How to Play Sardines

What is Sardines?

Sardines is a game of reverse hide and seek where one player hides and all other players seek. As seekers find the hider, they join the hiding spot, but they try to be stealthy so as not to alert other seekers to the hiding location. As play continues the hiding spot gets packed like sardines in a tin with more and more hiders. The game ends when all seekers have found the hiding spot.

The whole family can learn how to play Sardines, and it’s fun to spice up the hide-and-seek routine a little bit. It’s a great game to play indoors or outdoors, so you can have this as a gaming option all through the year!

Sardines Objective

Not be the last one to find the hiding spot.

Sardines Game Length

A typical single game of sardines is 5-10 minutes. The whole activity with multiple rounds is usually 30-60 minutes.

Requirements

All you need to play sardines is a playing area, either indoors or outdoors, and some players.

Age

Sardines is great for all ages. But kids under four years old don’t usually have the skills to be good hiders or seekers. And before kids develop object permanence around 8 months old, hide and seek games don’t really work. Younger kids will also require some supervision.

Skills

Social skills: Players interact and learn good sportsmanship.
Body awareness: Players need to be aware of their bodies as they stealthily hide, so as not to tip off the seekers.

Why we like it for kids and families

Sardines is a fun and simple variation of hide and seek where players get crammed together into a hiding spot. As more people join the hiding spot, there’s lots of giggling as it becomes harder and harder to keep players hidden.

1: Gather some friends

Sardines is usually a large group game, but can be played with as few as three players.

2: Pick the location and set the boundaries

Sardines can be played indoors or outdoors, but it’s important to set boundaries so that everyone agrees on the playing area.

Additionally, if there are locations that could be dangerous (or delicate if indoors), define what’s ok and what isn’t.

3: Decide who will hide first

For a fair method. Get one small piece of paper per player. Mark an “X” on one of them, then fold all the pieces and put them in a hat. Each player draws one piece of paper from the hat and the player who draws the X is the first hider.

Alternatively, just choose any player to go first!

4: Begin a countdown from 100 while hiding

The seekers gather in an area where they can’t see the playing area (or close their eyes) and count down from 100 while the hider finds their hiding spot. In large outdoor playing areas, you may want to add more time for hiding.

Hiders should try to find a good place to hide, but also be aware that other people will be joining them in the hiding spot. So a good hiding spot for one person might not be a great place to hide for a group.

5: Split up and seek

Once the countdown ends, the seekers declare “ready or not, here we come,” and they split up and try to find the hider.

6: Hide with the hider when found

If any seeker finds the hider, they will try to be stealthy and not alert the other seekers, then join the hider in the hiding spot.

7: Continue searching until everyone has found the hiding spot

As the game progresses, players will notice that there are fewer and fewer seekers. And the hiding spot will become packed (like sardines!). The game continues until all of the of the seekers have found the hiding spot.

8: Declare the winner

In the classic version of the game, everyone but the last seeker is a winner. Or, in other words, the last seeker is the loser. But be kind! And don’t worry, they have a chance for redemption in the next round by finding a good hiding spot as the hider.

9: Play another round

The last seeker to find the hiding spot is the hider in the next round of sardines.

Sardines Game Video Tutorial

Sardines Game Rules

Hiders and seekers must stay within the defined boundaries
Hiders should pick their final hiding spot before the countdown expires
Seekers should attempt to stay in the same hiding spot, but may need to spill out into adjacent spots
The last seeker to find the hiding spot is the hider in the next round
Sardines Variations

Sardines rule variations

First finder goes next. One of the most common rule variations is to allow the first seeker to find the hider to be the hider in the next round.
Playing in the dark. Some people play the game inside in the dark and hide under blankets to create a more tactile version of the game.
Looser rules on moving hiding spots. Officially, the hider should finalize the hiding spot before the countdown ends, but you can choose to make the hiding spot changeable. Just realize that a group of moving hiders is pretty easy to spot!

“Hide and seek” variations

Sardines is a variation of the hide and seek game, so let’s also look at some other hide and seek options:

Hide and seek

Kick the can

More hide and seek variations

This video by Early Impact outlines 9 variations to hide and seek, including: hide and seek water pistols, secret wave, hide and seek jail, one team up, everyones on, hide and seek move, hide and seek teddy, blocko, and sardines.

Sardines Games FAQs

What is the origin of the Sardines game?

Even though there is no legit story about the origin of the history sardines game, people have already been known to play it in Greece in the 2nd century. Their version of the game was called ‘apodidraskinda’ – what a mouthful! It has also been described in a story called Smee written by A.M. Burrage in the 1930s.

What is the other name for the sardines game?

Sardines goes by several different names, such as: Apodidraskinda (from it’s Greek origin), Reverse hide and seek, Smee (from the 1931 “Smee” movie), and Ha Ha Herman (made popular from the Peanuts comic strip as a mix of Sardines and Marco Polo)

How many people can play sardines?

The ideal number of players for sardines is a medium-sized group of about 15 players. Although it can be played with as few as three players, and more than twenty (it just takes longer with more players)

Why is the game “sardines” called sardines?

The game sardines is called sardines because players get packed tightly together in the hiding spot as the game progresses, just like sardines packed into a tin.

Who goes next in sardines?

In the classic version of sardines, the last seeker to find the hiding spot is the player that hides first in the next round. However, some people play a variation where the first seeker to find the hiding spot is the hider in the next round.

What’s the difference between sardines and hide and seek?

The main difference between sardines and hide and seek is that sardines game has one hider, with the rest being seekers, and hide and seek has one seeker, with the rest being hiders. So sardines is kind of a “reverse” hide and seek. As the game of sardines progresses, seekers who find the hider join them in the hiding spot until only one seeker remains. In the game of hide and seek, as the game progresses, hiders who are found become seekers and attempt to find more hiders.

Can you move in sardines?

Players can move hiding spots within the countdown, but should pick their final position before the timer is up and the seeking begins. If you want to be a little looser in the rules, just define it in the beginning of the game. But a moving hiding spot with multiple people isn’t very effective!