Players: 4 or more
Location: Indoors
Equipment: A book, story, article, or any text to read aloud
Trades Game is a humorous word game in which ordinary stories are transformed into absurd and unexpected tales.
How to Play
One player becomes the Reader. Every other player chooses a trade, profession, hobby, or business and keeps it secret throughout the game.
Examples include:
- Baker
- Carpenter
- Doctor
- Mechanic
- Florist
- Chef
- Farmer
- Artist
The Reader opens a book or text and begins reading aloud. Whenever they reach a noun (a person, place, thing, or object), they pause and point to one of the players.
The selected player must immediately replace the missing noun with something connected to their chosen trade. This could be:
- An item they sell
- A tool they use
- A product they create
- Equipment related to their profession
Example
Imagine the Reader begins with:
“The king entered the palace carrying a magnificent ______.”
If the chosen player is a baker, they might say:
“Chocolate cake.”
The story continues:
“The king entered the palace carrying a magnificent chocolate cake.”
Later, if a mechanic is chosen, they might replace another noun with:
“Spark plug.”
The result becomes increasingly ridiculous as unrelated objects are inserted into the story.
Modern Variations
Players can choose contemporary professions such as:
- Software developer
- Photographer
- YouTuber
- Game designer
- Veterinarian
- Pilot
- Athlete
For younger children, occupations can be replaced with themes such as:
- Animals
- Foods
- Superheroes
- Movie characters
- Sports
Scoring Options
The game can be played simply for laughs, or players can earn points for:
- The funniest substitution
- The quickest response
- The most creative answer
Why It’s Fun
The humor comes from hearing serious or dramatic stories suddenly filled with completely inappropriate objects. A simple adventure story can quickly become a tale involving pizza boxes, skateboards, toothbrushes, drones, and garden hoses, creating hilarious combinations that no one could predict.
Trades Game is easy to organize, requires very little preparation, and works well for classrooms, family gatherings, and parties.
Trades Game – Humorous Word Game Printable
You must be logged in to post a comment.