What's the time, Mr Wolf?
| Players | 3 or more |
|---|---|
| Setup time | <1 minute |
| Playing time | No limit |
| Random chance | Low |
| Skill(s) required | Running, strategy, endurance, time-keeping, bravery, |
What's the time, Mr Wolf? (also known as What time is it, Mr Wolf?, Grandma's Footsteps,1 2 3 Piano in Belgium and in the United States What time is it, Mr. Fox?) is a form of tag played in Australia, Belgium, Canada, the English-speaking Caribbean, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United Kingdom.
Because it needs attention skills, quick reactions, and working memory for the 'it' child, it is recommended by Harvard University's Center on the Developing Child to assist in developing executive function skills for children aged 5 to 7.
One player is chosen to be Mr Wolf. Mr Wolf stands at the opposite end of the playing field from the other players, facing away from them. A call-and-response then takes place: all players except for Mr Wolf chant in unison "What's the time, Mr Wolf?", and Mr Wolf will answer in one of the two ways:
It is not uncommon for Mr Wolf to be allowed to look around at the other players, before answering the question; especially if there is a rule involving penalties applied to Mr Wolf if a player reaches him before "Dinner time" is called.
There is also a simpler version of the game where Mr Wolf faces the other players, who must remain stationary until "Dinner time" is called. If any player moves on a time of day being called, that player becomes Mr Wolf.
In another version, Mr Wolf holds a dandelion seed head and blows on it. The other players dance around him/her, taunting him "What's the time, Mr Wolf?" After each blow, Mr Wolf calls out "1 o'clock", "2 o'clock" etc. until all the seed head has been blown away. Then, he calls out "Dinner time!" and chases the other players to tag them before they can claim sanctuary at pre-designated points called "Bar". The players claim "Bar" by yelling out "B - A - R Bar" and touching the safety point. The skill is in deciding when the seed head is going to be completely blown away, as the players cannot run away until this happens. It could happen after one blow by Mr Wolf, or several. The first player tagged becomes Mr Wolf for the next round of the game.
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Wikipedia