How to Play the Olly Olly Oxen Free Game

Version One

• 1

  Pick one person to be the seeker. This person is called "It." One way to determine the person who starts as "It" is the last one to shout out "not It" starts.

• 2

  Pick the location for home base. This is where the person who is "It" starts and where other players run to be "safe."

• 3

  Instruct "It" to close her eyes and count out loud to 100 or any other number. The number should be big enough to allow the other players to go and hide. When "It" reaches the number 100, she shouts out, "ready or not, here I come."

• 4

  Continue the game by having "It" seek out the other players. If "It" spots one of the hiding players, she shouts out that person's name and races back to home base. If the player beats "It" to home base, this player is safe. At any time, players can attempt to sneak back to home base. If they do, they are safe.

• 5

  Replay the game if "It" can not find one or two players after a set amount of time. When this happens, "It" shouts out "Ollie Ollie Oxen Free" and all players return to home base to start a new game.

Version Two

• 6

  Repeat Steps 1 through Step 3 of Version One.

• 7

  Continue the game with "It" seeking out all other players one by one. The last person found gets to choose who starts as "It" for the next game.

• 8

  End the game when "It" is unable to find one or two players. She shouts out "Ollie Ollie In Free" and all remaining hidden players run to home base. The last player to arrive is declared to be "It" for the next game.