How to Play Sheep Sheep Come Home
Sheep Sheep Come Home is a large-group chasing and calling game played outdoors. One child takes the role of the Farmer, one becomes the Wolf, and everyone else is a Sheep. The Farmer calls the Sheep across an open space; the Wolf lurks between the two safe zones trying to intercept them. It is fast, loud, and keeps every player involved from start to finish.
The game works on almost any open ground, needs no equipment whatsoever, and scales well from around six players up to very large playground groups. That combination of simplicity and genuine excitement is why it has remained a staple of school playtimes and garden parties for generations.
A little history
The origins of Sheep Sheep Come Home are unclear. It belongs to a wide family of 'calling and chasing' games found across Britain and Ireland, sharing structural similarities with British Bulldog and Fox and Hounds, both of which were documented in British playground surveys of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The sheep-and-wolf framing appears in various regional forms under different names, but no single authoritative first record for this specific title has been established. It is best described as a traditional playground game whose exact lineage cannot be confirmed.
Setting up
- Choose a playing area with two parallel safe zones at opposite ends, ideally 15 to 25 metres apart. Mark each zone with a clear boundary line.
- Select one player to be the Farmer and one to be the Wolf. All remaining players are Sheep.
- All Sheep stand inside one of the two safe zones (their starting pen).
- The Wolf takes up a position anywhere in the open space between the two zones. The Wolf may not stand inside either safe zone.
- The Farmer stands at the edge of the opposite safe zone, facing the Sheep.
How to play
- The Farmer calls out: 'Sheep, sheep, come home!' All Sheep must immediately leave their safe zone and run to reach the opposite safe zone where the Farmer is standing.
- The Wolf calls back 'I'm coming!' at any point after the Farmer's call, then attempts to tag as many Sheep as possible while they are in the open space between the two zones.
- A Sheep is safe the moment any part of their body crosses the boundary line into either safe zone. The Wolf may not enter a safe zone to make a tag.
- Any Sheep tagged by the Wolf before reaching safety becomes a Wolf immediately and joins the Wolf (or Wolves) in the middle for the next round.
- Once all Sheep have either reached safety or been tagged, the round ends. The Farmer calls again and the Sheep run back in the opposite direction.
- This back-and-forth pattern continues each round. The pack of Wolves grows as more Sheep are tagged.
- The Farmer continues calling each round and may not be tagged. The Farmer's role is to prompt the crossing; the Farmer does not chase or tag anyone.
- Play continues until only one Sheep remains untagged, or until all Sheep have been caught.
Winning and scoring
The last Sheep to remain untagged is the winner. In many groups, that player then becomes the Wolf for the next full game, and the previous Wolf or the winner's choice becomes the new Farmer. There is no points system in the standard version; the honour of being the final Sheep uncaught is the sole prize.
The fine points
The most common dispute concerns whether a tag was made before or after a Sheep crossed the safe zone line. The standard ruling is that if any part of the Sheep's body has broken the plane of the boundary line, they are safe and the tag does not count. Wolves who follow through a tackle and end up inside the safe zone have not made a legal tag. A Sheep who trips and lands with their body straddling the line is safe provided their momentum was carrying them into the zone when they fell.
A second common problem arises when Wolves cluster directly on the boundary line, making it nearly impossible for Sheep to enter safely. The standard ruling is that Wolves must keep both feet on the open-field side of the boundary; they may reach across to tag but may not station themselves on or over the line. If a group wants a cleaner rule, adding a one-metre exclusion zone in front of each safe boundary, inside which Wolves may not stand, removes the problem entirely.
How to win more often
- As a Sheep, do not all run at once in the same direction. Spread out so the Wolves cannot cover the whole width of the field.
- As a Wolf, position yourself centrally and wait for the Sheep to commit to a direction before accelerating. Charging too early telegraphs your run.
- Faster Sheep should draw the Wolves wide, creating gaps for slower Sheep to slip through closer to the centre.
- As the Farmer, watch the field before calling. Calling when Wolves are off-balance or facing away gives Sheep an extra fraction of a second.
Variations
Silent Wolf
The Wolf does not call back 'I'm coming!' and is not required to respond at all. Sheep must run the moment the Farmer calls, with no warning of where the Wolf is positioned. This increases tension considerably and works well with older or more confident players.
Multiple Farmers
With very large groups of twenty or more, appoint two Farmers standing at opposite ends. Each Farmer calls independently on alternating rounds. Sheep must listen to identify which Farmer is calling and run to that end. This adds a listening and decision-making element that suits mixed-age groups.
Freeze Tag
A tagged Sheep freezes on the spot rather than joining the Wolves immediately. A free Sheep can unfreeze a frozen Sheep by touching them while in the open space. Frozen Sheep who are still standing in the field at the end of a round then become Wolves. This variant rewards teamwork and keeps tagged players briefly active rather than switching sides at once.
Wolf Calls the Colour
Before each crossing, the Wolf calls out a colour or clothing item (for example, 'anyone wearing red'). Only Sheep matching that description must cross; the rest stay put and are safe for that round. This slows the game down and adds a strategic bluffing layer, making it well suited to younger children who find the full rush overwhelming.
Sheep Sheep Come Home: frequently asked questions
Can the Wolf stand right on the boundary line?
No. The Wolf must keep both feet on the open-field side of the boundary. They may reach or lunge across the line to make a tag, but they cannot station themselves on or over it. If this causes persistent problems, mark a one-metre exclusion zone in front of each safe area.
What happens if the Farmer is tagged by accident?
The Farmer cannot be tagged. If a Wolf accidentally makes contact with the Farmer, no penalty applies and the Farmer continues in their role. The Farmer is not a legitimate target at any point in the game.
Can Sheep refuse to run when the Farmer calls?
No. All Sheep in the safe zone must attempt the crossing immediately when the Farmer calls. Any Sheep who refuses or delays unreasonably is considered caught and joins the Wolves for the next round. A referee or the group can enforce this by counting to three after the call.
How many players do you need to make the game work?
You need at least six players: one Farmer, one Wolf, and a minimum of four Sheep. The game genuinely improves as numbers rise, and it works well with groups of up to thirty or more in a suitably large space.
Is it suitable for mixed ages, for example teenagers playing with young children?
Yes, with a small adjustment. Seat older or faster players as the first Wolves, or restrict their running to a jog. Mixed-age groups also work well with the Wolf Calls the Colour variant, which controls the pace and reduces the physical imbalance between age groups.
Can a Sheep run back to their starting zone instead of crossing to the Farmer's end?
Yes. Either safe zone counts as safety once the round is in motion. Retreating to the starting zone is a legal and sometimes sensible tactic, though it extends the round and often leaves that Sheep isolated in the next crossing.
What counts as a legal tag? Does a two-handed touch count, or does the Wolf have to grab?
Any deliberate touch by the Wolf on any part of the Sheep's body or clothing counts as a tag. A firm one-handed touch is sufficient. Grabbing or pulling is not required and, in most group settings, should be discouraged to avoid falls.
What do you do when there is only one Sheep left and lots of Wolves? It becomes impossible.
That is the intended dramatic climax of the game. The final Sheep is considered the winner the moment they complete a crossing or if the group agrees to call the game in their favour. Some groups award the win automatically once the Sheep count drops to one, declaring that player the champion without forcing the final run.