Archimedes the inventorzeyoaa skypig company

Caption It

Write it. Vote it. Own the room.

Grades
3–12 (ages 8+)
Time
About 12 minutes
Players
3–60
Subjects
ELA, Writing, Creativity, Social-emotional learning
CreativityWritingHumorConfidence
Play it with your classLesson plan

Students join on any phone or laptop with a code. No student accounts.

A picture or a prompt goes up on the board (a cat running a board meeting, a penguin on vacation, “the worst thing to say on the first day of school”) and everyone writes a caption on their phone. The captions appear anonymously, the class votes for its favorite, and the funniest takes the round. Anonymous voting means quiet students get the laugh without having to stand up. Teachers check captions before they go up and can add their own prompts. Ends with a hall of fame of the winning captions.

Screenshots

Caption It: the class screen
The class screen
Caption It: a student's phone
A student's phone
Caption It: the end-of-game recap
The end-of-game recap

What students learn

  • ✓Writing short and punchy: saying the most with the fewest words
  • ✓Reading an audience: what makes a whole room laugh
  • ✓Creative confidence, with anonymity so everyone takes the risk
  • ✓Kindness and judgment: funny without being mean

How it works

  1. 1A picture or a prompt goes up on the board.
  2. 2Everyone writes a caption on their phone.
  3. 3You check the captions, then they appear anonymously on the board.
  4. 4The class votes for its favorite, and the funniest takes the round.
  5. 5The game ends with a hall of fame of the winning captions.

A 27-minute lesson plan

Before (5 min)

Show one example and talk about what makes a caption funny: surprise, and saying a lot in a few words.

Play (12 min)

Play 5 to 8 rounds (about 12 minutes).

After (10 min)

Read the hall of fame together. Ask: what do the winning captions have in common?

Discussion questions

  • Why are short captions usually funnier?
  • How do you make a whole room laugh without being mean to anyone?
  • Did the anonymous voting change what you were willing to write?

Teacher tips

  • Anonymous voting means quiet students get the laugh without standing up.
  • Add your own prompts to tie it to a book, a unit or a class event.

Questions teachers ask

How do I stop inappropriate captions?+

Every caption goes through a classroom filter, captions appear blurred for you to check before they're shown, and you can hide any caption or remove a player.

Can I use my own pictures?+

You can add your own written prompts. The game comes with a set of school-friendly pictures and prompts.

More answers in the help center.

If your class likes Caption It

Charades
Grades K–12 · 20 min
Draw It!
Grades K–12 · 20 min
Fake Out
Grades 4–12 · 15 min
See all 15 games →