This Hide and Seek variation is a perennial favourite, but you will need a large house with lots of good hiding places! Younger children may become lonely or distracted, so play with kids over the age of 5 or 6.
NB: Sardines may not be an appropriate game to play with teenagers, who can either be too enthusiastic about squeezing into tight spaces, or terribly embarrassed to do so!
Age: 5+
How to play:
Choose one child as the first "sardine" and send him to go and hide while the other children count to 100, or an appropriate number. They then split up and set off to find the sardine individually.
When a child finds the sardine, he joins the sardine in the hiding place and tries not to giggle!
The last child to find the hiding place becomes the first sardine for the next game.
Hints:
Depending on the age of the players, you may want to darken the rooms you will be using.
It makes a better game if an adult ensures that the seekers fan out and go seeking in different directions. Tell the kids that if they do spot the hiding place while other seekers are about, they shouldn't give it away immediately but instead come back and hide as soon as they can do so quietly!
Establish a particular word or phrase (we use "Silly Sausages") which you can call if you need all the children to abandon the game and return to you, or a child can call if he needs help. Sometimes children get frightened to be alone in a strange house, or claustrophobic.
