Name Echo is an introductory game, used to help learn and remember the names of others. It is not really intended for repeated use. However, it can form a useful first step in getting to know people’s names and learning just a little about them.
How to play
To start with, stand in a circle.
One person shouts the name of someone else and does some simple action or gesture at the same time.
The others around the circle repeat the name and action one by one until the name echo gets to the person who’s name it is.
They then shout the name of someone else and do a different gesture and so on, until everyone has had a go.
Memory Extension
If your group enjoys this game, you could see how good they are at remembering each person’s action. Either at the end of the game, or later in the session, you could come back to it. Shout out someone’s name and everyone has to shout it back and do the action that was created during the first round of the game.
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 action name game.
