“Drop the Handkerchief Game” or, in German, “Der Fuchs geht um” is similar to “Duck, Duck, Goose”. There are plenty of other names you can give this game, but either way, it is a lot of fun to play. This traditional children’s game is perfect for preschoolers. I myself got to know this game in kindergarten, and our tradition was to play “Der Fuchs geht um” every Friday in our yard if the weather was good.
What do you need?
You will need a little bit of space so that all the players can sit in a big circle. The game is good to play inside too if you have a big room, but I would recommend playing it outside given that the weather is good. Other than that, you will also need a bean bag. You can, of course, also use something similar, like a napkin or a small pillow—whatever you have on hand.
Who plays?
“The Fox Goes Around” is most fun if you play it with 10 to 20 players. Children in kindergarten as well as preschool have a lot of fun playing this game. But as always, don’t be afraid to play it in primary school too. You can almost never be too old for a classic game like that.
The chant
Yes, there is a chant to this game, but you don’t necessarily need it to play the game. It just makes it a little bit more vivid and adds to the excitement of the game. Here is the melody as well as the lyrics to it:
How to play “The Fox Goes Around”
All the players sit down in a circle on the ground. One of them plays the fox. The fox gets to hold the bean bag or whatever you use instead. He or she walks around the circle of children while they are singing the song. As they sing the part “Look behind!” the fox drops the bean bag behind one of the players sitting on the ground. The goal of the fox is that this player doesn’t notice that he or she got “beanbag-ed”. Therefore, it is also important that the players face the middle of the circle and really only look behind them as the song demands! If the player notices, he has to take the beanbag and run behind the fox to catch it. The fox, on the other hand, has to run fast to reach the empty place where the player chasing him is. If he gets all the way around the circle and sits down before the other player can catch him, the fox becomes a normal player sitting in the circle. If the fox gets caught, he has to be the fox for another round. In case the player that got “beanbag-ed” doesn’t notice it at all and just stays on his or her place in the circle, he or she has to sit in the middle of the circle for one round. That is the punishment for not paying attention during the game.
