Button, Button, Who’s Got the Button? Rules

Button, Button, Who’s Got the Button? is an old circle game that needs nothing more than a button and a group of people. One player walks around the circle and secretly drops the button into someone’s hands, and someone else has to guess where it went. It is quiet, quick to learn and good for classrooms, birthday parties and family evenings. This guide covers the rules, a fair way to choose who hides and who guesses, the odds of a lucky guess, and some variations.

What you need

• A button, or any small flat object such as a coin or a bead that fits between two hands.
• A group of about 6 to 30 players, sitting in a circle or in rows.
• A fair way to choose roles, such as a random name picker or a picker wheel.

How to play

1. Everyone sits in a circle and holds their hands out in front, palms pressed together, with a small gap at the fingertips.
2. Choose one player to be the hider and one to be the guesser. The guesser can sit in the middle or wait outside the door for the hiding part.
3. The hider holds the button between their own palms, walks round the circle and slides their hands into each player’s hands in turn.
4. Somewhere along the way the hider lets the button drop into one player’s hands. They keep going all the way round so nobody can tell where it was dropped.
5. Everyone keeps their hands closed and tries to look innocent. The group says: “Button, button, who’s got the button?”
6. The guesser names the player they think has the button. If they are right, the player with the button becomes the next guesser. If not, the guesser tries again or a new round starts, depending on your rules.

In some versions the hider asks the guess out loud, or each player in turn guesses until someone finds it. In others, the player with the button must jump up and run to a set spot, while their neighbours try to tag them first. Agree on one version before you start.

Choosing the hider and the guesser fairly

If the winner of each round always picks the next hider, the same group of friends can keep the fun to themselves. A simple fix is to draw the hider and the guesser from a random name picker, removing each name after it is picked, so that every child gets a turn in each role before anyone goes twice. You can find more ideas like this in our guide to classroom games with a random picker.

How lucky is a guess?

The table shows the odds when the guesser has no clues at all. “Players” is the whole group, including the hider and the guesser. “Hands” is the number of players who could be holding the button, since the hider and the guesser cannot. “Guess” is the chance that one pure guess is right, and “Ten” is how many right guesses you would expect in ten rounds by chance alone.

In a small group of six, a guesser would expect to be right about one time in four, even without clues. In a class of 30, pure luck finds the button less than once in ten rounds, so watching faces and hands is the best way to win. That is the heart of the game: the people in the circle try not to give themselves away. These figures are simple probability and assume every player is equally likely to get the button.

Tips for good rounds

• The hider should touch every pair of hands in the same way, including after the button has dropped.
• Players should all keep their hands pressed shut, so a fat hand does not stand out.
• Let the guesser watch the faces while the group says the rhyme. Giggles are the best clue.
• For a big class, use two buttons and two guessers, or split the class into two circles.
• Keep the button small but not tiny, and do not use one with very young children who might put it in their mouths.

Variations

• Run for it: when the guesser says “Go!”, the player with the button runs to a set spot, and the players on each side try to tag them first.
• Pass the button: players pass the button along behind their backs while music plays, like hot potato, and the guesser guesses when the music stops.
• Three guesses: give the guesser up to three guesses in a large group.
• Fake drops: the hider pretends to drop the button several times to confuse the guesser.
• Two buttons: two buttons are hidden, and the guesser has to find both.

If your group enjoys it, try Doggy, Doggy, Where’s Your Bone? or Heads Up, Seven Up next. Both are guessing games where the whole group tries to keep a secret.

FAQ

How do you play Button, Button, Who’s Got the Button?

Players sit with their hands pressed together. A hider walks round, slides their hands into each player’s hands and secretly drops a button into one of them. Then the guesser tries to name who has the button.

How many people do you need?

About 6 to 30 players works well. In a big group, use two buttons or two circles.

What are the odds of guessing right?

With no clues at all, one guess is right one time in the number of possible holders. With 10 players, 8 can hold the button, so the chance is about 13%.

What can I use instead of a button?

Any small flat object that hides between two hands, such as a coin, a bead or a small eraser.

Is it safe for young children?

With supervision, yes, but small objects can be a choking risk for very young children, so use a bigger object or a different game with toddlers.