Hide the Thimble: Rules for the Hunt the Thimble Game

Hide the thimble, also called hunt the thimble, is a quiet indoor game for children’s parties, family evenings and classrooms. One player hides a small object somewhere in the room, in plain sight, while everyone else waits outside. Then the searchers come in and look for it. The twist is that when you spot it, you must not say a word: you just sit down quietly, and the last player still searching has lost the round. Any small object works, so you do not need a real thimble.

What you need

• Three or more players. It works well with about 4 to 15.
• A small object, such as a thimble, a coin, a button, an eraser or a small toy.
• A room where the object can be hidden in plain sight, and a place for the searchers to wait.
• A fair way to choose the first hider, such as the random name picker.

How to play

1. Choose a hider. Everyone else leaves the room or closes their eyes and covers them with their hands.
2. The hider places the object somewhere in the room where it can be seen without moving or opening anything. It can be high, low or blending in with its background, but some part of it must be visible.
3. The hider calls “Ready!” and the searchers come in and start looking.
4. A searcher who spots the object says nothing and does not point. They walk away from it and sit down quietly somewhere else, so they do not give the place away.
5. The round ends when everyone has sat down, or when the hider calls time.
6. The first player to sit down usually becomes the next hider.

The no-touching rule matters. Searchers may look under, behind and around things by moving their heads, but they may not lift, open or move anything. That keeps the room tidy and the game fair.

A fair random hider

Small children often all want to hide at once. To keep it fair, let the random name picker choose the first hider, or give each player a number and use the dice roller. After that, the first player to sit down hides next. If the same quick-eyed player keeps winning, switch to picking the next hider at random, so that everyone gets a turn.

Hot and cold hints

If a round goes on too long, the hider can start giving hints. Players who are far away are “cold”, players who get closer are “warm”, and a player right next to the object is “hot” or “boiling”. Hints make the game much easier for young children. For a whole game built around these hints, see our hot and cold rules.

How many hiding spots?

Why do hints help so much? Imagine the room has a certain number of possible hiding spots. The table compares two ways of searching. “Spots” is the number of possible places, “Blind” is the average number of places a searcher checks when looking with no hints at all, one by one, and “Hints” is the number of hints needed if each hint rules out half of the spots that are left.

So in a room with 32 possible spots, a blind search takes about 16 or 17 looks on average, but five perfect “warmer or colder” hints are enough to point to one spot. Real hints are never perfect and real searchers do not check spots in a neat order, so treat this as an idea of why hints work, not a prediction of how long a round will take.

Party tips

• Agree on the search area first. Mark off rooms, cupboards and anything fragile that is out of bounds.
• For young children, use a bright object and hide it at their eye level.
• For older players, use a small object and hide it so that it blends in, for example a gold coin on a picture frame.
• Remind finders to sit down quietly and not to stare at the hiding place.
• Have a short time limit, such as three minutes, before hints start.

A little history

Hunt the thimble is often described as an old parlour game, played in homes in Britain and elsewhere long before television. A thimble was a natural choice because it was small and found in most homes, when people did more of their own sewing. We have not found a reliable record of where or when the game started, so treat any exact date with caution.

Variations

• Team hunt: split into two teams; the first team to have all its players seated wins.
• Several objects: hide three small objects; players must find all three before sitting down.
• Timed rounds: use a timer and give each hider a point for every searcher still standing when time runs out.
• Silent hunt: nobody may speak at all during the round.
• Outdoor version: play in a garden with a bigger, brightly coloured object.

For more finding games, try hide and seek, sardines or Kim’s game.

FAQ

How do you play hide the thimble?

One player hides a small object somewhere in the room where it can still be seen. The others come in and search. When you spot it, you sit down quietly without saying anything. The last player still searching loses the round.

Is hunt the thimble the same as hide the thimble?

Yes. They are two names for the same game.

Do you need a real thimble?

No. Any small object works, such as a coin, a button, an eraser or a small toy.

Can you move things while searching?

Usually not. The object must be visible without lifting or opening anything, so searchers only look.

Who hides next in hide the thimble?

Usually the first player to find it. You can also pick the next hider at random with a name picker, so everyone gets a turn.