Well-Equipped Volunteer: Train & Grow Your Children's Ministry Volunteers

I have great memories playing this game outside at camp when I was a teenager. I also played this game inside a church with kids during a mid-week club program and it was one of their favorites.

This game can be played inside or outside at night or in the dark. It requires a flashlight. This game mixes the popular games, hide and seek with tag.

Here's how to play:

The person who is "it" waits at the "jail" counting to a high number while everyone else hides. Then, armed with a flashlight, this person searches for the others. The flashlight must remain on at all times and may not be covered. When "it” spots someone, s/he must use the flashlight to get a close enough look at the person to identify him/her and call out his/her name. Meanwhile, all the other players may choose to stay in one hiding spot the whole time or may switch from spot to spot in an attempt to avoid "it."

There are variations of what happens when a person gets caught. One variation is to pass the flashlight to the caught person, so s/he becomes "it." Another version is to send each caught person to "jail" to wait until everyone is caught. The first person caught then becomes "it."

What makes this game fun is the element of strategy involved. Remember, its tag with hide and seek. Players may switch hiding spots. They can watch to see where “it” has already searched and go hide there. They can also try to follow “it.”

Safety Precautions:

• Whether you play inside or outside, make sure the players know the boundaries.
• Have enough leaders to supervise; give them flashlights. You may want to have some leaders stationary, especially at the trouble spots, and some leaders roaming around your play area.
• Make sure kids understand the areas that are off-limits—bathrooms, kitchen, etc.
• Make the stairs (if using any) a safe zone. And make sure lights are on at any stairs.

Reasons Why I Love this Game:

1. All children play at the same time. No one is left out.
2. Kids who are tagged aren’t out entirely; they can get back into the game.
3. It is easy to learn and simple to play.
4. It is easy to include new players into the game, even in the middle of the game.
5. It is extremely versatile – it can be played almost anywhere, requires little equipment, and can be played with almost any number of children

Have fun!