Action Name Game is an easy and fun introductory game, used to help learn and remember the names of others. Not really intended for repeated use. But it can form a useful first step in getting to know people’s names and learning just a little bit about them.
How to play Action Name Game
Stand in a circle.
One person begins by choosing an action to mime which starts with the same letter as their name (dancing Daisy, jumping Jamal etc). They say “I’m jumping Jamal” as they do their mime.
Everyone else responds by saying “jumping Jamal” and copying the mime.
Continue around the circle until everyone has had a turn.
If you want to make it a bit more difficult – and to get the chance to repeat everyone’s names multiple times to help learn them, you can extend the game. As you go around the circle, repeat everyone’s names and mimes so far before adding the new one. eg. “dancing Daisy, jumping Jamal” then to the new person “I am zigzag Zainab.” As before everyone responds “zigzag Zainab” before repeating the full set so far again “dancing Daisy, jumping Jamal, zigzag Zainab” then the next person does theirs, “I am…” etc.
Take it further
This is taken from the book Games, Games, Games, a publication with around 250 group games. The games are essentially co-operative in nature and develop skills and attitudes which encourage learning together and supporting one another.
If you need another name game in your group, you could try playing Bumpity-bump-bump-bump.
