This traditional game remains a firm favourite at parties, and is simple to prepare for an play. We recommend that you play with children over the age of 5, unless you can supervise very closely.
Age: 5+ (younger if supervised carefully)
You will need:
A thimble (or other small object, such as a button, coin or toy)
How to play:
Now choose one child (usually the party child) to be first to hide the thimble. All the other kids leave the room. When the thimble is hidden, the children are called back in and race to be the first to find it. Whoever does so is next to hide the thimble, and the game continues.
Before you start, gather all the children together and make sure that they understand the rules: the thimble must be hidden in such a way that it can be seen without moving furniture, opening drawers and cupboards, and otherwise disturbing your room! Give them an example of a good hiding place, and point out that by cleverly hiding the thimble against something of a similar colour or shape, it can be very hard to find.
This is a good game for sorting children into pairs for the next game. Hide two thimbles at once, and the children who find them become partners.
If you are playing with children and adults or mixed ages of kids, try hiding two different objects of different sizes: a tiny button for the adults, and a thimble for the children, perhaps.
Playing in the garden
Adapt the game by using an object more suited to hiding in the garden, like a small green toy car or ball. Make sure you define an area, and keep an eye on younger children, who are likely to get easily distracted!