What's the time Mr Wolf is a classic kids' party game for children of all ages to enjoy. Play along and make this kids' activity the highlight of your party. Get ready for lots of laughs!
What you need
- a clock
Want to join the family? Sign up to our Kidspot newsletter for more stories like this.
It's DINNER TIME! Source: iStock.
RELATED: How to play Crazy Eights
Activity
One child is chosen to be Mr Wolf, who then stands at one end of the playing area.
The other players stand in a line at the other end.
Mr Wolf turns his back to commence play.
The players call out, "What's the time Mr Wolf?" and Mr Wolf turns and answers with a time (i.e. 3 o'clock).
He then turns his back again while the children advance again chanting "What's the time Mr Wolf?" To which Mr Wolf will continue to respond until the players come very close.
Once the line of players is close to Mr Wolf, he can respond to the chant with "It's dinner time!" at which point, he will chase the players back to the starting line with the aim to catch one of the them, who will then become Mr Wolf for the next round of the game.
RELATED: Tongue twisters: Peter Piper
The next fun game in our Group Games for Kids series is a common, collaborative game that is played regularly with young children in Australia – here’s how to play What’s the Time, Mr Wolf?
Number of players: 2+
Recommended Age: 3+ years
Equipment needed: None
To play:
One child is chosen to be Mr (or Mrs) Wolf. He stands a good distance (3+ metres) away from the other players with his back to them.
The other players stand side by side in a line, facing Mr Wolf’s back. All together they call, “What’s the time, Mr Wolf?”
Mr Wolf responds by selecting and calling out an o’clock time (between 1 and 12).
The other players take the required number of steps towards Mr Wolf. For example, “3 o’clock,” would mean the players take three steps towards Mr Wolf.
These two actions are repeated resulting in the other players moving closer and closer to Mr Wolf.
When Mr Wolf is ready (usually when the other players are getting close), he changes his response to the question, “What’s the time, Mr Wolf?” to “Dinnertime!”
At this cue, all of the players must turn around and race back to the starting position with Mr Wolf chasing after them to try and catch his dinner. The player who is caught becomes the next Mr Wolf and the game continues.
Check out the other games in the Games for Kids series;
Christie Burnett is a teacher, presenter, writer and the mother of two. She created Childhood 101 as a place for teachers and parents to access engaging, high quality learning ideas.