How to pick who's it fairly

Why a counting rhyme is not a draw

Take the first rhyme above: it has 13 beats. With five players it lands on the third player from where the count starts, every time (13 beats go round the circle twice and stop three along). Start the count on Ava and it lands on Cal; start on Ben and it lands on Dee. The counter does not have to cheat on purpose: if they always start with themselves, the same spot in the circle is it every time the group is the same size.

Traditional rhymes such as "eeny, meeny, miny, moe" or the fists of "one potato, two potato" work the same way. Adding a tail line such as "and you are not it" just adds beats, so whoever knows the count can still choose the ending. That can be part of the fun, but it makes the rhyme a choice dressed up as chance.

Fair ways to choose who's it

• A random draw. Names in a hat, or a random picker on a phone like the who's it picker. Every player has the same chance and nobody can steer it.
• Drawn straws or sticks. One short straw, mixed out of sight. Your place in line makes no difference: each player's chance is one in the number of players.
• Take turns. Over a whole afternoon, fair means everyone is it about as often. Keep a count, or use a picker that skips anyone who has already been it this round.
• Let the game decide. In hide-and-seek, the first player found seeks next; in tag, whoever is tagged is it. Use a draw only for the first round, and when one child keeps getting caught, switch to taking turns.

"Not it" (the last to touch their nose is it) is quick but not fair: it is a reaction race, so the slowest player is it, and that is often the same child game after game.

Questions about choosing it

Is "eeny, meeny, miny, moe" random?

No. Any counting-out rhyme has a fixed number of beats, so once you know how many players there are and where the counting starts, the result is decided before the first word. Someone who knows the count can start in the right place to pick, or skip, any player. The checker on this page shows it for any rhyme you type.

What is the fairest way to choose who is it?

A draw where every player has the same chance and nobody controls it: names from a hat, drawn straws, or a random picker. Over many games, fairness also means taking turns, so the same child is not it again and again. The who's it picker does both: it draws at random from the players who have not been it yet this round.

Does it matter if you draw straws first or last?

No, as long as the straws were mixed out of sight. Each player's chance of the short straw is one in the number of players, whatever their place in line, because every order of the straws is equally likely.

Is "not it" fair?

It is quick, but it is a race: the last person to touch their nose or shout "not it" is it. That is a reaction race, so the slowest player loses it, and that is often the same child game after game.

More ways to pick: spin the wheel, the random name picker, and the team generator for picking sides.