What's The Time, Mr Wolf? Rules And Variations

The best game for four to eight year olds ever invented, and the only one that builds genuine dread into something a reception class can play.

Everybody creeping forward, one question, and the moment everybody is waiting for.

The rules

• One player is Mr Wolf and stands at one end with their back to everyone.
• Everyone else lines up at the other end, a good distance away.
• The group calls out together: 'What's the time, Mr Wolf?'
• Mr Wolf answers with a time - 'three o'clock' - and the group takes that many steps forward.
• This repeats, with the group getting closer and closer.
• At any point Mr Wolf may turn and shout 'DINNER TIME!' and chase everyone back to the start line.
• Anyone caught before reaching the start line becomes Mr Wolf for the next round.

The details everyone argues about

• Steps must be normal-sized. Agree this or someone will take three enormous lunges on 'three o'clock'.
• Mr Wolf may not look round while giving a time - eyes front until dinner time.
• If nobody is caught, Mr Wolf goes again, which is usually accepted for two rounds and then contested.
• Anyone who touches Mr Wolf before dinner time is called wins, and becomes Mr Wolf.
• Twelve o'clock is the classic bluff - everyone takes twelve steps and finds themselves far too close.

Variations

• Giant steps, baby steps, hops - Mr Wolf specifies the type of step as well as the number.
• Mr Fox, Mr Crocodile, Mr Shark - the same game with a different animal, which matters enormously to a four year old.
• Grandmother's footsteps: the same creeping approach, but the leader turns at random and anyone seen moving goes back to the start.
• Sleeping wolf: Mr Wolf lies down, and the game ends when they wake up.
• Two wolves for a big group, standing a few metres apart.

Running it with a class or a party

• Twenty children is the practical limit for one wolf. Split into two games beyond that.
• Grass is far better than tarmac - the chase back is where children fall.
• Give a nervous child the wolf role early. It's the best job and it removes the fear of being chased.
• A home corner version: use the length of a hallway and walking only, no running.
• Three rounds is enough for the youngest. They will ask for twenty.

Shop cards

How to write it so it lands

• Agree that steps are normal-sized before you start.
• Grass, not tarmac - the chase is where they fall.
• Give the nervous child the wolf role first.

Where to shop next

• Knock down ginger: the names for it
• Kerby rules
• British Bulldog rules
• Stuck in the mud and tig games
• Hopscotch rules and grids
• Marbles rules and terms
• Conkers rules
• Hide and seek variations
• Forty forty and block one two three
• Wall ball and two-ball
• Playground games by region
• Playground games banned by schools
• Wet playtime indoor games
• Rhymes for picking who's it
• Playground games we all played
• Clapping games and skipping rhymes
• Traditional British party games
• Free feel good tools
• Shop cards
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Birthday cards for kids
• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

How do you play What's the time, Mr Wolf?

Mr Wolf stands at one end with their back turned. Everyone else calls 'What's the time, Mr Wolf?' and takes that many steps forward when Mr Wolf answers with a time. At any moment Mr Wolf can shout 'dinner time' and chase everyone back to the start.

What happens at dinner time in Mr Wolf?

Instead of giving a time, Mr Wolf turns round, shouts 'dinner time' and chases everyone back to the start line. Anyone caught before they reach it becomes Mr Wolf for the next round.

What age is What's the time, Mr Wolf for?

It works best from about three to eight. Younger children can play it walking only in a hallway, and older ones usually move on to grandmother's footsteps, which uses the same tension with stricter rules.

What's the difference between Mr Wolf and grandmother's footsteps?

In Mr Wolf, movement happens on a called number of steps and ends in a chase. In grandmother's footsteps, players creep forward continuously and anyone spotted moving when the leader turns is sent back to the start.

Do you sell games or play equipment?

No - we make greeting cards, art prints and pin badges in the UK. Every game here needs a wall, a ball, a piece of chalk or nothing at all, and the only products on this page are our own cards.