Hot and Cold Game: Rules, Clue Scale and Classroom Version
Hot and cold is a simple finding game: one player hides a small object, and the others search for it while the hider calls out “warmer” or “colder” as they move closer or further away. It needs nothing but a small toy, works indoors on a rainy day, and is a quiet game for classrooms and parties. Here are the rules, a clue scale, a fair way to choose the hider, object ideas and some variations.
How to play hot and cold
- Choose one player to be the hider. Everyone else leaves the room or closes their eyes.
- The hider puts a small object somewhere in the room. It should be hidden but reachable, and never inside anything dangerous or private.
- The searchers come back and start looking. The hider calls out clues: “warmer” when a searcher moves closer, “colder” when they move away.
- The player who finds the object wins the round and often becomes the next hider, or the next hider is drawn at random.
A clue scale
Young children understand the game faster with a fixed scale of words, from far away to very close:
- Freezing: on the wrong side of the room.
- Cold: far away.
- Warm: getting closer.
- Hot: very close, within arm’s reach.
- Boiling, or on fire: touching it or about to.
With several searchers, the hider can call each child by name, for example “Mia, warmer; Leo, freezing”, so that everyone gets a clue.
A fair way to choose the hider
If the finder always hides next, the quickest child can hide again and again while others never get a turn. Put the names into the Random Name Picker or the Picker Wheel and draw the next hider instead. If the draw puts every name back each time, some children wait a long time: the table shows the chance that one particular child is picked at least once. Kids is the size of the group, and 3, 5 and 10 are the number of rounds.
| Kids | 3 | 5 | 10 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 49% | 67% | 89% |
| 10 | 27% | 41% | 65% |
| 20 | 14% | 23% | 40% |
| 30 | 10% | 16% | 29% |
In a class of 20, one child has only about a 40% chance of hiding even once in ten rounds. Use the remove option of the name picker instead, so each name is taken out after its turn and every child hides once before anyone hides twice.
What to hide
- A small soft toy, a rubber duck or a toy car.
- A coloured block, a ball or a bean bag.
- A card with a message or a small sticker prize.
- In a classroom, a board marker or a special pencil, as long as it is not someone’s own belongings.
Classroom version
Hot and cold also works as a quiet whole-class game. The teacher, or a randomly chosen pupil, hides the object while one searcher waits outside. The rest of the class gives the clues together, by clapping louder as the searcher gets closer and softer as they move away, or by humming. Nobody may point or say where it is. It is a good game for a few minutes before break, and it lets every child take part at once.
Variations
- Clapping hot and cold: no words at all, only louder or softer clapping.
- Team hot and cold: two teams take turns hiding for each other, and the team that finds the object in fewer clues wins.
- Timed rounds: use a timer, and the searcher who finds the object fastest wins.
- Hot and cold treasure hunt: hide several objects, or combine it with a scavenger hunt.
- Outdoors: play in a garden with a bigger area, or after a game of hide and seek.
For more indoor and outdoor ideas, see our kids’ party games guide.
FAQ
How do you play hot and cold?
One player hides a small object, and the others search for it. The hider says 'warmer' when a searcher gets closer and 'colder' when they move away, until someone finds it.
What do you say in hot and cold?
Usually 'warmer' and 'colder', or a scale such as freezing, cold, warm, hot and boiling, from far away to very close.
How many players do you need for hot and cold?
Two is enough, one hider and one searcher. It also works with a whole class, with the class giving clues by clapping louder or softer.
Who hides next in hot and cold?
Often the finder hides next, but drawing the next hider with a random name picker, and removing each name after its turn, gives every child a turn.
Is hot and cold a good classroom game?
Yes, it is quiet, needs only one small object and a few minutes, and the whole class can join in by giving the clues.