Halloween Guess the Monster Sound Game Printable: 20 Sound Cards
Listen Close, Because the Monsters Are Loud
Guess the monster sound is a listening game with a performance twist. One player picks a sound card and has to make that sound, without words, while their team guesses which monster or spooky thing it is. A creaking door, a wolf’s howl, a witch’s cackle: everyone thinks they know these sounds until they have to perform one in front of a room full of people.
This page gives you twenty sound cards written out, the team rules, and an answer sheet. Print this page, cut the cards apart, and start listening.
What You Need
The twenty sound cards below, printed or copied onto cards
A bag, basket, or hat to draw cards from
A timer or phone timer
An answer sheet per team and a pencil
Optional: a phone or speaker for playing real sound effects in the bonus round
Optional: a small prize for the winning team
How to Play
Split into two teams. One player from Team A draws a card, reads it silently, and has 30 seconds to perform the sound, using only sounds and gestures, no words and no spelling things out in the air. Team A guesses out loud. A correct guess earns 1 point. If Team A fails, Team B gets one guess for a bonus point. Then a player from Team B draws, and play alternates until all twenty cards are used or the timer you set runs out.
Performers may use their hands, feet, and body for sound effects, like stomping for a giant or tapping for a creaking floor, but they may not say the answer, rhyme it, or mouth it. The judge, who should not play, decides close calls.
20 Monster Sound Cards
Cut these apart and mix them in the bag. The answer is in bold after each number.
1. A wolf howling at a full moon. Wolf
2. A witch cackling over a cauldron. Witch
3. A ghost going “woooo” down a hallway. Ghost
4. A vampire hissing and flapping a cape. Vampire
5. A zombie groaning and dragging its feet. Zombie
6. A skeleton’s bones rattling as it walks. Skeleton
7. A black cat hissing with its back arched. Black cat
8. A bat squeaking as it flies past. Bat
9. A haunted house door creaking open slowly. Creaking door
10. Thunder rumbling during a storm. Thunder
11. A werewolf growling before it transforms. Werewolf
12. A mummy shuffling with bandages rustling. Mummy
13. A spider dropping silently, then skittering. Spider
14. A jack-o’-lantern candle flickering and sputtering. Candle
15. Frankenstein’s monster groaning as it wakes up. Frankenstein’s monster
16. A cauldron bubbling and popping. Cauldron
17. A crow cawing from a dead tree. Crow
18. Chains rattling in a dungeon. Chains
19. A werewolf pup whimpering, then howling. Werewolf pup
20. A trick-or-treater knocking three times on a door. Knocking
Answer Sheet
Copy this sheet per team.
Team name: ____________________
Round 1: ______ Round 2: ______ Round 3: ______ Round 4: ______ Round 5: ______
Round 6: ______ Round 7: ______ Round 8: ______ Round 9: ______ Round 10: ______
Bonus points: ______ Total: ______
Write the guessed answer in each round box, and let the judge mark it right or wrong.
Variations for Every Age
For young children, use only cards 1 to 10, and let them make the sound together as a group instead of alone. For tweens, add a rule: the performer must stay in character, so a zombie must also walk like a zombie. For teens and adults, play the bonus round with real sound effects from a phone, played for three seconds only, with no performance at all. For classrooms, turn it into a vocabulary game: after each answer, the class names one describing word for that monster, like “creaky” or “growly,” and writes it on the board.
Running the Game as a Classroom Listening Lesson
Teachers can run this game as a listening lesson without changing a single card. Before playing, read the class a list of describing words, such as creaky, growly, squeaky, rattly, and bubbly, and ask students to match each word to a monster. During the game, after every correct guess, the class calls out the describing word for that sound, and the teacher writes it on the board. By the end of twenty rounds, the board holds a full vocabulary list that students built themselves while playing, which is a far better lesson than a worksheet. For homework, students can invent one new sound card of their own, draw the monster, and bring it to class the next day. The best new cards join the deck permanently, which gives students a real reason to think carefully about sound and description.
Tips for a Great Round
Shy performers go first in a practice round that does not count, because the second performance is always braver than the first. Keep rounds fast; a sound game dies when one turn drags past a minute. If a card is too hard, the performer may pass once per game, and the card goes back in the bag. And record one round on video, with permission, because a room full of adults howling like wolves is a memory worth keeping.
Want the Full Premium Bundle?
This free printable game is ready to play as written. If you want matching printable party bundles with more games, signs, and scorecards in one coordinated set, visit our Etsy shop at Fukroo on Etsy for the full premium printable bundles.
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