Many occasions call for some entertainment – nothing fancy, just something to break the flow and get everyone revived and attentive. Skits work perfectly in this situation, as well as many others.
A skit is very short play, usually performed in an informal setting. A skit requires very few props and little preparation. Skits are used in schools, at camp, in work-related conferences and conventions, and many other venues. Skits can be as short as a minute or two or much longer and have only one person speaking or many speaking parts. Read on for a selection of skit ideas and some full-length skit scripts you can use for many different occasions, groups, and ages.
Table of Contents
- 1 Skits for School
- 2 Skits for Kids
- 3 Skits for the Workplace
- 4 Religious and Christian Skits
- 5 Skits for Camp
- 6 Skits for Adults
- 7 Skits for College Students
- 8 Holiday Skits
Skits for School
Dealing with serious situations with a skit creates a message that remains in the students’ minds, especially if you insert some humor. Skits dealing with serious situations like drug abuse or addictions are handled in a sensitive yet effective way. This serious skit has a message about bullying.
There’s a bully on the playground, but one kid is having none of it. Although the bully wants to fight, Bobby has a trick planned to stop him.
Bobby, played by a relatively small kid
Bully Butch, played by a larger kid
Other kids (as many as you want)
A group of kids run on-stage. It is recess and they chase each other around. One is kicking a ball. Bully Butch enters and is surrounded by some of the other kids. He brags loudly about himself, pushes a kid, grabs someone’s lunchbox, and kicks a ball away. Bully Butch starts to pick on Bobby, calling him names like, “Wimp.” The other kids join in.
Bobby stands his ground, not responding to Bully Butch. This makes Bully Butch even madder and he gets louder and more abusive. Finally he says, “You’ve made me so mad, I’m gonna hit you!”
Bobby says, “Go ahead. But I won’t hit you back. You are just a bully and only pick on someone smaller than you are.”
Bully Butch calls Bobby, “Chicken!”
Bobby responds, “I’m not afraid of you. If you hit me, you will get expelled. Go ahead.”
The two boys begin to circle each other. When Bobby manages to get behind Bully Butch, he grabs him around the waist and hangs on. Bully Butch tries to shake Bobby off, but cannot do so. The other kids find this hilarious and start laughing. Bobby lets go so suddenly that Bully Butch falls to the ground. Bobby runs off, while the other kids laugh at Bully Butch. Bobby calls back over his shoulder, “I think your days of bullying are over!”
Skits for Kids
Humorously written skits connect with the youngsters, and messages are presented in a light-hearted way. For very young children, have them act out nursery rhymes, such as Jack and Jill.
School gatherings, such as open houses, give kids an opportunity to perform, as do birthday parties. Try using props or puppets to make the skits more entertaining and interesting.
The Catch Skit
Characters: Four people, three playing men fishing and one playing a young boy who stands a small distance away from the three men.
Props: Fishing poles – suggested but not required
The young boy arrives at a fishing hole and throws in his line and immediately catches a fish. The three men show surprises through gestures and body language. The young man casts his line two more times, each time pantomiming reeling in a fish. Now the three fishermen begin to discuss the young boy’s catch, using phrases such as:
- “It’s just luck.”
- “Must be where he is standing.”
- “Wonder what he is using for bait.”
Finally, the man closest to the boy asks, “How come you have caught three fish and we have been fishing here since early morning and haven’t caught any?”
The boy responds, “Ru raffra reep re rorms rarm.”
Another of the men poses that, “He must be speaking a foreign language.”
The boy reels in another fish, saying, “Ru raffra reep re rorms rarm.”
The boy looks at them, pretends to spit his bait into his hand, and says, “You have to keep the worms warm.”
The third man says, “That’s disgusting.”
The boy pantomimes placing the bait back in his mouth and goes on fishing.
Skits for the Workplace
Role Play Skits
The goal of these role playing skits is to help employees understand how anger and yelling accomplishes nothing. It also teaches them to work together to come up with solutions. Create scenarios where employees:
- Prioritize the work calendar for the day
- Coordinate a work function or meeting
- Discuss an employee’s behaviour or performance.
Divide employees into small groups to role-play these scenarios. First have them play their parts calmly and then have them play the same scene with anger.
What’s Up There?
Funny, quick, and simple, this skit requires no props and can be performed anywhere. The message is how we quickly follow someone without thinking and the results.
You can have four or more people participate. Explain that participants are to follow whatever action they see, without comment.
One person enters the area looking up. A second person enters, observes the first, and looks up also. This continues until all participants are looking up.
Tell the last person to turn to the person next to them and asks, “What are you all staring at?”
Other people will state they do not know.
The person who entered first then says, “I have no clue what you all are looking at, but I am helping my stiff neck feel better!”.
Religious and Christian Skits
Church camps, Sunday schools, and teen devotionals are great places for skits. Choose a Bible verse and give it a modern twist. We have included the following skit suitable for any age or religious event.
Little Mister Skit
To prepare for this skit, you will need paper for signs and a roll of tape.
- Little Mister
- Eight “Mister Men”
- The “Big Mister”
Narrator: Little Mister finds the fruit of the Spirit in this skit with love, joy, and peace.
Little Mister: Enters with signs taped to his clothing that say: LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FAITH, and SELF CONTROL.
Mr. Anger: Enters and says, “Well, look at you mister smarty or should I say (looking at the sign on his bottom) “Mister Love Bottom?”
Little Mister: “The name’s Little Mister, and what might I do for you?”
Mr. Anger (says gruffly): “I’ve got a lot of anger!” He points to a larger sign on his chest with the word “ANGER” written on it. “See! Anger! Anger!! I hate it! I hate being here! And I hate you too!”
Little Mister: “Maybe I can help you with that.”
Mr. Anger: “Help me with that? Sure you can help me with that! I’ve got this anger, see! And I’d like to trade it in. What will you give me in return for this anger? It’s awesome, look what it does!”
Mr. Anger: Pretends to punch Little Mister, who grimaces in pain.
Little Mister: “Ouch!”
Mr. Anger: “See, anger is awesome! Want some more!”
Little Mister: “Well, if you’re looking to get rid of that anger, why don’t you trade it with me for something more useful. Look at me; I’m full of good fruit! I’ve got LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FAITH, and SELF-CONTROL. Which one would you like?”
Mr. Anger (grabs Little Mister, turns him around roughly, and looks at all the signs): Finally he says, “I’ll take LOVE!”
Little Mister: “Really? It’s on my bottom you know.”
Mr. Anger (says while wiping his eyes as if he is crying): “That’s alright, I could really use it.”
Little Mister pulls the LOVE sign off his bottom and they trade signs. Little Mister slaps the anger sign on his butt.
Mr. Anger slaps the love sign on his chest and becomes a changed man. He smiles and laughs and starts bouncing around uncontrollably.
Little Mister: “How do you like it?”
Mr. Anger (bouncing over and giving Little Mister a hug): “I love it! Thank you!” He bounces off.
Other people walk up to Little Mister and trade their bad signs for good ones. The same kind of interactions happens with them.
- Confusion – “I’m so confused. Who are you? Where am I?”
Little Mister hands him PEACE.
- Irritable – “Stop bothering me; stop doing that, and that, and that! Aaargh!! I’ll take PATIENCE.”
- Mean – “I’m real mean (twists shopkeeper’s ear – ouch!) See what I mean? I need KINDNESS.”
- Bad – “I bad!”
Little Mister backs away and says, “Don’t hurt me, here take some GOODNESS!”
- Fear – “I’m afraid of dying, afraid of failing, afraid of germs, snakes, spiders, etc.! I’ll take FAITH.”
- Out of Control – “I can’t stop myself (throws himself into things and on to the floor). I need self-control.” Takes SELF-CONTROL.
Little Mister stands in a daze.
Big Mister enters and looks at all the bad signs on Little Mister. He asks, “Little Mister, what happened to you?”
Little Mister: “Wow, Big Mister, a lot of bad things happened to me today. Those messed up misters had a lot of problems.”
Big Mister: “Hey, I’ve got some good fruit left here. What would you like?”
Little Mister (looks at the signs on Big Mister): “Hmm. Let’s see, which one, which one?” Finally he says, “I’ll take JOY!”
Big Mister takes his joy sign off and slaps it on Little Mister’s forehead, laughs, and says, “There you go! Some joy just for you, Little Mister!”
Little Mister and Big Mister walk off side by side.
Little Mister: “I love you Big Mister!”
Big Mister replies: “I love you Little Mister.”
Scripture: Galatians 5:22-23.
Message: The way we respond to others can have a huge impact. If we are willing to trade love for hatred and faith for fear, we can change people’s lives.
Skits for Camp
Summer and day camps are perfect locations for skits. They can be used to entertain around the campfire, or to fill in time while waiting for meals or activities to begin.
The Invisible Bench
Many people have seen this skit before. We have added some variations to make the skit new and funny.
This skit requires 4 to 8 campers, depending on how long you want the skit to last.
Camper #1: Walks onstage and squats down as if he is sitting on a bench that is invisible.
Camper #2: Walks up to #1.
Camper #2: “Whatcha doin’?”
Camper #1: “Just sitting on this invisible bench.”
Camper #2: “Can I join you? “
Camper #1: “Sure.”
Camper #2: Sits down next to #1.
Camper #3: Repeats the dialog.
Each camper comes on and repeats, making a long line of campers sitting on the bench.
Last camper walks up to line of campers.
Last Camper: “What are you guys doing?”
All Campers: “Just sitting here on this invisible bench.”
Last Camper: “No you aren’t. I moved the bench over there.” (Points)
All the sitting campers fall down.
For each variation, repeat the dialog above, changing the end.
Last Camper: “No you aren’t. I moved the bench over there yesterday.” (Points)
Camper #1: “But, I moved it back here this morning!”
Last Camper: “Oh, ok!” (And sits down with the rest)
After the last camper says, “Oh, ok!” (And sits down with the rest)
One more Camper enters: “What are you guys doing?”
All Campers: “Sitting on this invisible bench.”
One more Camper: “Oh no! I just got done painting that bench!”
All Campers: “AAAAGH!” (Stand up and wipe paint off back sides.)
One more Camper: “Oh no! I just got done painting that bench!”
Camper #1: “Oh, that’s ok. We all have our invisible paint suits on.” (All stand up, and unzip front of invisible suits and step out.)
Not Enough Parachutes Skit
This fun skit requires four campers to play the following parts:
- Smartest Man in the World
Preparation: Line up 4 chairs in a column sideways to the audience. These chairs serve as seats on the plane. The campers should sit in the following order: the camper at the back, then the smart man, and the President. The Pilot stands by the plane.
Pilot: (to arriving passengers) “Good afternoon. Please tell me who you are, so I can check our passenger list.”
President (quite importantly): “I am the President of the United States.”
Pilot: “Welcome aboard, Mr. President. Please take a seat.”
The Pilot repeats this for each passenger and they respond as follows:
Smart Man (very importantly): “I am the Smartest Man in the World. I’ve just been awarded this wonderful ‘Smart Guy’ award and I am heading to my office to think about important things.”
Camper: “I am a Camper on my way to summer camp.” (Or make up something specific for your group.)
Pilot (after each passenger makes their response): “Welcome aboard. Please take a seat.”
Pilot (taking his seat): “This is your pilot. We are cleared for take-off. Please buckle your seatbelts and enjoy the ride.”
The plane takes off and everyone looks out the windows for a few seconds.
Pilot looks nervously at controls, taps instruments, and then addresses passengers: “I’m sorry to report that we have a major malfunction. The plane is losing altitude and we will crash in just a few minutes. We will need to parachute to safety. Please follow me.”
The Pilot gets up and walks to the rear of plane with the President, Smartest Man, and camper falling in line behind him.
The Pilot counts parachutes and addresses passengers: “I have more bad news. We only have 3 parachutes.”
President (pushing past pilot and grabbing a parachute): “I am the President! My country needs me!” He jumps out.
Smart Man (pushing past pilot and grabbing a parachute) “I am the world’s Smartest Man! I must live so I can do important things!” He jumps out.
Pilot (to camper): “Well, there’s only one chute left. You take it. I guess the pilot will go down with his ship.”
Camper: “Actually, there are 2 chutes left.”
Pilot: “Really? How is that possible?”
Camper: “Well, the Smartest Man in the World just jumped out with my knapsack!”
Skits for Adults
The Bus Stop
This simple skit needs no advance preparation and can be as long or as short as desired. Place two or three chairs side-by-side to create a “bench” at a bus stop. A person enters and sits down, pretending to wait for the bus. A second person enters and sits next to the first person and tries to get them to leave by making them uncomfortable. They can use whatever method they wish and can talk or use gestures. If the first person leaves, the second person sits alone until the third person enters. This can continue as long as you wish and can be quite hilarious.
Guess Who Skit
Before this skit, have those watching write the names of characters, people, or animals on slips of paper and place them in a hat. Ask for four volunteers. Have three of the participants draw a name from the hat and act it out. The other person must guess what each person is pretending to be. The identities of the characters, people, or animals can be kept a secret from the audience or written on a whiteboard for everyone but the party guesser to see.
Skits for College Students
College students learn course content from skits in classrooms. They also learn about themselves and each other in skits performed in dorms. Relationships in college can be challenging and skits are an excellent way to help college students deal with relationship problems.
Questions Only Skit
This skit works well in any size group as it can include as many or as few participants as desired. Ask the group for suggestions to set the scene, such as a doctor’s office, high school cafeteria, or a pet shop. Two people then begin by acting out the scene. However, they may only interact with each other by asking questions. If one person accidentally answers with a statement, he or she must exit the stage, and is replaced by another person.
This skit involves two people, one sitting on a chair with their arms behind their back. The second person sits behind the first person and puts their arms underneath the first person’s arms. The second person proceeds to act out motions like putting on makeup, cooking using their arms, or doing their hair, while the first person tries to narrate what he or she is doing. To make this skit really funny, try using real makeup.
Holidays bring families together and are a perfect time for a fun skit. Try one of the following:
- Have family members mime each other, using familiar poses and gestures.
- Thanksgiving family functions are perfect for the kids to perform a skit.
- At Christmas, have family members pretend they are opening a package and act out their reactions. Let the group guess what the present is.
Skits work well for any gathering or occasion. They can be performed indoors or outdoors. Skits serve as icebreakers, entertain during an otherwise monotonous meeting, or offer entertainment at a party. The ideas mentioned in this article will get you started. Try writing your own skit. Just think of any topic, situation, or character and as many funny things as you can about your chosen topic. Have fun – lots of laughs are guaranteed!