A drawing game for kids

Why kids like it

• Nobody has to be good at drawing. The bear is already drawn, so a hat, a cape or a pair of ears is enough.
• Drawing less is the trick, which keeps rounds fast and turns guessing into a funny puzzle.
• There are five bear poses to start from, plus pencils, brushes, shapes and a paint bucket.
• Guesses don't need perfect spelling: plurals, other names for the answer and a small typo on longer words all count.

For parents: what to know

• No accounts, emails or downloads. A player only types a first name or a nickname.
• Games happen in private rooms. Only people you give the 4-letter code or invite link to can join.
• Players chat and guess in the room, so play with people you know.
• Drawings stay private. A bear is only shared if its artist chooses to, and every shared bear is checked by a person first.
• It runs in the browser on a tablet, phone or computer, so siblings can play on different devices.

In the classroom

Teachers can use Bear Minimum as a warm-up, a Friday treat or a vocabulary game. The host can write custom cards in the lobby, with their own answer and features, and play with only those. Try this week's spelling words, animals from a science unit or characters from a class book.

Up to 12 devices can join one room. With a bigger class, play in teams, with one tablet per group, or put one room on the projector and let groups take turns guessing.

Playing alone

When there's nobody to play with, there's a new daily bear to draw and a daily Guess the Bear puzzle, the same for everyone that day. They're short, solo and make a nice after-school routine.

Questions