How to Play Four Corners

Four corners is a fun and easy game you can play in the classroom or with a group of friends. All you need to play four corners is a group of people, a few sheets of paper, and a pen or pencil.

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Playing Four Corners

1
Number the four corners of the room. Put up a sign at each corner, numbered 1, 2, 3, and 4.
- You can label the corners with colors or words instead. If you're a teacher, try using something related to today's lesson.^{[1]
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2
Make space at the sides of the room. Clear the area near all four walls, so children can easily move between corners.^{[2]
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3
Ask for a volunteer to be "It". The volunteer gets to stand in the middle and count down.^{[3]
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4
Explain the rules. Tell the players the rules of the game:^{[4]
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- The person in the middle will cover their eyes and count down from 10 to 0, loudly and slowly.
- Everyone else moves to one of the four corners, very quietly.
- When the person in the middle finishes counting, they choose a number from 1 to 4 (with her eyes still closed). Anyone standing in the corner they chose has to sit down.
- Anyone who isn't in a corner when the counting is done has to sit down.
5
Keep playing with the remaining students. After each round, the person in the middle can open their eyes and see who they knocked out. Then they can close their eyes again and counts from 10 to 0. Each round works the same way. Whoever is in the corner they choose each round has to sit out for the rest of the game.
6
Adjust the rules once most people are out. Once there are only a few people left, the game can take a long time to finish. Add extra rules to speed it up:^{[5]
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- Once there are eight people or fewer, each corner can only hold 2 people maximum.
- Once there are four people or fewer, each corner can only hold 1 person maximum.
7
Play until there's one winner. Once one person is left, that person gets to move to the center and count. Everyone else can stand up again and play for another round.

Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Variations

1
Point to the loudest corner. Instead of choosing any number, the person in the middle can try to name the loudest corner. This makes sneaking around extra important, and might be a good way to prevent roughhousing.^{[6]
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2
Point instead of naming numbers. If the person in the middle has trouble remembering which corner is which, he can point instead. This variation is good for young children.
3
Switch the person in the middle every few rounds. If no one want to be in the middle, have each person take a turn counting for five rounds each. ^{[7]
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- After the first round, you can ask someone who's out of the game to count instead.

Community Q&A

Question

d=Does it have to be 1, 2, 3, 4?

JP1078

Community Answer

No. If you are playing after a class or waiting for the bell to go, you can use words related to the lesson or you can use colours (e.g. red, yellow, blue, and green). (Part 1 step 1)