A counting-out game is a simple game intended to select a person to be "it," often for the purpose of playing another game. Some counting-out games are
- Rock, paper, scissors
- Coin flipping
- Drawing straws - player with the shortest straw loses.
- Buzz
Many such games involve counting round a circle of players to a rhyme. The player the last word lands on is out. Common rhymes are:
- Eeny, meeny, miny, moe,
- Catch a tigger by his toe
- If he squeals, let him go
- Eeny, meeny, miny, moe.
- One potato, two potato - players may start with both fists (to resemble potatoes) in, so have to be got twice to be out.
- One potato, two potato
- Three potato, four,
- Five potato, six potato,
- Seven potato, more,
- One big bad spud.
- Ip dip
- Ip dip, dog shit,
- You are not it.