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Back Drawing Telephone

Back Drawing Telephone

Min number of participants 2
Age 6+ yrs.
Safety support by adult Not required
Min duration 15 min.
Cost None (Free)
Environment Indoor / Outdoor

Line up single file and copy a simple drawing you feel traced on your back onto a sheet held against the back of the person in front of you — a hilarious game of visual telephone that gets funnier with every extra player.

The Essentials

How to play

  1. Line everyone up single file, each holding a blank sheet of paper against their own back (or having it held there by the person behind them).
  2. The first person in line draws a simple picture (a house, a cat, a smiley face) on the paper held against the back of the person in front of them, using only the pressure and motion of the marker — no talking or peeking.
  3. That person feels the strokes on their back and tries to reproduce the same drawing on the paper held against the back of the next person in line.
  4. Repeat down the whole line. If there are only two players, the second person draws their interpretation on their own sheet taped to a wall or propped on a table instead of a third person's back.
  5. At the end, everyone reveals their drawing in order, from the original to the last one, to see how the picture changed along the way.

Tips

  • Keep the first drawing simple — a few clear shapes translate through touch far better than fine detail.
  • No talking or asking questions during the round; guessing purely by feel is what makes the results so unpredictable.
  • The more people in line, the more the drawing warps by the end, so it's especially fun with a big group.
  • A great team-building icebreaker: run several rounds with different starting drawers, then vote on the funniest transformation.
  • Test your marker on a scrap of the same paper first to make sure it doesn't bleed through and stain the clothing underneath — a fine-tip marker or ballpoint pen works better than a thick, juicy one.

What You Need

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