Hide and Seek Rules: Counting, Variations and Safety
Hide and seek is one of the oldest and simplest group games: one player, the seeker, closes their eyes and counts while everyone else hides, then goes looking for them. It needs no equipment, works indoors or outdoors, and children of very different ages can play together.
What You Need
- At least 3 players; more is better.
- A safe area with agreed boundaries.
- A home base, such as a tree, a wall or the sofa, if you play the base version.
How to Play
- Choose the seeker. Use a Random Name Picker or flip a coin between two volunteers.
- Count. The seeker closes their eyes at home base and counts out loud to an agreed number.
- Hide. Everyone else hides within the boundaries before the count ends.
- Seek. The seeker calls “Ready or not, here I come!” and starts looking. A hider is caught when the seeker sees and names them, or tags them, depending on your rules.
- Next round. Often the first player found becomes the next seeker; the last one found is the winner.
How Long Should the Seeker Count?
Counting out loud takes roughly one second per number for most children, so the number sets how much time hiders get. This is a rough guide:
| Count to | About | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | 10 sec | One room, toddlers |
| 20 | 20 sec | One floor, ages 4-6 |
| 30 | 30 sec | A whole house |
| 50 | 1 min | Garden or yard |
| 100 | 1.5-2 min | Park, older kids |
If hiders keep getting caught in the open, count higher; if the seeker gets bored, count lower or make the area smaller.
Popular Variations
- Home base: found hiders can still win by running back to base and touching it before the seeker tags them.
- Sardines: one player hides and everyone else seeks. When you find the hider, you squeeze into the hiding place with them. The last seeker left is the next hider.
- Flashlight hide and seek: played in the dark with a torch; a hider is caught when the light lands on them.
- Two seekers: good for big groups or large spaces.
- Calling everyone in: when the round should end, the seeker calls a phrase such as “Olly olly oxen free” or “Come out, come out, wherever you are”, and hiders may come back safely.
Safety Rules
- Never hide inside fridges, freezers, washing machines, chests, car boots or anything that can lock or shut from outside.
- Set clear boundaries and out-of-bounds rooms before the game starts.
- Agree on a call that ends the game at once, and make sure every child comes out when they hear it.
- Count all players at the end of every round.
- With young children, an adult should know where everyone may hide.
Choosing the Seeker Fairly
If the first player found always seeks next, the youngest or slowest child can end up seeking every round. Picking the seeker at random, and leaving out anyone who has already sought, gives everyone a turn. A Random Name Picker with names removed after each pick does this in one tap.
Where the Game Comes From
Hiding and seeking games are played by children all over the world and are very old, though no single origin is recorded. For more active group games, see Red Light, Green Light, Duck Duck Goose and our list of kids party games.
FAQ
How do you play hide and seek?
One player counts with their eyes closed while the others hide. Then the seeker looks for them. The first player found often seeks next, and the last one found wins.
How long should you count in hide and seek?
About 20 seconds for one floor of a house, 30 seconds for a whole house and up to a minute outdoors. Counting to 20 takes about 20 seconds.
What is sardines?
A reverse version of hide and seek: one player hides and everyone seeks. Whoever finds the hider joins them in the hiding place, until only one seeker is left.
What does olly olly oxen free mean?
It is a call used in the US to tell hiders the round is over and they can come out safely.
Where should children not hide?
Never in fridges, freezers, washing machines, chests, car boots or anything that can shut or lock from outside.