you can use the game to teach kids about alliterations, rhyming words and generally build their auditory perception as you play with sounds and funny words.

You can use any phrase, really. When the kids get used to playing, get them to help you by making up the Telephone phrases themselves.

Alliterations

Try these sets of words that begin with the same sounds:

• Pretty pink Petunias
• The shark has shiny shoes
• Clever cats can count
• Find four funny fish
• Seven silly seals are sailing
• Blue bubbles in the bath
• Mom has many magazines
• Silly sisters sing songs
• Alice ate apples
• Dozens of diving dolphins

Super Short Sentences

Use very short, descriptive broken telephone phrases with young preschoolers who aren’t yet familiar with the game and are still developing their listening abilities.

Or, simply use the names of the kids in the group and they will love it.

Anything will do – familiar characters or songs, descriptive words, common phrases, etc.

• Cheeky monkeys
• Naughty kids
• Topsy turvy
• Yellow ducks
• Jungle gym
• Simon says
• Humpty Dumpty
• Fairy godmother
• Ready, set, go!
• It’s raining, it’s pouring 

Words That Go Together

You can also give pairs of words that are usually found together:

• Peanut butter and jelly
• Salt and pepper
• Shoes and socks
• Hugs and kisses
• Nuts and bolts
• Bread and butter
• Macaroni and cheese
• Bacon and eggs
• Fish and chips
• King and queen

Rhymes

Here are some Telephone game ideas using simple rhymes:

• Can you bat a cat?
• My bird is absurd.
• Where is the square?
• My pig has a big wig.
• Don’t fall over the ball.
• Why does your owl growl?
• The cap is on my lap.
• I wish I had a dish.
• Can you drink nine glasses of wine?
• The king can sing.

Funny Phrases

Funny, nonsensical phrases make great Telephone game sentences:

• I’m wearing green underwear.
• My mom is a dinosaur.
• Don’t worry, be silly.
• Elephants have six toes.
• Pass me the potatoes.
• Will you dance with my pet tiger?
• My favourite food is roasted slugs.
• Swimming in spaghetti is fun.
• I’m sending a silly message.
• If you kiss me I’ll turn into a frog.  

Tongue Twisters

These fun tongue twisters from Flintobox will have the kids in stitches, as they stumble over their words. 

• Red lorry, yellow lorry
• She sells sea shells on the seashore
• Sheep should sleep in a shed
• She sees cheese.
• Zebras zig and zebras zag
• The blue bluebird blinks 
• Four fine fresh fish for you
• He threw three balls
• Greek grapes, Greek grapes, Greek grapes
• Cooks cook cupcakes quickly

Funny Words

Use these words that sound funny to say. After each round, teach your kids what these funny words mean.

• Gobbledygook
• Flabbergasted
• Hodgepodge
• Wishy-washy
• Namby-pamby
• Mollycoddle
• Gibberish
• Hullabaloo
• Hogwash
• Stumblebum

Long Words

Try some rounds with words that are a little longer than usual. Don’t forget to also use Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!

• Alphabetical 
• Extraterrestrial 
• Electrifying 
• Enthusiastically 
• Autobiography 
• Subterranean 
• Encyclopedia 
• Momentarily 
• Hypochondriac 
• Capitalization

Can you think of any other phrases for the Telephone game? Make them up as you go along or change the ones I’ve listed here.