Play What's the Time Mr Wolf
Party fun galore with this traditional kids' game. Make sure that there is plenty of room and lots of drinks on hand for puffed-out players at the end. More is preferable.
Steps
- Assemble the children against the wall in a line.
- Choose "Mr. Wolf" (star of the day). Ask Mr. Wolf to stand at one end of the playing area.
- Play the game:
- Mr Wolf turns his or her back so he/she cannot see the kids.
- The row of children chant:
- "What's the time Mr. Wolf?"
- Mr. Wolf will turn around and answer a time (for example, 4 o'clock).
- The children advance the number of steps called out and then repeat the chant, waiting for a response and so on.
- Eventually they will be standing very close to Mr. Wolf. Mr. Wolf can, at any moment once the line of children is close, respond "Lunch Time" in a loud growl, instead of giving a real time.
- This is the cue for lots of screaming (remind them not to scream) and running because now Mr. Wolf has to chase the rest of the children and tag one of them.
- Change Mr. Wolf. The child who was the wolf can choose another person (opposite gender) to be the next wolf.
Tips
- The more players, the merrier.
- This game will result in lots of screaming and hilarity. Make sure you live in an understanding neighborhood. It's not that great for indoors unless you're in a large space, such as a gym.
- There are numerous variations on this game. Mr. Wolf is sometimes called Mr. Fox and "dinner time" can be replaced with "midnight". In some versions, the children stay still while they ask Mr. Wolf the time and take one step forward for each hour he says it is (7 steps if it's 7 o' clock, for example).
- For a version with a little more strategy, have Mr. Wolf keep his or her back turned the whole time so that he or she has to guess if the children are close enough to chase. In a more competitive version for older children, the child Mr. Wolf tags is "out" and Mr. Wolf resumes his or her place for the next round. However, if one of the children gets close enough to tag Mr. Wolf before "dinner time", or if all of the children reach a designated safety zone before Mr. Wolf catches them, Mr. Wolf is out. The next Mr. Wolf is either the child who tagged Mr. Wolf or the first child to have reached the safety zone.
Warnings
- Also give the smaller children a chance to run; as they may be seen as an advantage to the bigger children.
- Small children may be easily frightened by this game. It is usually okay for children around 5 and over (school age) but gauge the suitability of the game from what you know of the children. One or two scared children is probably usual - they can sit on the side and squeal, while eating an ice cream, or maybe a healthy snack instead.
- Make sure that you have an adult supervising at all times. Adults and senior citizens are right for this job as they are responsible.
Things You'll Need
- Large space
- Mr. Wolf
- Lots of players
- Accepting neighborhood
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