Truth or dare questions that keep the game kind

What are good ground rules for truth or dare?

Agree the rules out loud before the first turn. A game where everyone knows they can say no is a game people actually relax into, and it is the host's job to protect that.

• Anyone can pass, any time, with no forfeit. A pass is not a loss, and nobody asks why.
• No filming or photos without the person's consent. What happens in the game stays in the room unless everyone in the clip agrees.
• Dares stay safe. Nothing involving heights, fire, water play near electronics, leaving the house, strangers, food someone might be allergic to, or touching another player without asking.
• No messages or posts to people outside the game. Texting a crush or posting from someone else's account is off the list.
• Truths are about you, not others. No questions that expose a friend's secret or ask players to rank people in the room.
• The host can veto or swap any prompt. If a prompt makes someone uncomfortable, it is replaced, no discussion needed.

Children in particular can find it hard to refuse something the group is cheering for. Health organisations such as Nemours KidsHealth note that having one friend who says "no" takes much of the power out of peer pressure, so model passing yourself early in the game.

Truth or dare for kids

Truths for kids

1. What is the funniest dream you can remember?
2. If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
3. What food would you never try again?
4. Who is your favourite cartoon character, and why?
5. What made you laugh the most this week?
6. What is something you are really good at?
7. What would you do if you were invisible for a day?
8. Which animal do you think you are most like?
9. What is your favourite joke?
10. What is one thing that scares you a little bit?
11. If you could rename yourself, what name would you pick?
12. What is the best present you have ever given someone?

Dares for kids

1. Hop on one foot while saying the alphabet.
2. Do your best robot dance for 20 seconds.
3. Talk like a pirate until your next turn.
4. Make the silliest face you can and hold it for 10 seconds.
5. Pretend to be a cat until someone laughs.
6. Sing a nursery rhyme in an opera voice.
7. Balance a book on your head and walk across the room.
8. Do five jumping jacks and finish with a superhero pose.
9. Say "red lorry, yellow lorry" three times fast.
10. Draw a house with your eyes closed.
11. Give every player a compliment.
12. Act out your favourite animal without making a sound.

Truth or dare for teens

Teens want prompts that feel grown-up without crossing into anything that could embarrass them later. These lean on opinions, music, school and silly performances.

Truths for teens

1. What song do you secretly love?
2. What is your most useless talent?
3. Which app do you open most, and why?
4. What is one goal you have for this year?
5. What trend did you try and regret?
6. Who in your life gives the best advice?
7. Which school subject would you drop if you could?
8. What have you done recently that you are proud of?
9. Whose life would you like to swap with for one day?
10. What is the worst haircut you have ever had?
11. Describe your dream weekend.
12. What is a fear you would like to get over?

Dares for teens

1. Do an impression of a famous cartoon character.
2. Speak only in rhymes until your next turn.
3. Narrate the next minute like a nature documentary.
4. Try to juggle three pairs of rolled-up socks.
5. Perform a 30-second stand-up comedy routine.
6. Sing the chorus of a song the group chooses.
7. Invent a secret handshake with the player on your right.
8. Say the alphabet backwards.
9. Draw a portrait of the player opposite you in one minute.
10. Do ten squats while telling a story.
11. Speak only in questions until your next turn.
12. Keep a straight face for 30 seconds while everyone tries to make you laugh.

Truth or dare for friends and adults

Clean does not mean dull. Adult groups often have the most fun with truths that pull out good stories and dares that reward a bit of performance.

Truths for friends and adults

1. What small thing always makes your day better?
2. What is the best advice you have ever ignored?
3. What is the oddest job you have ever had?
4. What skill would you love to learn this year?
5. Who here have you known longest, and how did you meet?
6. What habit have you tried hardest to break?
7. What is the most spontaneous thing you have ever done?
8. What is your go-to karaoke song?
9. What is something you were completely wrong about?
10. If you had to teach a class, what would it be about?
11. What is the kindest thing a stranger has done for you?
12. What is your most controversial food opinion?

Dares for friends and adults

1. Retell your day as a dramatic movie trailer.
2. Give a weather forecast for the room.
3. Accept a nickname chosen by the group for the rest of the game.
4. Sell an object in the room like a late-night TV advert.
5. Hum a song until someone guesses it.
6. Write a two-line poem about the host and read it aloud.
7. Commentate the next player's turn like a sports broadcaster.
8. Build the tallest tower you can from things on the table in one minute.
9. Mime your morning routine.
10. Balance a spoon on your nose for five seconds.
11. Give a 30-second speech on why your favourite snack deserves an award.
12. Teach the group a dance move in under a minute.

How do you play truth or dare with a spinner wheel?

Use the wheel to take the choosing out of each turn, which stops the same person always picking the easy option. The truth or dare wheel lands on Truth or Dare; the player then gets the next prompt from the list for their group.

• Add a free choice. Type "Player's choice" as an extra slice for a friendlier game.
• Tilt it for shy groups. Turn on weights and give Truth a weight of 2, so dares come up about one turn in three.
• Put the prompts on a wheel too. Open a second tab with the main wheel, choose Edit as text, and paste in one group's truths (or dares), one per line. Turn on "Remove the winner after each spin" so no prompt repeats. Save it with Share or embed so you can reuse it.
• Decide whose turn it is. A random name picker with the players' names keeps turns fair when the group is big.

Keep your own prompts under 60 characters so they fit on a slice, and read each new one before it goes on the wheel.

Hosting tips for a relaxed game

• Start with truths. Two or three rounds of easy truths warm the group up before anyone has to perform.
• Match the list to the youngest player. At mixed-age parties, use the kids' prompts for everyone.
• Keep dares short. Anything that takes more than a minute stalls the game.
• Swap in other games. If energy drops, switch to our would you rather questions, where nobody is ever in the spotlight alone.
• End on a high. Finish with a round where every player gives the person on their left a compliment.