Who Am I?

About Who Am I?

One player is the secret card. They hold the phone so only they can see it (an elephant, a pizza, a helicopter), then pretend to be it and give clues without saying the word: "I live in the sea", "I go beep beep", or just act it out. Everyone else guesses. Got it? Tap Got it. Too hard? Pass. The picture decks need no reading at all, so a four-year-old can play with grandparents, and a word deck of jobs, actions and places is there for readers. Play as a team to charge Pibbit's battery together, or count stars each. Two to six players on one phone.

Who Am I? is one of our free words & letters games for kids — play it right here in your browser, or browse all our free online games.

How to Play

• Pick who's playing and which cards to use.
• The player whose turn it is holds the phone so only they can see the card.
• They pretend to be the picture and give "I" clues without saying its name. Everyone else guesses.
• Tap Got it when someone guesses, or Pass to skip. After five cards (or one minute), look back at them and pass the phone on.

Tips & Tricks

• The little prompts on each card (move like me, where do I live?) help younger players get started.
• Play Together mode with mixed ages, so nobody comes last.
• Choose 5 cards per turn for little ones; the one-minute timer is for older kids and adults.

What Kids Learn

The skill being practised is mostly on the side of the child holding the card. To get everyone to guess "elephant" without saying it, they have to pull out what they know about it: the trumpet noise, the trunk, the size, where it lives. Speech therapists use describing games like this for exactly that reason. Each card shows three small prompts, such as move like me or where do I live, so a young child knows how to start.

The guessers practise listening and narrowing things down: it's an animal, it's big, it's grey. The picture decks mean nobody needs to read, so the youngest player can be the secret card for a table of adults, which children love.

• Describing things: sounds, colours, what they do and where they live
• Vocabulary and sorting things into groups
• Taking turns and playing together

Curriculum links

For teachers and homeschooling parents, here is where Who Am I? lines up with what children are taught at school:

• Common Core SL.K.4: Describe familiar people, places, things and events

What Age Is Who Am I? For?

Works from about four, with a grown-up running the setup screen, up to adults. Under-sixes do best with the picture decks, five cards a turn and Together mode; readers from seven can add the word cards and the one-minute timer.

Tips for Parents

When your child holds the card, wait a moment before helping. Ask "what sound do you make?" rather than giving a clue yourself.

If a card is too hard, pass it without fuss. The review screen at the end of a turn shows every card, so you can talk about it then.

For the youngest, sit beside them so you can whisper a prompt if they get stuck.

Try It Without a Screen

• Play with sticky notes: write or draw a thing, stick it on someone's forehead, and they ask yes-or-no questions.
• Twenty questions in the car: "Is it an animal? Is it bigger than a dog?"
• Describe something in the room without naming it and let your child find it.

Who Am I? — Frequently Asked Questions