One rainy Yorkshire afternoon, I told my kids we were going to play Pictionary. They cheered. Then I added, “But only with visual puns.” They booed for exactly three seconds, right up until someone drew a stick figure holding a giant “pear” phone and yelled, “IT’S A PEAR-SON CALL!”

That is the whole vibe of this party game: quick DIY mini whiteboards, fast drawings, and jokes you can see. No fancy kit required. Just a bit of crafty scavenging and a willingness to draw truly questionable bananas.

Three children sitting at a kitchen table holding small homemade dry-erase boards and laughing during a drawing game

What is Visual Pun Pictionary?

It’s Pictionary, but the prompts are puns, wordplay, and silly phrases that work best when you draw them literally. The guess is the punchline.

  • Example: “Bear-y funny” could be a bear telling jokes into a microphone.
  • Example: “Time flies” could be a clock with wings.
  • Example: “Taco bout it” could be a taco giving a serious speech.

It lands especially well at parties because kids can jump in instantly, and even the “bad” drawings are hilarious. Sometimes especially the bad drawings.

DIY mini dry-erase boards

You can go as simple or as “I own a glue gun and I am not afraid to use it” as you like.

Option A: Quick board

Best for: lots of players, minimal mess, fastest prep.

  • Card or cereal box pieces (roughly A5 to A4)
  • Paper to cover the front (white is easiest)
  • Clear packing tape (wide) or a laminating pouch if you have one
  • Dry-erase markers
  1. Cut your base: A5 size is ideal for small hands, but anything from about A5 to A4 works. If you want the silly version, aim for “dinner-plate-ish.”
  2. Cover the front: Glue a piece of plain white paper on the front. Trim edges.
  3. Make it wipeable: Lay strips of clear packing tape across the whole front, slightly overlapping. Smooth out bubbles with a ruler.
  4. Optional: Tape the edges around the back to protect corners.

Eraser tip: A folded tissue works, but old socks are legendary for this job.

Worth knowing: Dry-erase on tape is usually fine, but results vary by tape finish. Super textured tape can smear or “ghost” a bit, so test one board before you do ten.

Option B: Sturdy board

Best for: reusing forever, less smudging, quick clean-up.

  • Plastic A4 sheet protectors (the kind for ring binders)
  • Cardboard or thick card cut to fit inside
  • Scissors and tape
  1. Cut cardboard slightly smaller than the sheet protector.
  2. Slide it in so the front becomes your “whiteboard.”
  3. Tape the open edge if you want it to feel more like a proper board.

This version is great because you can swap the card inside (plain white, coloured, even patterned for extra chaos).

Option C: Fancy board

Best for: a smaller group where you want something that feels special.

  • Picture frames (inexpensive ones are fine)
  • Leave out the paper, keep the clear plastic front
  • Insert plain white paper behind the plastic

This is basically instant mini whiteboard magic. Also, kids love anything that looks like a “real” prop.

A child using clear packing tape over a white paper-covered piece of cardboard to create a homemade dry-erase board at a table

Markers and erasers

Best marker choices

  • Dry-erase markers are ideal. Thicker tips are easier for little artists.
  • Low-odour markers are kinder for indoor parties.

Eraser ideas

  • Old socks (clean ones, please, I am begging you)
  • Felt scraps
  • Microfibre cloth squares
  • Kitchen roll in a pinch

Quick cleaning plan

First line of defence is boring but effective: a dry wipe, then warm soapy water on a cloth at the end.

If you get stubborn marker marks, try scribbling over the stain with a dry-erase marker and wiping straight away. It sounds like nonsense, but it often lifts the old ink.

Alcohol-based hand sanitiser can help on some surfaces, but it can also cloud certain plastics or weaken packing tape adhesive. If you try it, use a tiny dab on a cloth and test a corner first.

How to play

This version is built for parties: fast rounds, lots of turns, and enough shouting to power a small wind farm.

Setup

  • 1 mini dry-erase board per player or per team
  • 1 marker per board
  • A stack of pun prompts (written on slips of paper)
  • A timer (phone timer is fine)

Rules

  1. Split into teams (best for 6+ kids) or play all together taking turns.
  2. Pick a drawer. Give them a prompt secretly (whisper it if they cannot read yet).
  3. Set a timer for 60 seconds (45 for older kids, 90 for younger kids).
  4. The drawer can only draw. No letters, no numbers, no pointing at objects in the room like a courtroom lawyer.
  5. If someone guesses correctly, their team (or that player, in solo play) gets the point and the next drawer goes.
  6. If nobody guesses in time, reveal the answer, everybody groans dramatically, and you move on. No point. The real prize is the terrible drawing you now have to explain.

Scoring options

  • No score: Best for mixed ages. Just play until everyone has had 2 turns.
  • Classic points: 1 point per correct guess.
  • Bonus giggle point: If the drawing makes the other team laugh hard enough to snort, that is clearly worth 1 extra point (this rule is legally binding in my house).

Indoor survival tip

If you are playing on a nice table, put down an old tablecloth, a flattened cardboard box, or a few sheets of newspaper. It takes 10 seconds and saves you from the post-party detective work.

Pun prompt ideas

These are designed to be drawable and safe for mixed ages. You can read them out, or write them on slips for kids to pick from.

Easy (ages 5 to 7)

Small note: Some 5 year olds will smash these, and some will prefer a whisper prompt and a bit of drawing help. Both are normal.

  • Time flies
  • Cool cat
  • Copy cat
  • Bookworm
  • Party animal
  • Scaredy cat
  • Busy bee
  • Fish bowl (literal fish in a bowl)
  • Snowman (a man made of snow)
  • Jellyfish (fish made of jelly)

Medium (ages 7 to 10)

  • Bear-y funny
  • Hippo-crite (a hippo judging someone)
  • Tea-rific (a teacup wearing a trophy)
  • Nacho problem
  • It is a piece of cake
  • Shell yeah
  • Piggy bank (pig with coins)
  • In a pickle
  • Cloud nine
  • Bee-lieve it or not

Tricky (ages 10+)

  • Egg-cellent idea
  • On thin ice
  • Under the weather
  • The write stuff (a pencil doing sports)
  • Whale of a tale
  • Running late (a clock sprinting)
  • Spilling the beans
  • Brainstorm (a brain with storm clouds)
  • Over the moon
  • Fur real (an animal holding a “real” sign)

Tip: If a prompt is too hard to “see,” swap it. Visual puns should feel like a little lightbulb, not a homework assignment.

Prompt slips fast

My quickest system is: grab a sheet of paper, draw a grid, write one prompt in each box, then slice it up. Dump the slips in a mug or jar and you are done.

If you want fewer stalled rounds, pre-sort your slips into three piles (easy, medium, tricky) and let kids choose their bravery level.

Two twists

1) Everyone draws

Pick one guesser. Everyone else draws the same prompt at the same time. Then show the boards together. The guesser gets one guess.

This is brilliant for parties because:

  • no one is waiting around
  • you get a hilarious variety of interpretations
  • it feels like a mini reveal moment

2) Relay puns

Teams line up. First person draws for 20 seconds, then hands the board to the next person to continue the same drawing for 20 seconds, and so on. Final person presents the masterpiece.

Warning: this creates drawings that look like they were designed by a committee of squirrels. It is perfect.

A group of children around a dining table taking turns drawing on small dry-erase boards during a party game

Make it party-ready

  • Board basket: Put all boards and markers in a washing-up bowl or picnic basket so the game can start instantly.
  • Team colours: One team uses blue markers, the other uses black.
  • Wipe station: One cloth per table corner. If you only have one cloth, it becomes a coveted magical artefact.
  • Prompt jar: Toss prompt slips into a cup. Kids love the pick-a-challenge moment.

If you want another silly, low-prep party activity to run alongside it, my funny photo booth props are a great between-rounds giggle break.

Safety and sanity

  • Test your surface: Tape boards vary, plastic covers vary, and children vary wildly. Try one board first and see how it wipes.
  • Cap control: Assign one child as the Official Cap Checker if markers keep drying out. Give them a ridiculous title. They will take it seriously.
  • Quiet roles count: Not every kid loves performing. Offer jobs like Prompt Picker, Timer Boss, or Score Keeper.
  • Little siblings: Give toddlers a spare board to scribble on with a chunky marker, and let them “guess” too.

FAQ

What can I use if I do not have dry-erase markers?

Washable markers can work on plastic sheet protectors, but they may smudge and stain more easily. If that is your only option, keep a slightly damp cloth nearby and expect a little more clean-up.

How big should the mini boards be?

A5 (about half an A4 sheet) is the sweet spot. Big enough to draw a clear pun, small enough for kids to hold up dramatically like they are on a game show.

How many prompts do I need for a party?

For 8 to 12 kids, I aim for 30 to 50 prompts. You will not use them all, but having extras prevents repeats and keeps the energy up.

Can this be played without teams?

Absolutely. Sit in a circle, take turns drawing, and let everyone guess. If you want a gentle structure, the person who guesses correctly becomes the next drawer.

What if kids cannot read the prompts?

Easy fix: an adult or older child whispers the prompt to the drawer. Or stick to super literal prompts like “cool cat” and “bookworm” that you can say out loud.

More party games

If your house is already covered in tape and ambition, you might also like:

Now go forth and create some visual puns. And remember: if the drawing is confusing, just add googly eyes. This advice has never failed me, not once. (Okay, maybe once. But it was still funny.)