What Time Is It, Mr. Fox?

fox in field

Age-appropriate active games are a great way to help children grow and develop. They can challenge their mind while also challenging their physical fitness! One game your older preschooler or younger school-aged child can play with their friends is “What Time Is It, Mr. Fox?”

To play, your child will need at least 2 other friends to join the game. Have children play in a safe, open area. Choose one player to be Mr. (or Mrs.) Fox. The goal of the game is to get past the Fox without getting caught. To start, have the Fox stand about 20 feet away from the other players with their back turned to the other players. The players then say, “What time is it Mr./Mrs. Fox” The Fox responds with a certain time (whatever the Fox chooses) and the other players should walk forward that many steps. For example, if the Fox says it’s five o’clock, the players should take five steps (any size step) forward. This continues until the Fox responds to “What time is it, Mr./Mrs. Fox” by saying “Midnight!” At that point, the Fox chases the players back to the starting line trying to tag them. The first player that gets tagged by the Fox becomes the Fox for the next game.

To make the game more challenging and help children develop more physical skills, you can have them hop their steps on one foot or even skip forward. For more group games, visit http://m.kidshealth.org/en/parents/games-preschool.html and http://kidshealth.org/en/parents/school-age-games.html.

Who can your children play “What Time Is It, Mr. Fox” with?


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Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP)

North Carolina State University
Agricultural and Human Sciences Department

Cooperative Extension at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences (CAES)