Get Active: 40-40 In

Tuesday 9th May 2017

Try out this old classic – 40-40 In; a great game to get your group outside into your local park or other outdoor space. Ideally for this game you want to be playing in a wooded/forest area with lots of trees, bushes and other places to hide.

Instructions

1. Establish a base, like a big tree or a tree stump.
2. One member is nominated as a ‘ spotter’ who then guards the base and counts to 40. As the they count (eyes shut, no peeking!) all the other players move away to hide: behind trees, under bushes and so on. Explain what the boundary is in terms of the area that players can use for the game (you don’t want them going too far away, and should always be in sight of a leader).
3. The spotter then has to leave the base to start looking for those who have hidden. Once they’ve “spotted” someone, they run back to the base and shout “40-40 Out!” followed by the person’s name. That person is then out of the game.
4. The aim of the game is for those hiding to try and sneak to the base before the spotter does, shouting “40-40 In!” when they do.
5. If the player is spotted by the ‘spotter’, then a race ensues to see the first one back. However, if the first one to be in contact with the base is the ‘spotter’, then they must still call out where they see the other player, example “40-40 I see ‘name’ running towards me”.
6. The first one to be caught becomes the ‘spotter’ in the next game, but the current game must continue until all the players have been found or run for ‘base’.

Safety

Before playing the game remind the children to move about with caution and be aware of the obstacles in the forest/woodland area.