A music game for the babysitter and for rainy afternoons
The rain starts, the screens are limited and the children are bored. A game that needs one phone and no preparation can fill an afternoon.
Free to try. Whoever starts the game logs in with an email code, no password. Players who join a party room need no account, only a nickname and a browser.
For a babysitter the best game is one that needs no explanation. Here the rule fits in a sentence: you hear a song and decide whether it sounds older or newer than the songs on your row. The sitter holds the phone and presses play, and the children do the talking.
The parents can choose the deck before they leave, or the sitter picks a popular public deck, which is free to play. Whoever starts the game logs in with an email code, so the parents may prefer to start the game for the sitter. After that, the phone goes around the table.
Best way to play it Pass the phone. Pass the phone is the easy choice because it needs only one device and no setup, which is exactly what you want at 4 pm on a wet Saturday.
How a game works
- 1
Pick a deck
Choose a popular public deck, or turn your own playlist into a deck.
- 2
Choose how to play
Pass one phone around the table, or open a party room where everyone plays on their own phone.
- 3
Listen and guess
A 30 second preview plays and nobody sees the year. Place the song on a timeline or lock in a year.
- 4
Reveal and score
Title, artist and year come out, the timeline grows or the points go up, and the next song starts.
The timeline in one look
A timeline is a row of songs in release order. You hear a new song, never its year, and decide where it fits between the songs already on the row. Get it right and the row grows.
Tips for a better game
Agree on screen time
A round of ten minutes is easy to stop. Settle with the children how many games they get before you begin.
Let the children take turns holding the phone
Whoever is placing a song holds the phone. It gives every child a role and prevents arguments over who is next.
Parents can choose the deck up front
Leave a short note with the deck name, so the sitter does not need to browse songs you have not checked.
Good to know as a parent
Nicknames only
Players in a party room type a nickname of up to 16 characters. No account, email address or age is asked, and the room deletes its data shortly after the game ends.
A grown-up runs the game
Whoever starts the game logs in with an email code, so there are no child accounts. Players cannot chat or message each other, and the host can remove a player from the room.
Real songs, no age ratings
The songs are real recordings played as 30 second previews. We do not rate or filter them by age, so a deck can hold explicit lyrics. The adult picks the deck and can look through its songs first.
Frequently asked questions
Does the babysitter need an account?
Whoever starts the game logs in with an email code. A parent can start it, then the sitter and the children simply pass the phone round.
Can the children play without supervision?
We suggest an adult stays nearby. The game has no chat, but the songs are real recordings that we do not rate by age.
What do children need to join a game?
A phone, tablet or laptop with a browser, and a nickname. No account, no email address and no age is needed. Whoever starts the game, an adult, logs in with an email code.
What about explicit songs?
The songs are real recordings and we do not rate them by age, so a deck can contain songs with explicit lyrics. Pick a deck you know, or look through its songs before the game, and choose an older or gentler mix for younger players.
Ready for the first song?
A music game for a babysitter or a rainy afternoon: one phone, no prep, no cards. Children take turns guessing the year of real songs. Free to try.
Hitify is not affiliated with Hitster or Jumbo. Hitster is a registered trademark of Koninklijke Jumbo B.V.