HOW TO PLAY THE FISHBOWL GAME
aka Salad Bowl Game

The fishbowl game (or salad bowl game as it is also known) is a fun action filled memory game played over 3 rounds that combines the games Taboo, Charades and Password. This game is all about words or actions! It is one of our favorite, easy group games that can be played indoors or outdoors. Suitable for adults, teenagers and children, thus making it the perfect game for all ages at a family reunion, youth group gathering, camp, class outing, office or team building day. In fact, any occasion where a large group of 10–30 people are gathered, fish bowl is the game to play that will be fun for all. For extended fun, Bonus Rounds can be added, as explained at the end!

GAME OBJECTIVE:

Players from each team alternate turns, giving clues to their team to guess as many words from paper strips, against the clock. There are 3 rounds, each round continues until the fishbowl is empty, with no paper strips left. All paper strips are placed back in the bowl after each round!

Round 1: Taboo

Use only words to describe the word on the paper strip, no acting or any gestures. You may not use any part of the word or phrase on the paper strip!

Round 2: Charades

Without any words or sounds, players act and use gestures to communicate the word on the paper strip.

Round 3: Password

You can say exactly one word to describe the word on the chosen strip of paper, no more! You'll rely on your team's memory and association from previous rounds.

The team that guesses the most words across all rounds wins!

WHAT YOU NEED

To play the fishbowl game, you need a few everyday items:

•    5-10 pencils/pens
•    3 Strips of paper for every player
•    A bowl to hold the pieces of paper (fishbowl or salad bowl)
•    A timer (your phone has one)

The strips of paper must be big enough to write a few words on and fold closed just once. You need three strips of paper for each player for the game.

PREPARE THE FISHBOWL GAME

Each player will take three strips of paper and write down a word from one of the following categories on each piece of paper: a celebrity, a place, an object. Or you may choose other categories, ideas are below.

Players must guess the words or phrases, so stick to those that are well known and not too difficult, to keep the game fun. Each player then folds each of their three pieces of paper in half and places them into the fishbowl. After all the pieces of paper are in the fishbowl, someone must mix them up in the bowl.

The group of people now splits into two teams.

You can choose other fun categories for the words, like: an animal, a movie, a song, a food, a sport etc.

ROUND 1: PLAY THE TABOO ROUND

The taboo round is first. The goal of this round is to guess as many words or phrases as possible within 1 minute.

The team that starts the game selects their first player.
The player takes a piece of paper from the fishbowl, and the 1-minute timer will start as soon as they pick a piece of paper from the fishbowl.
The player will then use words to describe the word or phrase that is on the paper strip, to his team. They cannot use any other gestures - only words. They are not allowed to say any of the words written on the paper, those are the “taboo” words. For example, if the word is “Cheese” they can say “A mouse loves to eat this”. The team guess until they get the word correct and the player pick another paper from the bowl, this continues until the minute is up.
If the player thinks the word or phrase is too hard, they can “pass” and put the paper back into the fishbowl. However, a player can only do this once per round.
If the team successfully guesses the word, they get to keep the piece of paper.
If the team hits the 1-minute mark and the word has not been guessed, the paper goes back in the bowl.
After 1 minute has elapsed, the other team gets a turn. They also have 1-minute to guess as many words as possible.
Each team continues to take 1-minute turns until all the pieces of paper have been removed from the fishbowl. When the fishbowl is empty, each team counts the pieces of paper they have gathered from words guessed correctly. Each piece adds 1 point to their score. After tallying both teams scores, place all the pieces of paper back into the fishbowl, mix them up and move onto round 2.

ROUND 2: PLAY THE CHARADES ROUND

The next rounds of play continue in the same way, with each team taking their one-minute turns and gathering as many correctly guessed pieces of paper. The team that went second last time, will get to go first this round.

The main difference here is that the player with the paper cannot speak. They must use only physical gestures to communicate the word on the paper. For “Cheese” they might pretend to be holding and nibbling a piece of cheese like a mouse.

At the end of the round, the scores of the words guessed correctly are tallied up once more.

Tip: For charades ideas and gestures, visit our comprehensive Charades Pages.

ROUND 3: PLAY THE PASSWORD ROUND

The password round is played similarly, each team have 1-minute to guess as many words or phrases as possible.

The main difference is that the player reading the paper can only use one word to describe the word or phrase. So, if the word is “Cheese” this time they may use a single word like “Mouse” to describe it. The team needs to remember the words that were mentioned in the first round and use the “password” as a hint.

The teams continue to alternate with a 1-minute round each until the bowl is empty, again the pieces of paper guessed correctly are tallied and placed back into the fishbowl.

BONUS ROUNDS FOR THE FISHBOWL GAME

Not ready to end the fun and games yet, or have two teams leading with the same number of points? Then continue this super fun games challenge with the bonus rounds shared by our readers.

BONUS ROUND 1: SPOOKED

Play the scary ghost version! All the papers back in the bowl. Play the charades version again, but this time place a bedsheet over the players with the pieces of paper. The team will then have to guess the word while the player makes only movements beneath the sheet, no words. It is very funny and super challenging at the same time.

BONUS ROUND 2: STATUES

All the papers back in the bowl … ready to roll? No words, just strike ONE pose like a statue to convey your message on the paper.

Continue this round, giving each team their minute and tallying correct answers once all the papers are finished.

BONUS ROUND 3: SOUND ENGINEER

All the papers back in the fishbowl. Use only sound effects to get your team to guess the words – no words or actions allowed, only sounds. You can also add the bedsheet again, which makes it super fun because no actions can be seen, you can only hear the noises.

We hope you enjoyed reading "How to play the Fishbowl Game" and give it your best shot!

For more fun games, sign up for our monthly newsletter or follow us on social media!

FUN PRODUCTS

Our recommendations make it easy to find the perfect fun products. There are more than 30 categories. Click on any image below to view.

* As an Amazon Associate, we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you, on qualifying products.

SOCIAL FUN

RANDOM FUN

WE'D LOVE TO STAY IN TOUCH

Want to know what we create next? Sign up for our monthly newsletter! Get to the fun first!

Hope you enjoy the fishbowl game! For more fun games and party games sign up for our newsletter to be notified of new games or come join us on social media where we post it all first!

BACK TO: HOME PAGE