This is an exciting form of hide and seek played in teams, instead of as individuals. The game can inspire the imagination since it involves capturing and prisoners, as well as other elements that go far beyond regular hide and seek.
Number of players: 10 or more
Ages: 8+
Space: As large as possible… it’s a hide and seek game after all!
To begin set up, draw a goal, or den about five feet square at some central spot in the playing area.
The group should choose two leaders, who pick teams until all players are teamed up. After determining which team will go first, the group not going first gathers in the den while the other team move away from the den together, and when they call ready, they scatter and hide immediately.
As soon as the group in the den hears the word ready, they start out to chase the members of the other team, but they leave one player behind to guard the den. Whenever a player is caught, (this should be a full grab, not a simple tag) the person who catches the player yells “Caught” and returns the player to the den. The object of the game is to eventually make prisoners of everybody on the hiding team.
However, a prisoner can be freed from the den by one of the players on his team running out from his hiding place and tagging him. It’s not that easy though… the player doing the rescuing can only tag the captured player when both feet are in the den. If the rescuer is successful, he calls “Ring-a-Lievio” as he runs through the den, and then both players run for safety.
The den keeper tries to catch them as they run away, but may not chase them beyond a set of boundaries determined beforehand. Only one prisoner can be freed at a time. The best way to free prisoners is to have other players distract the den keeper so the prisoners can be freed while he’s looking away.
The game is best in an area with lots of things to hide behind in a small area. Parks are usually best.
Although this is a very old game, (it dates back to Brooklyn, NY, around 1891) it can be easily adapted to kids’ imaginations using modern superheroes, or everyday heroes.