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Introductory name games For a group of people who have just met, remembering names is difficult but important To be addressed by ones name is affirming, to have one’s name forgotten can be dispiriting. Here are some activities which help participants learn each others names, are fun and create a sense of group cohesion. None of them should last for more than a few minutes; try a combination of activities, or repeat an activity at intervals if participants are having difficulty in remembering all the names in a large group.
Angelic Angela With all participants in a circle, the facilitator begins by introducing herself using her first name and an affirmative or complimentary adjective beginning with the same sound as her name, e.g.. 'Hello, I'm super Susan' Going around the circle, all participants likewise introduce themselves. The alliteration employed is an effective aid to memory, so the facilitator should ensure that only affirmative adjectives are used - smelly Simon might not want to be stuck with that label! Variation: Instead of an alliterative adjective, participants can use a movement or sound to match the number of syllables in the name, e.g. 'Hello, I'm Benjamin' accompanied by three stamps of the foot or a three-part movement of the hands.
Introducing my Neighbours Standing in a circle, one participant (Jane) begins by introducing herself to the person on her left (Tony). Tony then introduces himself and Jane to the person on his left (Alice). Alice Introduces herself, Tony and Jane, and so on so that each person is introducing three or four people to the rest of the group in addition to herself A simple but effective activity, which might be combined with Angelic Angela above.
Personal Name Tags On a large table put out a good supply of paints, crayons, felt tips, paper, scissors, wool or string, pins, etc. As participants come into the room they are encouraged to create their own name tags, being as imaginative as they wish. Alternatively, they can be asked to include a chosen theme, such as 'my favourite season’ or 'an animal 1 would like to be' - these con provide discussion points for follow-up activities.
Catch Name A fun activity for reinforcing participants' memorising of names. A large circle is formed and the facilitator throws a soft object (such as a rolled-up jumper) to someone (Bill) in the circle, calling out his name just before she throws. The facilitator asks Bill to throw the jumper to someone else, calling out her name, and to remember to whom he threw ¡t. The activity continues similarly until al/ participants have received the jumper. A second round is played in the same way, keeping to the original sequence but at a much faster pace. On the third round, the facilitator can introduce, at intervals, one or two more soft objects; finally, whilst two or three jumpers are flying around the circle, the facilitator introduces another object to go around the circle in reverse order. Total chaos is guaranteed!
Variation: The jumper is thrown around the circle, with each participant saying their names when they receive ¡t. On the second round, the jumper can be thrown to anyone and the catcher must soy the name of the thrower before passing it on.
Sources of these activities Various Other name games can be found in: Stephanie Judson (ed), A Manual on Non-violence and Children; Priscilla Prutzman et al., The Friendly Classroom for a Small Planet Donna Brandes and Howard Phillips, Gamesters' Handbook; Matt Weinstein and Joel Goodman, Playfair. |
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