Originally the game was called Blind man’s buff, which means a small push, but when the game journeyed across the ocean from England to America it was changed to Blind man’s bluff. This was a popular game played by pioneer children and still enjoyed by children today.
This game needs to be played in a large enclosed area that does not have many objects in it. If you are playing the game in a house push the furniture against the walls to prevent accidents.
One child is chosen to be the “blind man” and is blindfolded. The other children scatter around the room trying to not get tagged by the blind man.
There are several variations to the game:
Once the blind man tags another child that child becomes it and puts on the blindfold.
The child who is tagged is out and must sit against the wall. Then the blind man continues to try and tag the children until all of them have been tagged. The first player to be tagged becomes the blind man.
In this version the blind man must try and guess the name of the child that they have tagged. The blind man is allowed to feel the face and clothing of the child they tagged before guessing. If they correctly guess the name of the child then that child becomes the blind man.
A variation to the game is Marco Polo. Marco Polo is usually played in a swimming pool. The person who is “it” closes their eyes. The other players scatter around the pool. When ever the person who is it calls out “Marco” the other players must answer with “Polo.” This way the person who is it can follow the voices to find another player. Once another player has been tagged then they become it.
Family Fun also has instructions to play another version of the game called Animal Blind Man’s Buff.