We’ve been playing Hide-n-Go Seek the last few nights in our house. It’s mainly an excercise for NikkiZ to try to help her understand the game more, but we’re failing miserably. She still uses many of these techniques while playing:
- Tells you where she’s hiding before you count. “You go count, I’m going to hide here.”
- Leaves her hiding place as soon as she hears you nearby.
- Picks the same hiding place several times in a row, but still being entertained each time you find her.
It’s actually a good release I’ve discovered. It’s hard to fight back the childhood excitement each time someone comes to find you, or the determination when you’re hunting the hiders around the house. LilZ really gets into it too – even though he masks his excitement behind the act of teaching his sister how to play properly. It’s a lot of fun and I get excited after dinner the nights we decide to play.
There are a few downsides, however:
- Our house is small. Not super-tiny, but small enough that we’re at the point where every hiding space has been used. We are now just filtering through the standard places each time we look. Periodically there are some new discoveries (NikkiZ and I hid on the front porch last night) but mostly? You just walk around looking the same places every time.
- Sweetie ruins it for me EVERY TIME. Sweetie feels this incredible need to follow me around when I’m hiding. If I lock her out, she stands outside of my hiding place, essentially giving it away. I hid in the garage the other night and thought LilZ would not even bother looking there. Except that Sweetie was standing on the other side of the door, he said, just staring at it. Thanks, Dog.
- I scream a lot. I am one of those type of people that scare VERY easily. Everyone who has ever lived with me has some sort of story about accidentally scaring me – resulting in me screaming bloody murder. TWICE last night, even though I was looking for LilZ and NikkiZ, they managed to scare the crap out of me without even trying. Both times I screamed like I was being murdered. Loud enough for the neighbors to hear. I’m sure they’re very excited about our new nighttime activity. Anyone want to place bets on how many more nights before the police are called?
We used to play hide and seek lots at my grandparents old house. We discovered that we could hide in the coat cupboard. There was actually enough space for us both to hide in it which would be funny
Don’t feel too bad about NikkiZ not getting the whole hiding thing. My son is 4 1/2 and he still stinks at hiding. He will say things like, “I’m not under the ottoman.” Last night he ran into my room and into my closet while I was standing there, shouting “You’re never going to find me this time!” My absolute favorite was when he just stood in the middle of the room, covered by a blanket!
Hee. I wonder what kind of hell the neighbors think y’all are raising over there.
I’m a screamer too. I don’t like being startled at all.
Your game sounds so fun!
My roomie scares easily too. One day she was sitting on the balcony and a taxi dropped me off. I saw her looking and I walked up the stairs of the porch, into the house and up the stairs. Apparently she didn’t see ME get out of the cab, and since outside didn’t hear me come up the stairs. Until I was coming out onto the balcony. She almost fell off, and she screamed.
Wait until NikkiZ is old enough to play Green Ghost. It is SO SO SO much fun. Usually played outside, after dark.
It’s so much fun teaching little ones new games. Keep playing, she’ll get it. Is she better about keeping quiet when you hide with her? Can you lock Sweetie in the bathroom?
“Thanks, Dog.” …love it.
Man. That sounds awesome! My son’s a big fan of hide and seek, too…his favorite part is looking for me because I ALWAYS jump out and “rawr!” at him- he LOVES being startled.
Sister, you would NOT have liked living in our house. Our driveway was a 1/4 mile long and when we saw my mom coming down the driveway, my dad, sister and I would run around turning off all of the lights. Literally, as she is driving down the driveway, she sees all the lights go out in the house, so she knows it’s Game ON.
The trick is to let someone pass by you several time, and THEN jump out. Good thing my mom was younger and her heart could take it! 🙂
My 2.5 yr old likes to hide while we count and once we yell, “ready or not?!” he runs out an bum-rushes us. Yeahhhh, not quite getting the concept.
I MUST KNOW where you got your beautiful bookshelves! I have been hunting for nearly a year and cannot find anything satisfactory.
I’m easily startled too. My husband or son will scare me at least once a day by merely walking into the room. If I’m really engaged in something, it’s like they come out of nowhere and it causes me to scream. My husband likes to announce “I live here” before he walks in a room so he doesn’t scare me.
Nice to know my son isn’t the only one who jumps out as soon as you get close when playing. he’s also not very good about being quiet when you’re looking for him. His laugh is infectious once he’s been found, tho. Silly times are the best!
Heh… this is how hide & seek goes in our house only both my son and I are screamers (likely a learned thing from me to him.) We love this game because of winter. We are all so pent up, you know!?
If it makes you feel better, I’m a screamer too. heh. Last Thanksgiving I was playing Guitar Hero & DH’s uncle snuck up behind me, grabbed me & said boo. I jumped & screamed (luckily no cuss words were involved). Having the whole family stare at you like you’re a nutjob is just great.
My daughter does all of those “mistakes” too.
It’s what makes playing with her AWESOME! lol
Haha I’m an “easy screamer” too. Your family always sounds like so much fun!
And boo on the dog for spoiling your hiding spots haha!
I so suck at hide ‘n’ go seek. I can never find the good hiding spots! It sounds like the evenings are fun at your house! Even if you are scaring the pants off the neighbors.
That looks so fun! Thats the problem with being an only child. I never played any games like this. 🙁