Four square is played on a court split into 4 squares with one player in each, and you hit the ball with your hand into someone else's square after it bounces exactly once in yours. Let it bounce twice, hit it before it bounces, hit a line or catch it, and you're recycled to the end of the waiting line while the others move up.
These are the Playworks recess rules, taken from the Playworks game library, its resource pages and its 4 Square Rules sheet (copyright 2012 Playworks), as of November 2026. Playworks is a US nonprofit focused on recess play. There's no governing body for four square, so playground and house rules vary, and that's normal. Playworks says the game's also called box ball.
The court and what you need
| Item | Playworks rule |
|---|---|
| Court | One large square, 10 feet by 10 feet |
| Each square | 5 feet by 5 feet |
| Labels | A, B, C, D or 1, 2, 3, 4 |
| Service box | 1.5 feet by 1.5 feet, in the far outside corner of square A (on one Playworks page) |
| Ball | A bouncy rubber playground ball |
| Players | 4 or more: one per square, the rest in line |
| Age group | Kindergarten and up |
| Length | 10 minutes or more |
If there's no painted court, Playworks suggests drawing one with chalk. The service box only appears on one of the Playworks pages, so treat it as optional unless your school's court has one.
Playworks gives the aim as building eye-hand coordination and strategic thinking. There's no scoring. You stay in by not making mistakes, and you work your way up to square A, where you become the server.
Serving and the one-bounce rule
- The player in square A (or 1) is the server.
- The server drops the ball once into their own square.
- They hit it underhand into a different square.
- Where a service box is marked, the server keeps both feet in it until the serve is completed.
- From then on, the ball must bounce once and only once in a square, and each player hits it with their hand or hands into another player's square after that one bounce.
The Playworks rules sheet adds a line people forget: the ball must be played if it bounces in your square. You can't let it go and hope it rolls out of your way.
What gets you recycled
Playworks calls being out getting recycled. You go to the end of the line, and someone new comes in. You're recycled if:
- the ball bounces more than once in your square before you play it
- you play the ball before it's bounced once in your square
- you hit the ball onto an inside or outside line, or out of bounds before it bounces
- you catch, hold or bubble the ball
The line rule is the one that starts arguments. If the ball hits a line, it's the hitter who's out, not the player whose square it landed next to. So if you smash it onto the line between B and C, you're the one walking to the back.
The early hit catches out keen players too. Volleying the ball back before it's bounced in your square feels quick and clever, but it's a mistake. Wait for the bounce.
How rotation works, and the three versions
Every time someone's recycled, a square opens and the remaining players move up towards square A to close the gap. Where the new player comes in depends on which Playworks page you read, so here are all three:
| Version | Where the new player comes in | Who serves next |
|---|---|---|
| Game library page | The first person in line advances to square A or 1 | That player, for the next round |
| Game of the Week page | The person at the front of the line enters at square D or 4 | Whoever is in square A |
| Blank Slate Four Square | Enters at D, then moves to C, B and A; the player in A goes to the line | After any mistake everyone rotates, and the new player in D serves |
Agree one before the first serve and say it out loud. Most playground rows in this game are about rotation, not about the ball.
Here's a walk-through using the square D entry, with Ana in A, Ben in B, Cal in C, Dee in D and Eli first in line:
- Ana serves into C.
- Cal lets the ball bounce twice and is recycled to the back of the line.
- Dee moves up from D to close the gap in C.
- Eli comes in at D.
- Ana's still in A, so she serves again.
Variations from the Playworks pages
Playworks says the server is known to call their own rules, and suggests every school introduces at least one game with Olympic-style rules. It also lists plenty of named ways to change the game:
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- Precision: anyone who hits a line is out.
- Downball: after the ball bounces in your square, you bounce it in your own square again into another player's square.
- Upball: players hit the ball above their own head.
- Underhanded: every hit must be underhand.
- Airball: both feet off the ground when you hit.
- Spinball: spin round in a circle after you hit.
- Flamingo: the player in A picks a leg, and everyone plays on one foot for the round.
- Soccer: no hands.
Two more change the court rather than the rules. Two courts side by side make a game of 8-square, and two players can cover one square as a team, which is handy when the line's long.
Getting beginners and younger children playing
For less skilled players, Playworks suggests letting them catch and release the ball. Its Catch and Drop Four Square, designed for beginners, lets the receiving player let the ball bounce once, catch it, and then return it in the same way. Players still go to the line for hitting outside the square, a double bounce, no bounce, or hitting a line.
It's a good bridge. Once a group can keep a rally going, drop the catch and play the full one-bounce rules.
My verdict for teachers and parents
I'd teach just three rules on day one: one bounce, hit with your hand, and lines are the hitter's fault. I'd agree the rotation before the first serve, because that's where the arguments come from. I'd skip the variations until the line's moving and everyone knows the basics, then add one at a time.
When the group wants something bigger, kickball and dodgeball work for a whole class, and Spikeball has the same quick-rally feel in a smaller group.
Frequently asked questions
How big is a four square court?
One large square 10 feet by 10 feet, divided into four squares of 5 feet by 5 feet.
How do you serve in four square?
The server, in square A or 1, drops the ball once into their own square and hits it underhand into a different square.
How many times can the ball bounce in your square?
Once and only once. If it bounces more than once before you hit it, or you hit it before it bounces, you're recycled.
What gets you out in four square?
Letting the ball bounce twice, playing it before it bounces, hitting a line or out of bounds, or catching, holding or bubbling the ball.
How many players do you need for four square?
Four players on the court, one per square, with others waiting in the line. Playworks lists the group size as 4 or more.
