Kick the Can
Hide-and-Seek plus jailbreak — the seeker guards the 'can'; anyone can free jailed players by sneaking in and kicking it.
What is Kick the Can?
Kick the Can is a Hide-and-Seek/tag hybrid especially popular in North America. An empty tin can is set in the middle of the play area. One seeker guards the can; the rest hide. Found players go to 'jail' near the can, but any hider still free can sneak in and 'kick the can' — sending all jailed players sprinting back into hiding. Game ends when everyone is jailed. A staple of the Depression era and mid-20th-century childhoods.
Quick facts
Category
Playground Games
Type
Team sport
Players
4–20
Where played
outdoor
Country of origin
🇺🇸 United States
Estimated origin
Late 19th-century North America — Depression-era favourite
Olympic
No
Popularity
regional