Action Syllables

With the group standing in a circle, have the participants each choose an action for every syllable of their name. Example:
Elvis has 2 syllables, so he does a hip shake with El and snaps his fingers for vis. Once Elvis has done his action while
saying his name, the whole group repeats. After the 2nd person does his/her name, the whole group repeats, then does
Elviss again. And so on til everyones done it.

Bippity boppity boo

Everyone stands or sits in a circle with one "It" person in the middle.

The "It" then walks up to a person and says either "Me, Bippity Boppity Boo," "You, Bippity Boppity Boo," "Left, Bippity
Boppity Boo," or "Right, Bippity Boppity Boo."

If the "it" person says "Left, Bippity Boppity Boo," then the person must correctly say the name of the person to the left of
them before "it" person finishes saying "Bippity Boppity Boo"

It they say the name correctly, the "It" continues going to other people in the circle. If they make a mistake or don't say the
name in time, they become the new "It."

Bumpity Bump Bump Bump

Description
Arrange all players in a circle. Give them time to ask the names of the players on either side of them.

Once the names are known, the person in the middle goes up to a player and says "(name)___, bumpity bump bump
bump." That person then has to say the names of the people sitting/standing beside him/her before the middle person
finishes saying "bumpity bump bump bump."

ADDED TWIST:

The person in the middle can randomly yell out bumpity bump bump bump and everyone has to find a new spot on the
edge of the circle. Then repeat

Compass name game

1. Have participants stand in a circle.

2. One volunteer stands in the middle of the circle and starts the game as the "caller."

3. The caller points at a member of the circle and says one of the following: You, Me, Left, or Right.

4. Based on which direction the caller says, the person being pointed at must correctly name that person. "You" is
the name of the person being pointed at. "Me" is the caller. "Left" or "Right" are the people on the person on the
circle's left or right side.

5. Once the caller points and says the direction, he/she must count to five aloud. The person must correctly identify
the name before the caller reaches five.

6. If the person in the circle incorrectly identifies the name, or doesn't speak in time, that person becomes the new
caller in the middle of the circle.

If the person correctly identifies the name, the caller must move onto a new person of their choice.

Name Toss
Here are the common rules:
1) Arrange the group in a circle.

2) One person starts off by saying the name of someone else in the circle, and tossing the ball to them.

3) That person then in turn says the name of a different person, and tosses the ball to someone else who has not yet
received the ball.

4) That continues until everyone in the circle has received the ball once.

5) Generally, the objective is to pass the ball around the circle without dropping it. If the ball is dropped, the group restarts
until completed without dropping.

6) You can add a "thank-you, (name)" from the receiving person if you like...

As always, feel free to change the rules, and make this activity work for you!

Double-Whammy Name Toss

1) Start the activity with the traditional name toss.

2) Once the group has successfully completed the task, instruct them to pass the ball in the exact REVERSE order.

3) Once the group has successfuly completed that part, introduce a second ball or object of a different color/style/shape.
Instruct the group that they must pass the ball in the original order, and the second ball in the REVERSE order at the same
time.

Eventually, the objects will cross at one person. Good times!

First Names
Have everyone count the number of letters in their first name. Now ask them to find someone who has the same number of
letters. Those two are now partners. If a a person can't find someone let him/her use another name s/he is called by (i.e., a
student named Matthew may use the name Matt and then look for someone with 4 letters instead of 7.) If they still can't
find someone pair up with a person who has the closest number of letters.

High-Five Name Toss

Follow the traditional name toss rules, but instead of tossing a ball, participants cross the circle, exchange high fives and
take each others spots in the circle.

Great way to avoid catching/throwing anxiety, or way to play if you don't have an object to toss.

Mixed up Name Toss

Start the activity with the traditional name toss.

Once the group has accomplished the task successfully, tell the group that they have until you count to five to move to a
new spot in the circle.

Once the group has rearranged itself, instruct them that they must pass the ball in the same name pattern as before.

This is a great variation! This little twist really helps participants learn each other's names and faces.

My Name is and I like to...

Everyone in the group stands in a circle.

The first person says, "My name is and I like to ______ (insert hobby and act out a motion from that hobby.)

The rest of group then says, "(Person's Name) likes to (hobby) and acts out motion. Example, "My name is Dave and I like
Fish (action out casting a reel).

The next person repeats the process.

The rest of group then says that person's name, hobby, and motion and the moves onto the first person's info.
This continues until the last person goes, at which the entire group calls out the last person's info and moves along through
the whole group and repeats everyone's info.

Name Bop
This is a test for once everyone thinks they know everyone elses name.

The group sits in a circle, with one person it sitting in the middle.

It has a soft club (like a long sock with another sock balled up in on end). The leader begins by saying someones name.
That person must say their own name and the name of someone else before they get bopped (softly on the leg). The
game goes on until someone messes up, or gets bopped, then they become it.

Name Line
Get everyone to stand in a line or sit in a circle. The first person says their name and a favorite thing.

The second person then says their name and a favorite thing, as well as the name and thing of the person before them.

Each person after that adds the names and items of all of the people before them.

Variations:

For younger children, you can have them say just the names.

You can have anyone who makes a mistake be out...

Name Relation Games

Get the group into a circle. Then start out by saying your name and a food that begins with the same letter.

Then the next person does theirs, plus yours. Then the third person does theirs, the second's and the first's name
and food.

It then moves on down the line, so that the last person has to do everyone with in the group.

Different variations of this can be played but it is great for getting the group to know one another and the names.

Name Roullette
To play this game you need to form two equal circles, one inside the other. Set the circles up so one person from each circle
is physically standing back to back to one member from the other circle. (I use a spot on the ground to mark the spot for
each circle)

These circles both start moving in clockwise motion, ensuring each member of the circle passes through the "spot".
Someone who is not in either one of the circles and not facing them, will call stop. At that point the people on each spot
must turn around and face each other. The person who names the other first wins that round and the "loser" joins the other
circle.

Continue Play...

Nod-Wink Toss
You may want to start the activity with the traditional name toss. You can however, play this as a stand-alone activity.

Once the group has successfully completed the task, instruct them to be completely silent. Tell them that they must now
pass a wink or nod to someone, who in turn, passes the nod/wink to a different person.

To pass a wink, a person simply winks at a different person, who first winks back at them to acknowlege that he/she
"caught" the wink, and then winks at a different person in the circle. And so on...

Variation:
1) Instruct the group to begin passing winks as described above. Then tell the group that you will also have nods, nose-
thumbing, tongues sticking-out, and others.
2) Participants do not need to stay in any particular passing order - however, if you receive a nod, you must pass a nod,
receive a wink, pass a wink, etc.

Good times!

Peek-A-Who
Description
Split the group into two teams. Each team sits behind one side of the sheet so that they are out of the view of the other
side. One person from each side will sit facing the sheet.

When the sheet is lowered, the team that says the name of the person on the opposite side first gets that player on their
team.

The game ends when everyone is on the same side.+ Requirements

A sheet or tarp big enough for half of your group to hide behind. The group must know each other or be familiar with each
other's names.

Objective
To learn names

Reverse Name Toss

Start the activity with the traditional name toss.

Once the group has successfully completed the task, instruct them to pass the ball in the exact REVERSE order.

People will quickly realize that they didn't really pay attention to the person that passed the ball to them. Great way to help
participants to learn each other's names.

The Toilet Paper Game

Description
1. Take a roll of toilet paper and ask a person how many squares they want, but don't tell them why. Set a Limit
From 5 to 50.
2. Count out the squares, Rip after the last square and give all of the squares to the camper.
3. Repeat until all the campers have desired amount.
4. Then go around and have each person say stuff about themselves for each square until they are finished. The
first square has to be their name.

Requirements
a roll of toilet paper, a group of campers with really good attitudes!

Objective
1.
The objective is to get to know each other while having fun!!

Toss-A-Name Game
This activity starts off like the traditional name toss. In case you aren't aware, here are the common rules:

1) Arrange the group in a circle.

2) One person starts off by saying the name of someone else in the circle, and tossing the ball to them.
3) That person then in turn says the name of a different person, and tosses the ball to
someone else who has not yet received the ball.
4) That continues until everyone in the circle has received the ball once.
5) Generally, the objective is to pass the ball around the circle without dropping it. If the ball is dropped, the group restarts
until completed without dropping.
6) You can add a "thank-you, (name)" from the receiving person if you like...

For ADVANCED...

1) Once the group has accomplished the task as described above, add a second item (ball, rubber chicken, etc.) and instruct
the group that it, too, must travel in the same pattern.

2) You can add more items as you see fit. For a more "team-building" type game, add 4-6 items, and hold the rules in place.
For a more "ice breaker" type game, add as many items as possible, particularly goofy props, and you will see the group get
sillier and sillier. You can slowly take props out after a few minutes and end on one last round of the name toss.

Web of Names
Description
Sit the children in a circle and emphasize that they must remain in their seats or seated on ground (for safety reasons).

The game starts by a child or the teacher saying the name of someone else in the circle and holding on to the end of the
string, while throwing the ball to the person they named.

The receiver calls out the name of another child, and keeps hold of his or her end of the string while throwing the ball of
string on to the named child.

As this continues a web begins to be formed by the criss crossing string.

The fun really starts when the group has to undo the web by calling names and throwing the ball of string which is rewound
by the receiver before sending it on.

Who am I ?
The group forms a circle. One person is chosen to be the Guesser and they go into the middle of the circle. The Guesser is
blindfolded or asked to keep their eyes closed.
Note: Be sure to ask that the Guesser is comfortable playing the game blindfolded. If they are not, let them know its alright
and choose another person to be the Guesser.
The game begins with an adult spinning the Guesser around in a circle. The group is asked to spin around in a circle as well,
but in the other direction. When the spinning stops, the Guesser points in the direction of one of the people in the circle and
says the name of an animal. That person must make the noise that that animal makes. The guesser will then try to guess
who the person is by the sounds they make.

Who Stole the Coookies From the Cookie Jar?/Who wants a Cookie fromthe
Cookie Jar?
Description
Group (sings):Who Stole the cookies from the cookie jar?
(insert name of camper) stole the cookies from the cookie jar!

Camper: Who, me!?!?!

Group: Yes, you!

Camper: Couldn't be!

Group: Then who?

(Camper uses another campers name) stole the cookies from the cookie jar!

Song keeps going until each camper's name is used. Perfect for bus rides!

You, Me, Left, Right

Have the group form a circle, with the facilitator in the middle serving as the first "caller."

Ask the participants to introduce themselves to the people directly on their left and right sides.
Explain to the group that the person in the middle will point to someone in the circle and say either "You" "Me" "Left" or
"Right" and count to five at a reasonable pace.

"You" is the person being pointed at.

"Me" is the caller.
"Left" is the person to the left of the one being pointed at.
"Right" is the person to the right of the one being pointed at.

The person being pointed at must correctly name that person before the caller counts to five. If they succeed, the caller
moves onto a different person of their choice. If they do not succeed, they become the new caller.

You can add multiple callers as the game moves on.

This is a quick-paced silly activity that helps move people around and memorize names.