Chhupan Chhupai (Hide and seek)
Count to twenty, then find everyone.
- Players
- 3 or more
- Ages
- 4 and up
- What you need
- Nothing at all
Known everywhere in India under a different name: chhupan chhupai, kannamoochi, dagudu mutalu, lukka chuppi. No two neighbourhoods agree on the counting number, and every child is certain their version is the correct one.
How to play
- 1One player is the denner. They close their eyes at a fixed spot — the den — and count aloud to twenty.
- 2Everyone else hides.
- 3The denner searches. When they spot someone, both race back to the den.
- 4If the hider touches the den first, they are safe. If the denner gets there first, that hider is out.
- 5The first person found becomes the next denner.
Good for the body
Bursts of sprinting, crouching and holding awkward positions still. The stillness is harder work than it looks.
Good for the brain
Hiding well means modelling what someone else can see from where they are standing — perspective-taking, and one of the genuine building blocks of empathy.
A note for parents
The simplest game in the world, playable anywhere, at any age, with no equipment. It is also often a child's first experience of choosing patience over excitement — staying still and quiet when every instinct says run.
Played today?
Ask a parent before going outdoors.