Be a Master at Hide And Seek
Hide and seek has been around for a long time, and it never gets old, no matter how old you are. However, there are certain techniques that you can use to be the ultimate hide and seek master. Each of these is explained below, and you can choose to try them all, combine a few or just select one or two to see what works best for you.
Contents
Steps
- Play both as the hider and the seeker. This is considered to be good for you, as a good way to gain differing perspectives and to use different parts of your brain. Switching roles can help you to gain insights into what the other party will do when you're in the opposing role, because you've already played it yourself, helping you to empathize and comprehend likely moves. Moreover, switching between both hider and seeker roles is likely to assist you in better spotting errors or anomalies around you. All of these features make hide and seek a good game for all ages, kids and adults alike.
Being a Good Hider
- Know the best places to hide. The closet is an okay place, but it is pretty obvious. If you are small, empty cabinets are perfect. Hiding underneath a bed is also good as long as your hair, arms, legs, feet, or hands aren't showing. Small people can also hide behind solid curtains just as long as they don't move around. If you are big, you can resort to hiding in a closet behind some hanging clothes or behind a chair or couch. If it is a sleepover, hiding in a sleeping bag is perfect for any size of person.
- Before the person who is seeker starts to count, take a good look around, and survey the place you are in. Look for potential hiding places. Try not to make it obvious what you're looking at though; if you're staring at one particular area, it is quite easy for the seeker to guess that that is where you will hide.
- Hide carefully near the base for a fast win. If there is a base, it might be best to hide somewhere near the base. But be careful, because you don't want to be too revealed. Once the seeker leaves the room, run to base and yell, "Safe!" or "Base!". Otherwise, if you are in a spot that is far from base, just stay there until you hear the seeker tag another person first. If there isn't a base, hide in a place that is far from where the seeker was counting.
- Use a crop or vegetation to hide you. If you happen to be playing outside, day or night, a field can be good. Make sure to lie down, especially if it isn't tall grass or wheat or grain etc. Get comfortable fast, moving can cause the wheat or grass to move about, this is very noticeable and can be loud. Always lie down, you may think you're very noticeable, but in fact you are not. The seeker may think the same and dismiss it as a prime hiding spot and move on to other places he or she thinks are better hiding spots.
- Make it sound as if you are headed into a room when really you are headed into another. For example, if you plan on hiding behind a curtain or the shower curtain, shut the closet door quietly, but loud enough for 'it' to hear. They will most likely think you are going into the closet and you will delay their search.
- Alternate hiding spots, if needed. If you see that the person is near, try to find an alternative place to hide and move to it, making sure that you are not seen as you shift.
- For example if you were behind a car, you could crawl around to the opposite side but go very slowly, so that they don't see you, then and run into some bushes.
- Rebound to checked spots. If you haven't yet been spotted, try to make your way somewhere around the place that the seeker has already looked in. The chances are that they are not likely to go back.
- Continue to alternate your hiding places, moving will make you harder to find. Carry on this tactic until the seeker eventually gives up!
- Be a telltale. If you know where others are hiding, leave a note for the seeker, outing where the others are. This will increase your chances of being found last.
- Make sure to tell the seeker that if he or she tells anyone about the note, then you won't aid the seeker next time.
- Don't just say everyone's hiding spot besides yours. Skip a few names, so it will be hard to tell who left out the note. You could even decoy by including your own name but a fake hiding spot.
- Contain yourself. Don't laugh. That is an automatic giveaway and you will be found. Cover your mouth and stay low. If you are in a closet, keep your back faced towards the door because if by chances they come in, they might think you are a pile of clothing or a bag. Bathrooms are not great places to hide because any sound that is made will usually echo.
Being a Good Seeker
- Know the layout of the hiding area as best you can. Before the game begins, ask for five minutes to go and check the layout and spot potential hiding spots as you do so. Some hiding areas will become immediately apparent to you, while knowing the layout gives you the opportunity to prepare your trajectory for seeking.
- If you've played the same area before, remember where the hiding spots were last time––these are the ones to check first this time.
- Watch people's eye movements and body positioning before counting. Some people might give away their intention to hide in certain locations or to head in particular directions by looking or even shifting their body in that direction.
- Encourage a short counting time over a long one. This makes it a lot more fun for everyone involved, as they have to dash madly to get to their hiding spot on time and you don't have to wait around impatiently counting.
- Check quickly and thoroughly. Check every single room, if playing indoors. Try to be quick about it. Hiders may become frustrated if you never find them. While you are searching, scope out other places to hide. Be aware that if it looks impossible, it probably isn't, someone may well have tried it.
- Check the checked spots toward the game's end. Some hiders shift back, hoping you won't check again.
- Be quiet and move with stealth. This is so that you can listen for any breathing, movements, etc. and not alert hiders to your presence before you reach them (potentially giving them the time to move to a new hiding spot).
- As much as you're quiet, listen. If you hear sniffles, sneezes, giggles, shuffling, creaks, etc., these are all giveaway indicators of where your hiders are.
- Look up. People don't look up often and a good hider is aware of this. However, if you're playing a very hands-on hide and seek game, don't go climbing up that ladder or wall if you're liable to be pelted back down again. Find another way to get up or call them out of their spot by shouting that you have spotted them.
- Read up all the tactics used by good hiders. This knowledge can be used both ways, and the seeker can start to look for the hider's telltale signs through knowing the hider's tricks. This is clearly something you need to do beforehand, out of sheer interest. It might even encourage you to put your hand up to be seeker at the next hide and seek game you're party to.
- Don't give up. Never resort to 'olee-olee-oxen free'. Masters of hide and seek look until they find.
Tips
- Don't fall for the tricks that the seeker and the found hiders pull on you just to make you come out from your hiding place. For example, if you hear them start to play a video game or watch a movie, don't fall for it. Chances are good that it's a trick, especially if they say something like, "Let's watch a movie now!". Give them about five minutes and if they still don't stop the trick, come out. If you're really patient, wait them out.
- To make the game even more fun, bend the rules a little and be creative with it!
- For another good place to hide, try to fit under a dresser, sometimes beds or curtains are to obvious. If you can, hide inside a box.
- When the coast is clear, sometimes it's a good to move to a better spot.
- Play tag with the seeker, just out of sight at all times.
- Hide in obvious spots that people think you won't hide in.
- Hide somewhere very close but make sure that one you is the catcher can't see you.
- If you're a seeker, try making the hiders laugh.
- Never run to your hiding spot, you will be out of breath and make loud breathing noises.
- If you stand on the windowsill the seeker can't see your feet.
- If you have light up shoes turn them on and put them in another room on and go hide somewhere else!
- Hide somewhere with small objects that you can throw to make noises in other places - this will through the seeker off your track. Find a place were the person that was counting the numbers would not be able to find you.
Warnings
- Don't say anything if somebody walks into your hiding place. If you can, quietly leave your current hiding spot and find a new one just in case that person is found first and tells 'it' where they found you.
- Don't hide with anybody else but yourself. If they are caught first, chances are, they will tell 'it' where you are. If you happen to walk into a hiding spot where somebody already is, just quietly walk out and hide somewhere else.
- Be careful if you plan on standing or sitting on something while hiding. Not everything is stable and it might collapse and you could get hurt.
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