USA / Canada · United Kingdom / North America (variant of Hide and Seek; popularised early 20th century)
Sardines
Also known as Smee (UK literary name, 1931)
The reverse of Hide and Seek, one person hides alone and everyone else squeezes in with them when found.
5+ playersAges 6+In or outCalmNo kit
The rules
How to play
1
One player hides while everyone else closes their eyes and counts to 30. When counting is done, all seekers split up and hunt individually.
2
When a seeker finds the hider, they silently squeeze into the same hiding spot.
3
The game continues with seekers gradually disappearing until only one seeker is left searching.
4
That last person to find the now-crowded group is out and becomes the first hider next round.
Keep it fair
Set the hiding zone boundaries clearly, the most common dispute is someone hiding outside the agreed area, making the game too long.
Good for building
stealthobservationpatience
What you need
Nothing at all, just the kids.
More to play
