Hide and Seek

Form a bond
Maintain the bond
Move
Play
Energize

Goals:

This game is a highly dynamic and spectacular variation on hide-and-seek, which increases the sense of cohesion and brings lightness to the group. It's ideal as a warm-up, to change energy levels, or when attention wanes.

Participants:

Variable

Duration:

30'

Required equipment:

None

Space requierment:

Any area in which the group can run and hide.

Requirements:

Good physical condition (running) and very good knowledge of participants' first names.

Preparation

The facilitator leads the group through the protocol, reading and then executing the entire Process.

Process

Define a playing area, gather the players in it and designate who will be the first to count and search. The searcher stands in the center of the area, with the others around her.

The searcher closes her eyes and begins to count aloud from fifteen to zero.

As soon as the countdown begins, each player touches her and leaves to find a hiding place.

At zero, the Seeker opens her eyes and is allowed only three large steps to find the hidden players.

If she identifies a player, she calls her out by name and names her hiding place.

The player found emerges from her hiding place, stands to one side and observes the rest of the game.

When the searcher cannot find any more participants, she closes her eyes and starts counting out loud again, this time from fourteen to zero.

The remaining players must come and touch the Seeker, then run back into hiding.

At zero, the Seeker opens her eyes again and the process is repeated. At each round, the number of counts decreases and therefore reduces the time to touch and hide with each iteration.

The game ends when the last player is found.

End of game

The game can continue by changing searchers until the players feel a drop in energy or express a desire to stop.

Notes

As the game is very dynamic, collisions can occur between players, so be careful how you occupy the space.

References

Shared by the 50 students of the HKB Hohe Schule der Künste, Bern, living art department, during a workshop in 2022.