Sardines is the name of numerous children's games. All have in common an aspect where the players are required to lie side by side (as sardine

Sardine

Sardines, or pilchards, are several types of small, oily fish related to herrings, family Clupeidae. Sardines are named after the Mediterranean island of Sardinia, around which they were once abundant....

s in a can). The two most common versions of sardines are variations of hide-and-seek and knick-knocking

Knock, Knock, Ginger

Knock, Knock, Ginger or Knocky Door Ginger were the names for the game dating back to 19th century England or possibly before to the Cornish traditional holiday of Nickanan Night. This game or prank is played by children in many cultures. It involves knocking on the front door of a victim, then...

.

Sardines (hide-and-seek)

This form of sardines is a popular derivative of hide-and-seek. In it, one person hides while the remainder all count to a specified number. Once this number is reached, the remaining people spread out in search of the person who has hidden. As each one finds the hider, they must join the hider in the hiding place. Eventually the hiding place is likely to become obvious because of the number of hiding players. The last person to discover the hiding place must hide in the next round.
This game is best played at night, without the use of lighting, thereby increasing the number of hiding places dramatically.

A. M. Burrage

A. M. Burrage

Alfred McLelland Burrage was a British writer.He was noted in his time as an author of fiction for boys which he published under the pseudonym Frank Lelland, including a popular series called "Tufty"....

 calls this version of the game 'Smee' in his 1931 ghost story of the same name.

Sardines (knick-knocking)

This form of sardines is a derivative of doorbell-ringing games (see knock, knock, Ginger

Knock, Knock, Ginger

Knock, Knock, Ginger or Knocky Door Ginger were the names for the game dating back to 19th century England or possibly before to the Cornish traditional holiday of Nickanan Night. This game or prank is played by children in many cultures. It involves knocking on the front door of a victim, then...

). In it, the players knock on the door of their victim, then quickly lie down side by side on the driveway or lawn. Assuming the homeowner leaves his or her house to investigate, the game becomes one of chicken

Chicken (game)

The game of chicken, also known as the hawk-dove or snowdrift game, is an influential model of conflict for two players in game theory...

, where the players try to outlast each other in remaining silent and stationary in front of the homeowner's house without giving in from embarrassment (and leaving) or giving in to laughter.