How to Play Follow the Leader

By Jaques of London · Est. 1795 · Updated 2026-08-17

Follow the Leader is a classic active playground game in which one child leads a group through a sequence of movements, sounds or silly actions, and every other player must mirror them precisely. It needs no equipment, no score sheets and no complicated setup, which is exactly why it has survived generations of school breaks and garden afternoons.

The game is usually played outdoors on a lawn, playground or open field, though a spacious hall works perfectly well in wet weather. Its appeal lies in its simplicity: very young children can join in immediately, while older players and adults can push the complexity of the actions as far as imagination allows, making it genuinely fun across a wide age range.

A little history

The exact origins of Follow the Leader are unclear. Imitation games of this kind appear in descriptions of children's play from at least the nineteenth century in Britain and North America, and the phrase "follow the leader" was in common use in print by the mid-1800s to describe both the game and the broader idea of copying a person in authority. Beyond that general outline, documented evidence of a fixed, codified set of rules is thin, and the game has almost certainly been reinvented independently by children in many cultures. It is traditionally passed on through play rather than through written instruction.

Setting up

1. Choose a playing area with enough open space for the group to move around freely and safely.
2. Decide how the first Leader will be chosen: common methods include the oldest player volunteering, a quick hand vote, or a simple counting-out rhyme.
3. Gather all players in a single-file line behind the Leader.
4. Agree before play begins on any actions that are off-limits for safety or fairness, such as climbing, running near a road, or actions that require equipment nobody has.
5. Agree on the elimination rule: players are out when they miss an action, or you may instead use a lives system (see Variations) if the group prefers a longer game.

How to play

1. The Leader stands at the front of the line and begins moving through the playing area in any direction they choose.
2. As the Leader moves, they perform a sequence of actions: these can be physical movements (hopping, spinning, crawling), sounds (clapping, clicking, calling out a word), facial expressions, or any combination.
3. Every player in the line must copy each action as closely as possible, in the same order the Leader performed it.
4. Actions must be mirrored promptly. A player who skips an action, performs it significantly differently, or is noticeably slower than the rest of the line has failed to follow.
5. Any player who fails to follow correctly is called out by group agreement (see Fine Points for how disputes are handled) and steps out of the line.
6. The Leader continues performing actions for a set time period agreed before play, or until only one follower remains.
7. When the round ends, the last follower remaining wins the round and becomes the Leader for the next round.
8. If all followers are eliminated before the time is up, the Leader wins that round and leads again, or the group may vote to rotate the role to the next player in line.
9. Begin the next round with all players back in the line behind the new Leader.

Winning and scoring

In a single round, the winner is the last player still in the line who has successfully copied every action without error. In a multi-round session, keep a simple tally of rounds won. The player who has won the most rounds after an agreed number of rounds, or after an agreed total time, is the overall winner. There is no universally fixed score target: agree the winning condition before play begins.

The fine points

The most common dispute is whether a player has copied an action closely enough. The standard ruling is majority vote among all players still in the game, including the Leader. If the group is evenly split, the player gets the benefit of the doubt and stays in for that action. Leaders should be encouraged to perform actions clearly and hold them long enough for everyone in a long line to see them. If the Leader moves too fast and the last players in the line genuinely cannot see what was done, it is fair to repeat the action before calling anyone out.

A second common issue arises when the Leader performs an action that is physically impossible for a younger or smaller player. The standard ruling is that any action the Leader knows a specific player cannot perform (due to age, size or a physical difference that was not disclosed before play) should be withdrawn and replaced. The goal is a fair test of attention and imitation, not a test of physical ability. If a follower is called out and disputes the call, they should state their objection immediately, before the next action begins. Objections raised after play has moved on are not valid.

How to win more often

• Watch the Leader, not the player directly in front of you: copying your neighbour risks inheriting their mistakes.
• If you become Leader, mix slow deliberate actions with quick ones to catch followers who are not paying close attention.
• Start with simple actions early in your turn as Leader, then layer in complexity once followers have relaxed into a routine.
• In a long line, stay near the front so you have a clear view of the Leader and more time to process each action before you must perform it.
• When following a very active or fast-moving Leader, focus on the single most distinctive element of each action rather than trying to capture every detail at once.

Variations

Lives System

Instead of instant elimination, each player starts with three lives. A failed action costs one life. Losing all three lives removes the player from the game. This keeps younger or less confident players involved for longer and suits mixed-age groups well.

Freeze Follow the Leader

The Leader can shout "Freeze!" at any point, at which all players must stop moving immediately and hold their exact position. Any player who moves after the freeze call loses a life or is eliminated. This adds a second layer of attention alongside the imitation challenge.

Themed Rounds

Before each round, the group agrees a theme for all actions: animals only, sports movements only, slow-motion actions only, and so on. The Leader must keep all their actions within the theme, which encourages creativity and makes it easier for very young players to follow along.

Simon Says Hybrid

The Leader prefaces each action with either "Follow the Leader" or says nothing. Players must copy only the actions introduced with the phrase. Any player who copies an unprefaced action is out. This blends the listening element of Simon Says into the movement game and works well for slightly older children looking for an extra challenge.

Follow the Leader: frequently asked questions