Hide and seek is a classic game that can be fun for kids and adults! The nighttime version that we’re calling Monsters in the Dark ups the challenge for everyone involved and can even give it a fun, creepy vibe. Before playing, prepare yourself and the area as much as possible so everyone can have a crazy good (and safe!) time!
Preparation of the Area
Since you’re playing this game in the dark, the possibility of an injury becomes more real. For this reason, find an area that is open and away from your campfire and any other dangerous obstacles. Before it gets dark, walk around the area and pick up anything that may be a tripping hazard, such as sticks, large rocks, lawn decorations, etc. While you do this, take note of good hiding spots. This will help you hide when you’re a hider and know where to look when you’re the seeker.
Preparing Yourself
As stated above, scouting the area when it’s light out is a great way to get ideas on both where to hide and where to seek. Preparing yourself to be harder to see at night will also make things easier no matter which role you’re in. Wear dark clothes or camouflage so you’re hard to see. Don’t wear anything reflective such as jewelry that may catch a glimmer of moonlight and give you away. For kids, if they have shoes that light up, don’t wear them.
Game Play
You know the classic rules. You pick someone to be “it” and they then have to find the rest of the group that runs and hides while they count. You can add some variations to game play to make it more interesting if you wish.
Making this a flashlight game can cause some serious giggles from the little ones. What makes playing outside at night even more fun than having a flashlight? With this variation, instead of finding and tagging the hider with their hands, they simply have to locate them and then shine the beam of light on them and call out their name.
A “fugitive” style game can put an interesting twist on this as well. To play this style you reverse the numbers. You’ll have one hider and the rest of the group are the seekers. The person hiding is a fugitive on the run and the seekers are the police trying to find them. You can almost make this like a tag game as well, giving the hider a head start and placing the counting seekers in various areas. Then the hider has to try and move from spot to spot and make it to a designated safe zone.
The last variation makes it more of a competition and mixes in a bit of a scavenger hunt. Have someone who is not playing, or someone who will be “it” for the round, hide an object while the rest of the group looks away. The group then must search out the object and whoever finds it wins. You can also hide various objects and whoever finds the most items wins the game.
Getting outside in the fresh air is fun in itself, but doing it in the dark takes it to another level! No matter how old you are, there’s no reason you can’t enjoy a good game of Hide and Seek! Go out and play Monsters In the Dark and see how much fun this timeless game can be!
