What is Hide-and-Seek and Alternative Versions?

One player is "it": they close their eyes and count to 60 while everyone else finds a hiding spot, alone and in silence. When the count ends, "it" opens their eyes and searches — the first hider found becomes the next "it," and the last hider found wins the round.

It works because the game never really pauses: getting found doesn't put you on the sidelines, it hands you the "it" job for the next round, so nobody sits out for long. The same base rules also stretch into real rule variants — a race-to-base ending some players know from Brazil and Russia, a version where found hiders join the search instead of waiting it out — so the same 60-second count can produce a different game every round without any new materials.

It needs a space with actual hiding spots and legs willing to run — a park, a playground, or a big open room, indoors or outdoors both work. Skip it in a cramped room with nowhere to hide, or with players who can't move around safely; there's no seated version of chasing someone across open ground.

The rules

Works with kids older than 5, in groups of more than two.
One player is "it" — they close their eyes and count to 60 while everyone else hides.
Hiders find a spot alone and stay silent. No group hiding, no whispering.
After the count, "it" opens their eyes and searches for every hider, not just the closest one.
The first hider found becomes the next "it"; the last hider found wins the round.
Optional ending: a hider can touch a home base and call "free" before getting tagged to end their own turn early.

Before you start

Group size: 3–20 participants. Only one child is "it" at a time, so the rest of the group hides. Works for a small group or a big one — more hiders just means more spots to check.
Clear a hazard-free space with real hiding spots. A park, a playground, or a spacious indoor area all work. Check the area first and rule out anything a running kid could trip on.
Decide who's "it" first. Rock-paper-scissors, drawn straws, or any method that's fair and random. Explain the rules once, to the whole group, before the first round starts.
Pick your ending rule in advance. Last hider found wins and first hider found becomes the next "it," or hiders can race to a home base and call "free" to end their turn early — decide which one you're running and say it out loud before round one.
Lights are optional. Playing indoors with the lights off adds a layer of difficulty to finding hiding spots. It's an option, not a requirement.

How to run it

Decide who's "it" 1–2 min
Pick the first seeker with rock-paper-scissors, drawn straws, or any method that feels fair and random. Walk through the rules once, for everyone, before anyone hides.
Send everyone to hide 1 min
"It" closes their eyes and counts to 60 while the rest of the group finds a spot alone, in silence. No group hiding, no whispering — the quiet is part of the game.
Search 5–10 min
At 60, "it" opens their eyes and starts checking the hiding spots. They're looking for every player, not just the first one they spot.
Call it, then rotate 1 min
The first hider found becomes the next "it"; the last hider found wins the round. Playing the home-base version? A hider who touches base and calls "free" before getting caught ends their own turn early instead.

← the count takes about a minute. the first one found runs the next round.

Facilitator tips

Set a safe zoneDesignate one spot where any player can step out, regroup, or catch their breath without ending the round for everyone else.

Hand out a flashlight instead of a simpler roleIf a player needs more light to stay safe or oriented, give them a flashlight rather than picking their hiding spot for them — the adjustment keeps them playing the same game, not an easier one.

Talk about personal space before round oneHiding puts kids in close quarters fast. A quick reminder about respecting space keeps the game about hiding, not crowding.

Adapt the ending rule, not the groupIf a version isn't working for your players, change the rule, not who gets to play. Swap in the home-base ending, or drop the silent-hiding requirement, before you drop a player.

Variations

Touch base

A hider can end their own turn early by racing to touch a home base before "it" tags them and calling "free" — first to the base decides who's safe, not who's found.

Found players help seek

Once "it" finds a hider, that player joins the search instead of sitting out. The hiding pool shrinks fast, and the last hider standing wins.

Race to base

Played in Brazil and Russia — the moment "it" spots a hider, both players sprint for home base. Whoever touches it first wins that exchange.

Lights out

Playing indoors with the lights off adds an extra layer of difficulty to finding — and staying hidden in — the usual spots.

Why it works

Getting caught doesn't end your turnThe first hider found becomes the next seeker, so nobody sits out for more than one round. The game rotates roles instead of eliminating players.

The 60-count is the whole engineEvery round runs on the same fixed window — "it" counts to 60, eyes closed, no more, no less. That single constant is what turns open space into a real deadline.

The rule variants are built in, not bolted onTouch base, race to base, found-players-help-seek — swapping the ending rule changes the pace of the whole game without new materials or a new activity.

HELLO, MY NAME ISJon

"This is the one that needs nothing — no prep, no props, any space that lets kids run. What I like most is that it never gets stale: switch the ending rule to touch base or race-to-base and it's a different game by the second round."

Jon Zajac · Founder & Chief Icebreaker

Reflection questions

For classrooms and groups that want the debrief — these turn a round of hide-and-seek into an actual conversation.

What did you enjoy most about playing hide-and-seek and its alternative versions?Surfaces what actually landed — useful before you pick the next round's variation.
How did communication play a role in the version where players found by "it" helped locate the remaining hiders?Only relevant if you ran the found-players-help-seek variant — ask it right after that round, while it's fresh.
What strategies did you use to hide or find others during the game?Gets at the actual thinking behind a hiding spot or a search pattern, not just the result.
How did you feel when you were the first person found, or when you found everyone in an alternative version?Names both ends of the game — being found first and finding everyone — so nobody's left out of the debrief.
Did playing hide-and-seek and its alternative versions help you feel more comfortable with the other participants? If so, how?The direct check on whether the icebreaker actually did its job.
How might the skills you used during hide-and-seek apply to real-life situations or other activities you do together?Bridges the game back to whatever comes next in the session.
What did you learn about yourself or others while playing hide-and-seek and its alternative versions?The open-ended closer — leave room for whatever answer surprises you.