In the traditional game of charades, a player draws a slip of paper from a container and silently reads what is written there -- a phrase describing a situation (like "walking the dog") or naming a famous book, film, song, or television show.

Then, through pantomime, the player tries to convey this phrase to his or her unknowing team-mates.

What gestures are most likely to communicate the crucial information? The best players are good at perspective-taking, or imagining what viewers need to see in order to guess the answer. They are also good at interpreting the body language of others.

And players have to stay focused on conforming to the rules -- refraining from talk while they pantomime.

Moreover, recent research suggests that watching charades switches our brains into "mind-reading" mode.

It seems, then, that charades encourages kids to think about other perspectives, and fine-tune their nonverbal communication skills.