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How to Play Simon Says: Easy Instructions & Ideas for Kids Download Article See how well you follow directions playing this classic party game Co-authored by Hunter Rising Reviewed by Ashton Wu
Last Updated: January 27, 2026 Fact Checked
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Simon Says Rules
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Simon Says Variations
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Video
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Q&A
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Tips
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Warnings
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This article was reviewed by Ashton Wu and by wikiHow staff writer, Hunter Rising. Ashton Wu is a Board Game expert at Shelfside. After delving into the Yugioh tournament community while growing up, Ashton launched himself into the board gaming community in 2014 and went into reviewing board games as a career full-time in 2019. His YouTube channel Shelfside has over 50K subscribers and over 4 million views, assisted by written reviews on the Shelfside website and BoardGameGeek.com. He also consults with gaming companies to build high-quality gaming products. Ashton is a tournament commentator, board game playthrough director, and host of the Shelfside Podcast, where he talks about board games with his business partner, Daniel. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics at the University of California, Santa Barbara, in addition to the Technology Management Certificate. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 447,961 times.
If you’re looking for a fun game that’s perfect for kids and adults, Simon Says is the perfect thing to play. Simon Says is perfect for improving listening skills for children, and it’s super easy to learn for the whole family. Keep reading, and we’ll walk you through how to play as well as some exciting variations to try out!
Simon Says Game Rules
Choose a player to be Simon. When Simon gives a command starting with “Simon says…” the other players have to follow the instructions. If a player doesn’t follow the instructions correctly, they’re out of the game. The last player standing is the winner!
Steps
Section 1 of 2:
Rules of Simon Says
Download Article
1 Gather a small group of players. Although Simon Says is normally a children’s activity, all ages can play and enjoy the game. Gather a few friends and family members together so you have a few players.[1]XResearch source
Simon Says works best with 5 or more people, but you can play short games with fewer players.
Normally, all the players in Simon Says remain standing for the duration of the playing round, but you can also play while sitting down if it’s more comfortable.
2 Choose a player to be Simon. Within your group of players, randomly pick one person to be Simon first. Whoever is chosen as Simon stands in front of the rest of the players and faces them. All the other players become the “listeners.” Advertisement
3 Give commands as Simon to eliminate players. Whenever Simon is ready, they can start giving commands to the rest of the group. If you begin a command with “Simon says…”, the listeners have to obey and do what you tell them. If you simply state the command, then the listeners should not follow the instructions. If a listener incorrectly follows Simon’s instructions, they’re eliminated for the rest of the game.[2]XResearch source
Give your commands quickly and frequently switch up whether you say “Simon says…” to confuse the listeners.
Some common commands you can give include:
Touch your toes
Hop on one foot
Dance around the room
Do some jumping jacks
Give yourself a hug
Play air guitar
4 Obey “Simon says” commands as a listener. When you’re playing as a listener, pay attention very carefully to the commands given by Simon. Only follow the instructions if they say “Simon says…” before the command. Simon will try to trick you into obeying commands you shouldn’t by giving the commands very quickly. If you don’t follow the instructions correctly, then you’re eliminated for the rest of the round.[3]XResearch source
If Simon gives a command, keep performing it until the next time they say “Simon says…” For example, if they say “Simon says hop on one foot,” then keep hopping on that foot until they say “Simon says stop.”
Wait a second before performing a command to make sure you heard Simon correctly.
5 Win the game if you’re the last remaining listener. During the round, Simon keeps giving commands until there is only one listener left. That player is the winner for the round and becomes the new Simon for the next round. All the eliminated players are back in the next game.[4]XResearch source
Advertisement Section 2 of 2:
Simon Says Variations
Download Article
1 Give listeners a strike instead of eliminating them right away. Give each player 3 or 5 strikes for the round of the game. When a listener follows an instruction incorrectly, they gain 1 strike. When they hit the set amount of strikes, then they’re eliminated from the game.[5]XResearch source
Players could also say a letter to spell out a word when they make a mistake. For example, strikes can spell out H-O-R-S-E like the basketball game Horse. Once a player spells out the entire word, they are eliminated.
2 Change Simon’s name to fit a different theme. During holidays or certain festivities, the leader of the ground can change their name from Simon to a more fitting character. If you’re playing at a birthday party, you could say “Birthday boy says….” If you’re playing sometime around Valentine's Day, try saying “Cupid says…” instead. On the Fourth of July, you could say Uncle Sam instead of Simon.
3 Incorporate sports activities into the commands. Simon Says can be translated into a fun training activity for any sports team, especially teams that have older kids. Give out different drills as commands, or assign exercises as punishments for following a command incorrectly. For example, a volleyball version of Simon Says would include all volleyball-related commands like:
Block – All players jump up to block
Dive – All players pretend to dive for a ball
Defense – All players go into their defensive, ready position
Shuffle – All players would shuffle in the direction indicated by Simon
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Community Q&A
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Question Should I consider Simon Says an all-ages game, or is it just for small children? Community Answer You can play Simon Says at any age; it's not just for small children. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 18 Helpful 66
Question I'm considering playing this game; is it suitable for elementary school students? Community Answer Yes, you will find this game well-suited for elementary school students. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 20 Helpful 51
Question What if there are 27 players? Community Answer Get everyone in a circle, make sure everyone knows who Simon is, then play exactly the same. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 24 Helpful 74
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Video
Tips
If you’re Simon, try to give commands quickly to fool the listeners. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0
If you’re a listener, wait a second before you perform a command to make sure you heard it correctly. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
Submit a Tip All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published Name Please provide your name and last initial Submit Thanks for submitting a tip for review! Advertisement
Warnings
Avoid giving commands that are unsafe or illegal. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
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Reviewed by: Ashton Wu Board Game Expert This article was reviewed by Ashton Wu and by wikiHow staff writer, Hunter Rising. Ashton Wu is a Board Game expert at Shelfside. After delving into the Yugioh tournament community while growing up, Ashton launched himself into the board gaming community in 2014 and went into reviewing board games as a career full-time in 2019. His YouTube channel Shelfside has over 50K subscribers and over 4 million views, assisted by written reviews on the Shelfside website and BoardGameGeek.com. He also consults with gaming companies to build high-quality gaming products. Ashton is a tournament commentator, board game playthrough director, and host of the Shelfside Podcast, where he talks about board games with his business partner, Daniel. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics at the University of California, Santa Barbara, in addition to the Technology Management Certificate. This article has been viewed 447,961 times. 8 votes - 98% Co-authors: 30Updated: January 27, 2026 Views: 447,961 Categories: Party Games for Kids | Party GamesArticle SummaryX
1. Choose someone to be “Simon.” 2. Have “Simon” give a command to the other players. 3. If the command starts with “Simon says…” the players have to do it. 4. If the command doesn’t start with “Simon says…” and a player does it, they’re “out.” 5. The last person standing wins! Did this summary help you?YesNo
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Jun 29, 2017
"All your games help us to learn English with fun. Here we learn verbs, instructions, parts of the body. It motivates students and the process is very interesting and fun."..." more
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Yes No Advertisement Cookies make wikiHow better. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Reviewed by: Ashton Wu Board Game Expert Co-authors: 30Updated: January 27, 2026 Views: 447,96198% of readers found this article helpful. 8 votes - 98% Click a star to add your vote
Aliya Sultanbekova
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"All your games help us to learn English with fun. Here we learn verbs, instructions, parts of the body. It motivates students and the process is very interesting and fun."..." more
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"This was a great explanation of this wonderful childhood game which taught the importance of paying attention to instructions while having fun too."..." more
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Download Article See how well you follow directions playing this classic party game Co-authored by Hunter Rising Reviewed by Ashton Wu 
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Reviewed by: Ashton Wu Board Game Expert This article was reviewed by Ashton Wu and by wikiHow staff writer, Hunter Rising. Ashton Wu is a Board Game expert at Shelfside. After delving into the Yugioh tournament community while growing up, Ashton launched himself into the board gaming community in 2014 and went into reviewing board games as a career full-time in 2019. His YouTube channel Shelfside has over 50K subscribers and over 4 million views, assisted by written reviews on the Shelfside website and BoardGameGeek.com. He also consults with gaming companies to build high-quality gaming products. Ashton is a tournament commentator, board game playthrough director, and host of the Shelfside Podcast, where he talks about board games with his business partner, Daniel. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics at the University of California, Santa Barbara, in addition to the Technology Management Certificate. This article has been viewed 447,961 times. 8 votes - 98% Co-authors: 30 Updated: January 27, 2026 Views: 447,961 Categories: Party Games for Kids | Party Games Article SummaryX
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1 Gather a small group of players. Although Simon Says is normally a children’s activity, all ages can play and enjoy the game. Gather a few friends and family members together so you have a few players.[1] 
2 Choose a player to be Simon. Within your group of players, randomly pick one person to be Simon first. Whoever is chosen as Simon stands in front of the rest of the players and faces them. All the other players become the “listeners.” Advertisement 
3 Give commands as Simon to eliminate players. Whenever Simon is ready, they can start giving commands to the rest of the group. If you begin a command with “Simon says…”, the listeners have to obey and do what you tell them. If you simply state the command, then the listeners should not follow the instructions. If a listener incorrectly follows Simon’s instructions, they’re eliminated for the rest of the game.[2] 
4 Obey “Simon says” commands as a listener. When you’re playing as a listener, pay attention very carefully to the commands given by Simon. Only follow the instructions if they say “Simon says…” before the command. Simon will try to trick you into obeying commands you shouldn’t by giving the commands very quickly. If you don’t follow the instructions correctly, then you’re eliminated for the rest of the round.[3] 
5 Win the game if you’re the last remaining listener. During the round, Simon keeps giving commands until there is only one listener left. That player is the winner for the round and becomes the new Simon for the next round. All the eliminated players are back in the next game.[4] Advertisement 
1 Give listeners a strike instead of eliminating them right away. Give each player 3 or 5 strikes for the round of the game. When a listener follows an instruction incorrectly, they gain 1 strike. When they hit the set amount of strikes, then they’re eliminated from the game.[5] 
2 Change Simon’s name to fit a different theme. During holidays or certain festivities, the leader of the ground can change their name from Simon to a more fitting character. If you’re playing at a birthday party, you could say “Birthday boy says….” If you’re playing sometime around Valentine's Day, try saying “Cupid says…” instead. On the Fourth of July, you could say Uncle Sam instead of Simon. 
3 Incorporate sports activities into the commands. Simon Says can be translated into a fun training activity for any sports team, especially teams that have older kids. Give out different drills as commands, or assign exercises as punishments for following a command incorrectly. For example, a volleyball version of Simon Says would include all volleyball-related commands like: 
Community Answer You can play Simon Says at any age; it's not just for small children. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 18 Helpful 66 
Community Answer Yes, you will find this game well-suited for elementary school students. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 20 Helpful 51