Children's Folk Games

Wizards

• Children play different versions of tag all over the world. One Russian version called Wizards, the person designated as "it" has to chase the other children and try to tag them. A tagged child is frozen to the spot and cries out "Help me!" to get the other children to tag him. If someone else touches his hand, he can run away again. The game proceeds until all the children are frozen.

What's the Time, Mr. Wolf?

• You can find children playing What's the Time, Mr. Wolf in several countries, including Italy, Canada, and the United States. In America, this child's game is known as "What Time Is It, Mr. Fox," but aside from the name, the game is identical.

  The children line up at a starting point or line across the yard from Mr. Wolf/Fox, who faces away from them. The kids call out "What's the time, Mr. Wolf?" or "What time is it, Mr. Fox?" or something similar. The wolf/fox answers with a time. The other kids take a corresponding number of steps toward the wolf/fox and ask again. When Mr. Wolf says "midnight," "12 o'clock" or "dinner time," depending on the area, he turns and chases the other kids back to the starting point.

  In some versions of this children's folk game, the first kid Mr. Wolf/Fox tags takes his place. In other versions, the kids who are tagged are "out," and the game continues until there is only one child left, and that child becomes the new Mr. Wolf/Fox.

Duck, Duck, Goose

• Duck Duck Goose, one of the best-known American children's folk games, works best with at least six children but can be played in larger or smaller groups. One child is designated "it." The rest of the children sit cross-legged in a circle and face the center. The "it" child stands outside the circle and taps the other children on the head as she walks around. With each tap, she says "duck" and keeps walking. Finally, she selects a child and shouts "goose" as she taps him on the head. "It" runs around the circle while the tapped child gets up and chases her. "It" has to run around the circle one full time and then sit in the tagged child's seat before the tagged child can catch her. The tagged child then becomes "it."

  If the tagged child manages to run past "it" and sit in his own seat, he gets to keep it, and the tagger remains "it." In some versions of this children's game, if the tagged child can tag "it" before she can reach his seat, "it" has to sit in the "stink pot" in the middle of the circle. She may leave only when another "it" gets tagged and replaces her in the stink pot.