Ip dip facts for kids
Ip dip is a fun counting-out game that helps groups choose one person. It's often used to pick who starts a game. This rhyme has been popular in British playgrounds for many years.
How Ip Dip Works
When you play Ip dip, one person says the rhyme. They point to a different person in the group with each strong sound (or syllable). The person who is pointed to on the very last sound of the rhyme is the one chosen!
The main idea is to make it hard to guess who will be picked. The rhyme should be long enough so the person saying it might even lose count. This makes the choice feel more random and fair. Because it's meant to be unpredictable, there are many different versions of the rhyme. Sometimes, people even link different versions together.
The rhyme "Ip dip" was even mentioned on the popular children's TV show, Bluey. You can hear it in the episode "Early Baby" and also in season one, episode 15, called "Butterflies".
Fun Rhyme Examples
There are many different ways to say the "Ip dip" rhyme. Here are a few examples:
- A version from Wales goes like this:
:Ip dip dip / :My blue [or little] ship / :Sailing on the water / :Like a cup and saucer,/ :But you are not in it.
- Another common version is:
:Ip dip sky blue / :Who's it not you!/
- A slightly longer version of this one was heard on Bluey:
:Ip dip sky blue / :Who's it not you! / :Not because you're dirty, / :Not because you're clean. / :My mum says you're the fairy queen! /
- During World War One, soldiers even used a version of "Ip dip". Here are two examples they used:
:Ip dip doo / :The cat's got the flu / :The cat's got the plague / :I choose you!
:Ip dip doo, / :The cat's got the flu, / :The dog's got the chickenpox , / :So out goes you.
