You can add or subtract players as you continue to play as well. If someone wants to join in, just wait until the next round. Likewise, if someone wants to leave, that’s ok too. Try to play with at least three people. More people will make the rounds last longer and can be more fun.

Make sure that all players understand the boundaries of the game. You can even make the rule that if a player goes outside the boundaries that player is eliminated for a round. Your designated safe spot is where the players run to when the ghost is found. It can be a large tree, front stoop, back patio, etc. Try to designate a spot that everyone can physically touch or stand on.

If you want to pick a ghost the old fashioned way, you can have everyone form a circle with both of each player’s feet. Then one person says a rhyme while tapping one foot for each word. Each time the rhyme ends that player removes a foot. The rhyme is repeated until there is one foot left. [2] X Research source That person is the ghost. The rhyme could be: “Bubble Gum, bubble gum in a dish. How many pieces do you wish?” Then whoever’s foot is touched says a number. The leader counts out that number and then says “…and you are out. ” After the first round, the next ghost is determined by the losing player. This is the player who was last to reach the safe zone. It can also be the first person if you wish.

The ghost must hide somewhere within the designated boundaries. The ghost cannot hide inside anywhere. The ghost should go and hide somewhere that’s not close to the base. Finding a spot that’s further away and hidden will allow the ghost to have a better chance at tagging a player.

Alternatively, you can all count to 50 and then chant “Starlight, star bright, I hope to see a ghost tonight!” Depending on how large the playing area and how many places there are to hide, you want to give the ghost a good amount of time.

When anyone encounters the ghost that player should yell, “Ghost in the graveyard!" and try to run away. When the ghost catches someone, the new person becomes the only ghost. If the ghost doesn’t catch anyone, then the last player to reach the base is the new ghost.

You can add or subtract players as you continue to play as well. If someone wants to join in, just wait until the next round. Likewise, if someone wants to leave, that’s ok too. Try to play with at least three people. More people will make the rounds last longer and can be more fun.

Make sure that all players understand the boundaries of the game. You can even make the rule that if a player goes outside the boundaries that player is eliminated for a round. Your designated safe spot is where the players run to when the ghost is found. It can be a large tree, front stoop, back patio, etc. Try to designate a spot that everyone can physically touch or stand on.

If you want to pick a ghost the old fashioned way, you can have everyone form a circle with both of each player’s feet. Then one person says a rhyme while tapping one foot for each word. Each time the rhyme ends that player removes a foot. The rhyme is repeated until there is one foot left. That person is the ghost. The rhyme could be: “Bubble Gum, bubble gum in a dish. How many pieces do you wish?” Then whoever’s foot is touched says a number. The leader counts out that number and then says “…and you are out. ”

The players should not be looking where the ghost is going to hide. Everyone’s eyes should be closed.

Alternatively, you can all count to 50 and then chant “Starlight, star bright, I hope to see a ghost tonight!” Depending on how the large the playing area and how many places there are to hide, you want to give the ghost a good amount of time. The ghost must hide somewhere within the designated boundaries. The ghost cannot hide inside anywhere. The ghost does not have a flashlight. The ghost should go and hide somewhere that’s not close to the base. Finding a spot that’s further away and hidden will allow the ghost to have a better chance at tagging a player.

When the ghost finds a seeking player, that player then turns off the flashlight and takes the ghost’s hiding spot. The original ghost is then free to move around the playing field and hide somewhere else. The ghost will then wait in a new spot to tag another player. That player then turns off the flashlight and hides.

Once the ghost has been spotted by a player with a flashlight, all the players who are still seeking turn off the flashlight and get some time to hide. The players who are already hiding and are also ghosts will come out. The ghosts will all meet at the home base.

Once the original ghost has been spotted the roles of each type of player switch. If you were tagged by the ghost and hiding, you are now a ghost who is looking for the alive players. If you were still an alive player when the ghost was spotted, you now go hide. The ghosts will all go to the home base and count while the alive players hide.

As long as it’s not too dark and everyone can easily move safely, no one should have flashlights at this stage. If you are running toward the base and get tagged you immediately become a ghost and join the hunt. The first player who gets to home base safely without getting tagged yells out. That player is the winner and gets to start as the ghost the next round. If no one gets to the base safely, then the players pick a new ghost in a way that everyone agrees upon.

You can add or subtract players as you continue to play as well. If someone wants to join in, just wait until the next round. Likewise, if someone wants to leave, that’s ok too. Try to play with at least three people. More people will make the rounds last longer and can be more fun.

Make sure that all players understand the boundaries of the game. You can even make the rule that if a player goes outside the boundaries that player is eliminated for a round. Your designated safe spot, or, home base is where players run to when the ghost is found. It can be a large tree, front stoop, back patio, etc. Try to designate a spot that everyone can physically touch or stand on.

If you want to pick a ghost the old fashioned way, you can have everyone form a circle with both of each player’s feet. Then one person says a rhyme while tapping one foot for each word. Each time the rhyme ends that player removes a foot. The rhyme is repeated until there is one foot left. That person is the ghost. The rhyme could be: “Bubble Gum, bubble gum in a dish. How many pieces do you wish?” Then whoever’s foot is touched says a number. The leader counts out that number and then says “…and you are out. ”

The storyteller is in charge of making up a spooky story. The story usually involves a group of people wandering through a graveyard at night. You can pick the storyteller the same way you pick the ghost, or however you think is fair. If someone volunteers to be the storyteller that works too.

All of the other players stand at the home base with eyes closed while the ghost and storyteller go choose a hiding place for the ghost. The storyteller needs to know where the ghost is hiding so that this player can lead the others to the ghost. Although everyone’s eyes should be closed, it’s more fun if the storyteller takes a roundabout route back to home base after leaving the ghost’s hiding spot. Not taking a direct path back to base will make it harder for the players to know where the ghost is.

The job of the storyteller is to lead the group through the playing area. The storyteller should not go right to the ghost.

The storyteller can choose to tell a story without any help, slowly leading the other players to the ghost. But it can be more fun and interactive for everyone if the storyteller asks the players where to go. And then forms a story around the players’ decisions. The storyteller may start the story saying something like “A group of brave adventurers set out to search the graveyard for a ghost who was guarding a great treasure. Which way did the adventurers head first?” Then the other players can decide together where to go and look. Once everyone agrees, the storyteller will lead the players to that area. If the ghost is not there, the storyteller can add to the story with something like “The adventurers came upon an old tombstone. The wind began to howl but upon searching it, they found nothing. " This will add suspense. The storyteller can even add a clue that will help the players get closer to the ghost.

The two people who are tagged will be “it” the next round. Both players will agree who will be ghost and storyteller, respectively. Alternatively, players can decide that the first two players who reach the home base get to be the ghost and storyteller. If no one is tagged, then everyone will agree on a way to choose the next ghost and storyteller.