Card Ideas for Taboo game

Designs: Front and back cards with my website link at the bottom of each card as well as
similar design to my branding.
Here is an example, but images to explain the word could be great too.

Ideas:

Taboo is a classic word guessing game where players try to guess a target word while avoiding
certain "taboo" words or phrases. Here are some card ideas suitable for ESL learners at the B1
level:

Shopping
Taboo Words: Buy, store, mall, clothes, purchase

Travel
Taboo Words: Vacation, airplane, suitcase, destination, journey

Cooking
Taboo Words: Chef, kitchen, recipe, food, restaurant

Education
Taboo Words: School, teacher, student, learn, knowledge

Health
Taboo Words: Doctor, hospital, medicine, illness, wellness
Technology
Taboo Words: Computer, internet, smartphone, gadget, software

Environment
Taboo Words: Nature, pollution, recycling, ecosystem, climate

Holidays
Taboo Words: Vacation, celebration, festive, family, tradition

Work
Taboo Words: Job, employment, career, office, profession

Family
Taboo Words: Parents, siblings, relatives, home, love

Food
Taboo Words: Eat, meal, restaurant, taste, cuisine

Sports
Taboo Words: Athlete, competition, game, stadium, exercise

Music
Taboo Words: Song, artist, melody, instrument, concert

Transportation
Taboo Words: Vehicle, commute, travel, driver, traffic

Movies
Taboo Words: Film, actor, theatre, genre, director

Friendship
Taboo Words: Friend, bond, relationship, camaraderie, social

Emotions
Taboo Words: Feeling, sentiment, mood, reaction, expression

Nature
Taboo Words: Trees, animals, outdoors, environment, greenery

Travel
Taboo Words: Journey, explore, adventure, wander, destination

Home
Taboo Words: House, residence, living, place, dwell

Communication
Taboo Words: Talk, speak, language, conversation, message

Science
Taboo Words: Experiment, discovery, laboratory, research, innovation

Shopping
Taboo Words: Buy, store, mall, purchase, consumer

Weather
Taboo Words: Sunny, rainy, forecast, temperature, climate

Health
Taboo Words: Doctor, medicine, hospital, wellness, illness

Animals
Taboo Words: Pets, wildlife, creatures, zoology, species

Books
Taboo Words: Read, literature, author, novel, library

School
Taboo Words: Teacher, student, education, classroom, learning
Technology
Taboo Words: Smartphone, software, computer, internet, gadget

Entertainment
Taboo Words: Movies, music, games, amusement, show

Nature
Taboo Words: Forest, wilderness, outdoors, environment, natural

Time
Taboo Words: Clock, past, future, present, history

Adventure
Taboo Words: Excitement, exploration, journey, challenge, quest

Art
Taboo Words: Paint, sculpture, creative, masterpiece, artist

Clown
Taboo Words: Circus, laughter, red nose, balloon, performer

Penguin
Taboo Words: Tuxedo, waddle, Antarctica, flightless, bird

Banana
Taboo Words: Monkey, peel, yellow, potassium, fruit

Taco
Taboo Words: Delicious, Mexican, tortilla, filling, spicy

Rainbow
Taboo Words: Colours, sky, after rain, leprechaun, pot of gold
Socks
Taboo Words: Feet, shoes, warm, laundry, mismatched

Lawnmower
Taboo Words: Grass, noisy, yard work, gasoline, cutting

Pirate
Taboo Words: Treasure, parrot, ship, eyepatch, peg leg

Bumblebee
Taboo Words: Pollinate, buzzing, flower, honey, stinger

Bubble Wrap
Taboo Words: Popping, packaging, stress relief, plastic, protective

Giraffe
Taboo Words: Long neck, safari, spots, tall, zoo

Pizza
Taboo Words: Cheesy, delivery, pepperoni, crust, delicious

Ninja
Taboo Words: Stealth, martial arts, throwing stars, mask, silent

Alien
Taboo Words: UFO, space, green, abduction, extra-terrestrial

Pancake
Taboo Words: Syrup, breakfast, fluffy, butter, round

Unicorn
Taboo Words: Mythical, horn, magical, fairy tale, horse
Banana Peel
Taboo Words: Slip, comedy, yellow, accident, slippery

Robot
Taboo Words: Mechanical, automation, futuristic, artificial, technology

Squid
Taboo Words: Tentacles, ink, sea creature, underwater, sushi

Monkey
Taboo Words: Jungle, bananas, swinging, chattering, tail

Pie
Taboo Words: Dessert, crust, filling, sweet, Thanksgiving

Dinosaur
Taboo Words: Extinct, roar, fossils, prehistoric, reptile

Moustache
Taboo Words: Facial hair, grooming, whiskers, beard

Jellyfish
Taboo Words: Tentacles, sting, ocean, translucent, aquatic

Superhero
Taboo Words: Powers, costume, justice, villain, comic

Bubblegum
Taboo Words: Chewing, pink, sticky, blowing, candy

Vampire
Taboo Words: Fangs, immortal, blood, garlic, undead
Zombie
Taboo Words: Undead, walking dead, brain, apocalypse, horror

Squirrel
Taboo Words: Nuts, tree, bushy tail, furry, foraging

Bacon
Taboo Words: Sizzle, breakfast, crispy, pork, delicious

Kangaroo
Taboo Words: Pouch, hopping, marsupial, Australia, joey

Pizza Delivery
Taboo Words: Pepperoni, cheesy, fast food, order, late

Dragon
Taboo Words: Fire-breathing, mythical, scales, treasure, wings

Sloth
Taboo Words: Slow, tree, lazy, tropical, three-toed

Jellybeans
Taboo Words: Candy, colourful, sweet, Easter, sugary

Robot Dance
Taboo Words: Mechanical, moves, futuristic, dancing, AI

Target Word: UFO

Taboo Words: Unidentified, flying, mysterious, extraterrestrial, phenomenon

These target words offer a variety of topics for ESL learners to explore and express using
descriptive language, while avoiding the related taboo words, making the game engaging and
educational.
How to Play:

1. Divide the players into two teams.

2. Each team takes turns. One player from the team becomes the "clue-giver," and the rest of
the team tries to guess the target word.

3. The clue-giver draws a card and must make their team guess the target word written on the
card within a time limit (e.g., one minute).

4. The challenge is that the clue-giver cannot use the taboo words or any form of those words in
their clues. They can use gestures, synonyms, and other descriptive language to get their team
to guess the word.

5. If the team guesses the word correctly, they earn a point.

6. If the team mentions a taboo word, the opposing team can "buzz" them and steal the point for
themselves.

7. Play alternates between the teams, and the game continues until all the cards are used or
until a set time limit is reached.

Benefits in an ESL Classroom:

1. Vocabulary Expansion: Taboo is an excellent way for ESL learners to build their vocabulary.
It encourages them to explore synonyms and descriptive language to express their ideas.

2. Communication Skills: The game promotes effective communication as players need to

explain a word without using the most obvious terms. It's especially beneficial for practicing
circumlocution, a useful skill in language learning.

3. Critical Thinking: Players have to think quickly to come up with creative ways to describe
words, enhancing their critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
4. Active Participation: It fosters active participation, engagement, and collaboration among ESL
learners, as they work together to guess and explain words.