“What’s The Time, Mr Wolf?” is a typical game from the tradition of English-speaking countries that children never seem to tire of.
This activity is not only fun but also allows students to review numbers and learn how to structure sentences in English.
The game can be played from preschool all the way through elementary school and beyond!
There are several variations, but the simplest version I often propose works like this: children line up horizontally, similar to the game “One, Two, Three, Star .” The “wolf” stands in front, ideally several meters away from the other children, wearing fake ears that have been prepared in advance.
As soon as the teacher gives the signal, the children in line ask in unison, “What’s the time, Mr. Wolf?” Mr. Wolf responds with a time of their choice, for example: “It’s five o’clock!” Then the children take five steps forward and stop to ask the question again. As they advance, they count together in English, pronouncing the number aloud with each step.
This continues until the children are close enough to the wolf (but not too close, to avoid collisions!). At this point, Mr. Wolf can reply with, “It’s lunchtime!”, perhaps accompanied by the typical “hungry” gesture of rubbing their stomach.
Once the fateful phrase is spoken, the children must run away from the wolf, who tries to catch one of them. Whoever is caught and “eaten” becomes the new Mr. Wolf.
If you're introducing this game to preschool or young children, itʼs desirable for each child (if they wish) to take a turn as Mr. Wolf so that everyone is satisfied!