35 Fun Name Games To Try With Your New Class

• Title Video games for Preschool and Elementary Children
• Title Video games for Center College
• Title Video games for Excessive College
• Get your free title sport Google Slides!

Studying new names may be equally daunting for each college students and lecturers. It’s not simply the act of associating names with faces that’s a problem, but in addition precisely announcing and spelling names. It’s necessary to get pupil names proper as a result of youngsters usually tend to really feel like they’re a part of an inclusive setting after they hear their names pronounced correctly. Whereas some names are extra commonplace than others, all college students deserve the identical respect in relation to studying names. In actual fact, it may be particularly necessary to pronounce refugee or immigrant students’ names correctly. Title video games are a enjoyable approach to assist everybody study collectively.

Whether or not you select to make use of a music, a foolish skit, or a prop, now we have video games on this listing that may carry a smile to the faces of all college students, from preschoolers all the way in which as much as these sometimes-surly teenagers. Try all of our favourite title video games to strive along with your class this 12 months.

Soar to:

Title Video games for Preschool and Elementary Children

1. Trainer Take a look at

• Time: 5 minutes
• Supplies: Title tents
• Prep: Earlier than the primary day of college, create card-stock title tents to set on pupil desks.

The way to play:

1. Spend the primary day of college attending to know your college students’ names, utilizing the title tents for assist.
2. On the finish of the primary day, have all college students flip their tents face-down. Begin a timer, and see how lengthy it takes you to go across the room remembering everybody’s names. Children like to see their trainer getting put to the take a look at!

2. Johnny Performs the Drum Beat

• Time: 10-Quarter-hour
• Supplies: Small drum
• Prep: None

The way to play:

1. Introduce the straightforward music (see video), demonstrating methods to hold time on the drum.
2. As soon as college students can sing alongside, name up the primary pupil. Give them the drum, and ask them to steer the category within the subsequent verse, utilizing their very own title.
3. Repeat with every pupil. Pay cautious consideration to correct pronunciation, making this an inclusive and welcoming sport for everybody.

3. Pig on Their Head

• Time: 10-Quarter-hour
• Supplies: Stuffed animals
• Prep: None

The way to play:

1. Play this video of the Laurie Berkner Band so youngsters can study the tune and phrases.
2. Now, invite youngsters to take turns selecting a stuffed animal from the pile. As every pupil locations their chosen animal on their head, everybody sings the verse, substituting the coed’s title and animal.

4. Bumblebee Title Sport

• Time: 10-Quarter-hour
• Supplies: None
• Prep: None

The way to play:

1. Play the video so college students can study the tune and the phrases.
2. Now, carry every youngster to the entrance of the room in flip. The category sings the music and does the actions:
   “Hickety, Pickety, Bumblebee
   Gained’t you say your title for me? (Designated youngster says their title.)
   Let’s all whisper it. (Everybody else whispers it.)
   Let’s all stomp it. (Everybody else stomps it.)
   Let’s all clap it. (Everybody else claps the syllables.)
   Let’s all shout it! (Everybody shouts it.)”
3. Repeat with every pupil.

5. Who Do We Respect?

• Time: 10-Quarter-hour
• Supplies: None
• Prep: None

The way to play:

1. Train your college students to chant “2-4-6-8, who can we admire? [Name!] [Name!] Hurray!”
2. Do the mantra for each pupil within the class, and allow them to get pleasure from their shining second!

6. Favourite Factor

• Time: 10-Quarter-hour
• Supplies: None
• Prep: None

The way to play:

1. Have college students kind a line or circle.
2. The primary pupil introduces themself: “My title is [name], and my favourite factor is [favorite thing].”
3. The following pupil takes their flip, introducing themself and likewise the particular person earlier than them. “My title is [name], and my favourite factor is [favorite thing]. That is [first person’s name], and their favourite factor is [favorite thing].”
4. Every pupil continues, introducing themself and all the scholars earlier than them. This will get difficult, so you’ll be able to enable different college students to assist out as wanted.
5. Non-compulsory: On the finish, have your complete class chant the introductions collectively, pointing to every particular person in flip.

7. Motion Syllables

• Time: 10-Quarter-hour
• Supplies: None
• Prep: None

The way to play:

1. On this sport, every youngster will select a distinct motion to make use of for every syllable of their title. Listed here are a few examples:
   • Harper: HAR/clap, PER/stomp
   • Christopher: CHRIS/bounce, TO/spin, PHER/clap
2. As soon as every youngster has chosen their actions, ask them to introduce themselves to the category and reveal the actions. Then, the entire class repeats their title and actions.
3. Proceed till every pupil has had an opportunity to share their title with the category.

8. Banana Fanna Fo Fanna

• Time: 10-Quarter-hour
• Supplies: None
• Prep: None

The way to play:

1. Train youngsters the basic music, utilizing the primary pupil’s title. For instance: “Liam Liam, bo biam, banana fana fo fiam, price fie mo miam, Liam!”
2. Repeat with every pupil’s title in flip. So catchy and enjoyable!

9. Title Toss

• Time: 10-Quarter-hour
• Supplies: Ball
• Prep: None

The way to play:

1. Begin by forming a circle. Ask everybody to go across the circle and introduce themselves, saying their names clearly.
2. Toss a ball to 1 pupil, saying, “Catch, [name]!” That pupil responds, “Thanks, [teacher’s name]!”
3. That pupil tosses the ball to a different pupil, they usually proceed the sample of “Catch, [name]!” and “Thanks, [thrower]!”
4. Preserve the sport going till everybody has caught and thrown the ball not less than as soon as.

10. Title Puzzles

• Time: 10-Half-hour
• Supplies: Title puzzles
• Prep: To create the puzzles, take and print a photograph of every pupil. Paste the photographs to items of card inventory, leaving room to put in writing the scholars’ names beneath every. Reduce the cardboard and photograph into strips, with one letter per piece.

The way to play:

1. First, give every pupil their very own title puzzle and provides them time to assemble it.
2. Then, have college students commerce puzzles with their neighbor, and put collectively the brand new ones to study one another’s names.
3. Proceed the exercise so long as you want. For the last word problem, combine up the entire class’s puzzle items collectively, then see how lengthy it takes them to separate out the items and put every particular person again collectively once more!

11. Title Acrostic Poems

• Time: 20-Half-hour
• Supplies: Pen/pencil and paper, Acrostic Template (non-compulsory)
• Prep: Write an acrostic poem to your personal title to share.

The way to play:

1. Present college students examples of acrostic poems, explaining that every line begins with the letter of a phrase—on this case, their title.
2. Have college students brainstorm phrases that begin with every letter of their title, narrowing down those they like finest.
3. Lastly, write out the poems, and have college students share them with their classmates.

12. Title Ring Toss

• Time: 15-20 minutes
• Supplies: Plastic cups and paper plates
• Prep: For every pupil, write the letters of their title on the bottoms of plastic cups as proven within the photograph above. Reduce the facilities out of paper plates to create “rings.”

The way to play:

1. Give every pupil their very own title cups and a paper plate ring. Ask them to arrange the cups a couple of ft away from them, and follow throwing the ring round every letter.
2. Then, ask college students to commerce locations with a neighbor, and attempt to throw their rings round that pupil’s title cups.
3. Proceed the sport so long as you want, serving to youngsters get to know one another’s names (and methods to spell them!).

13. Soar In

• Time: 5-10 minutes
• Supplies: None
• Prep: None

The way to play:

1. Have college students stand in a circle.
2. Within the first spherical, every pupil jumps into the center of the circle and calls out their very own title, separately. Then they bounce again to their spot.
3. Within the second spherical, as the coed jumps into the circle, the remainder of the category calls out their title collectively earlier than they bounce again.

14. Give Me a Title!

• Time: 10-Quarter-hour
• Supplies: None
• Prep: None

The way to play:

Deliver every pupil to the entrance of the category. Lead the remainder of the category within the basic “Give me a …” cheer to spell out their title. Instance:

• Trainer: “Give me an A!”
• Class: “A!”
• Trainer: “Give me an L!”
• Class: “L!”
• Trainer: “Give me an I!”
• Class: “I!”
• Trainer: “What’s that spell?”
• Class: “ALI!”

Title Video games for Center College

15. Letter Card Commerce

• Time: 15-20 minutes
• Supplies: Notice playing cards, pen or marker
• Prep: Write every letter of every pupil’s title on a word card, and shuffle the deck.

The way to play:

1. With the deck of letter playing cards face-down, have every pupil randomly draw as many playing cards as there are letters in their very own title. (As an illustration, Ian would draw three playing cards, whereas Amelia would draw six.)
2. The purpose is for teenagers to commerce for the playing cards that spell their title. Instance: If Ian has an M and Amelia has an N, they might commerce so every has one of many letters they want.
3. As soon as a pupil has accomplished their title, they can assist others discover and make the trades they want.

16. Snowball Combat

• Time: 15-20 minutes
• Supplies: Paper and pens/pencils
• Prep: None

The way to play:

1. Ask every pupil to put in writing down one attention-grabbing truth about themselves on a chunk of paper, then crumple it up right into a “snowball.”
2. On the sign, let youngsters toss the snowballs across the room (gently!).
3. After a couple of minutes, give the sign to cease the combat. Ask each pupil to search out and choose up one snowball.
4. Now, have college students take turns straightening out their snowball and studying the actual fact out loud. As a category, attempt to guess who wrote every truth.

17. Buying and selling Playing cards

• Time: 15-20 minutes
• Supplies: Clean word playing cards and markers/coloured pencils, and many others.
• Prep: None

The way to play:

1. Have every pupil create their very own private “buying and selling card” (like Pokémon or related). They need to embody their title, an image, and some attention-grabbing info.
2. You might have a couple of totally different choices for methods to use these playing cards:
   • Submit all of the playing cards in a central location like a bulletin board for teenagers to have a look at after they have time.
   • Lay out the playing cards aspect by aspect and make photocopies in sheets. Reduce the playing cards aside and provides youngsters their units to commerce and share.
3. Don’t neglect to make your personal card to share!

18. Peek-a-Who

• Time: 15-20 minutes
• Supplies: A big tarp or blanket
• Prep: None

The way to play:

1. Divide the category into two groups, every on one aspect of the room.
2. Ask one other pupil or trainer that can assist you maintain the blanket up excessive between the 2 groups, making a “wall” to allow them to’t see one another.
3. Every staff selects one particular person to face near the “wall,” close to the center.
4. On the rely of three, drop the blanket or tarp so the 2 chosen college students can see one another. The primary to shout out the opposite particular person’s title appropriately wins the purpose.
5. Play till each pupil has had a flip on the “wall.”

19. Energy Pose

• Time: 15-20 minutes
• Supplies: None
• Prep: None

The way to play:

1. As every pupil introduces themself, ask them to make use of a “energy pose.” They may pose like a superhero, palms at their hips, or like a bodybuilder displaying off muscled arms, and even simply stand tall and proud.
2. After every pupil poses and says their title, the remainder of the category adopts the identical pose and says, “Hello, [name]!”
3. Non-compulsory: For an additional little bit of enjoyable, take a bunch image with everybody of their poses!

20. Companion Title Tags

The way to play:

1. Pair up the scholars in your class, and ask the pairs to sit down collectively.
2. Give the pairs 10 minutes to debate some icebreaker questions (submit them on the board or cross out a handout to information the dialogue).
3. Now, every particular person has 5 minutes to create and enhance a reputation tag for his or her companion, utilizing a number of the info they discovered (favourite colour, exercise, and many others.) to personalize it.
4. Lastly, have every particular person placed on their title tag, then spend a couple of minutes mingling with their classmates and trying out their tags.

21. Net of Names

• Time: 10-Quarter-hour
• Supplies: Massive ball of yarn
• Prep: None

The way to play:

1. Have college students sit in a circle, and provides one pupil the ball of yarn.
2. That pupil introduces themself to the category, then holds on to the tip of the yarn and tosses the ball to a different classmate.
3. The following pupil introduces themself, then stretches the yarn tight and holds onto it, whereas tossing the ball to a brand new particular person.
4. Preserve taking part in till everybody has launched themselves and is holding a part of the yarn. This “internet of names” reveals how everybody within the class is an element of a bigger complete.

22. Zombie Title Sport

• Time: 10-Quarter-hour
• Supplies: None
• Prep: None

The way to play:

1. Have the category stand in a circle and take turns introducing themselves.
2. Select one pupil to be the primary “zombie” and stand within the center.
3. Name out a pupil’s title. The zombie heads towards that pupil.
   • If the goal pupil says another person’s title earlier than the zombie reaches them, they’re protected. Nevertheless, the coed can’t use any of the final three names which have been known as! As soon as they shout out an eligible title, the zombie turns and heads for the brand new goal.
   • If the zombie reaches the goal pupil earlier than they name out an eligible title, that pupil turns into the brand new zombie.

23. Title Bingo

• Time: 5-10 minutes
• Supplies: Bingo playing cards, pen/pencils, small prizes
• Prep: Create bingo playing cards with college students’ names. Make sure you create quite a lot of playing cards with the names in numerous orders.

The way to play:

1. Give every pupil a bingo card and ensure they’ve one thing to put in writing with.
2. On the sign, youngsters start mixing and mingling, looking for the individuals named on their card. As soon as they do, they’ve that pupil preliminary their sq..
3. When a pupil has an entire row throughout, down, or diagonally, they name out, “Bingo!” and obtain a small prize. Proceed the sport so long as you want.

24. Title Phrase Search

• Time: 5-10 minutes
• Supplies: Title phrase search handouts, pen/pencils or highlighters
• Prep: Use a word search generator to create a puzzle to your class to unravel, and make sufficient copies for everybody.

The way to play:

1. Present the handout to all college students.
2. Children seek for names on the listing, working to finish your complete puzzle.
3. After everybody has had an opportunity to work on the phrase search, invite every pupil as much as the entrance of the room to introduce themselves and present the place their title appeared within the grid.

Title Video games for Excessive College

25. Fingerspelling

• Time: 15-20 minutes
• Supplies: ASL Fingerspelling chart (non-compulsory)
• Prep: Study to signal your personal title utilizing fingerspelling.

The way to play:

1. Share the ASL Fingerspelling video and/or chart handouts with college students.
2. Have college students study to spell their very own title, training till they really feel snug.
3. Now, let college students combine and mingle, sharing their names with their classmates utilizing fingerspelling.

26. Group Juggle

• Time: 15-20 minutes
• Supplies: Small ball
• Prep: None

The way to play:

1. Give one pupil the ball. Have them say their very own title, then select somebody within the circle to toss the ball to, saying their title: “Olivia, [tossing ball] Alex.”
2. Every particular person repeats the motion, throwing the ball to somebody who hasn’t had a flip but, till everybody has gone.
3. Now, give the ball to the primary pupil once more. The category should attempt to toss the ball across the circle in the very same order as they did the primary time.
4. Non-compulsory: Improve the problem by including a second and even third ball going on the similar time!

27. Guess Who

• Time: 10-Quarter-hour
• Supplies: None
• Prep: None

The way to play:

1. Each one within the class closes their eyes. Select one pupil at random to say “Hey!”
2. The opposite college students attempt to guess who the speaker was. (This may be particularly difficult for those who enable college students to make use of humorous voices after they speak.)
3. Repeat till everybody has had a flip.

28. Alliterative Names

• Time: 10-Quarter-hour
• Supplies: None
• Prep: None

The way to play:

1. Give college students one minute to give you an alliterative adjective to explain themselves that matches their title. For instance: “Energetic Emma” or “Laughing Lucas.”
2. Go across the room and have every pupil introduce themselves with their alliterative title.
3. Non-compulsory: Level to college students at random and see if the category can bear in mind the alliterative title they selected.

29. Lacking Title

• Time: 5-10 minutes
• Supplies: Notice playing cards and marker
• Prep: Write every pupil’s title on a card so you have got one for every.

The way to play:

1. Collect college students round a central desk or house on the ground. Lay out all of the playing cards face-up, however hold one card face-down. See how lengthy it takes youngsters to determine which classmate’s title is lacking.
2. Shuffle the playing cards and repeat as many instances as you want!

30. Roll the Cube

• Time: 10-Quarter-hour
• Supplies: Cube
• Prep: None

The way to play:

Every pupil rolls a die. The quantity that they land on signifies how they need to introduce themselves:

1. Share your title and spell it backwards as quick as you’ll be able to.
2. Share your title and your favourite colour.
3. Share your title and the final film you watched.
4. Share your title and the names of the individuals on both aspect of you.
5. Share your title and your favourite ice cream taste.
6. Share your title and the month you have been born.

31. Title Impulse

• Time: 5-10 minutes
• Supplies: None
• Prep: None

The way to play:

1. Sit or stand in a circle. Select a pupil to start out by saying their very own title.
2. Instantly afterward, the particular person to their left says their very own title. Repeat this all the way in which across the circle.
3. Now the enjoyable begins! Begin a timer, and see how shortly the group can go across the circle saying their names. Attempt to beat your personal document!

32. Letter Lineup

• Time: 10-Quarter-hour
• Supplies: None
• Prep: None

The way to play:

1. Share the problem: College students should line up so as of the variety of letters of their first title, however they can’t speak whereas doing so!
2. To interrupt ties, rely the variety of letters in college students’ center names, after which use final names too if wanted.
3. Time the group. If anybody talks, they need to transfer across the room to combine themselves up and begin over once more!

33. Title Pictionary

• Time: 15-20 minutes
• Supplies: Paper and pen/pencil or markers
• Prep: Create an instance to your personal title, as proven within the photograph.

The way to play:

1. Share your personal Pictionary title along with your college students to reveal the duty.
2. Have every pupil create their very own Pictionary title drawings with blanks for the letters.
3. Gather all of the drawings and blend them up, then cross them again out randomly. Every pupil solves the puzzle they obtain, then finds the creator and chats with them for a minute or two.

34. Emoji Title Tags

• Time: 10-Quarter-hour
• Supplies: Adhesive clean tags, pens or markers
• Prep: Create your personal emoji title tag.

The way to play:

1. Give every pupil a clean tag and pens or markers. Ask them to put in writing their title on the tag, together with a couple of emojis that describe themselves.
2. Deliver every pupil to the entrance of the category to introduce themselves and clarify the emojis they selected.

35. Title Clusters

• Time: 10-Quarter-hour
• Supplies: None
• Prep: Make a listing of the “cluster” concepts you’ll use.

The way to play:

1. To create your “cluster” concepts, come up with other ways college students can collect based mostly on their names. As an illustration:
   • Collect in teams based mostly on the variety of letters in your first title.
   • Collect in teams with others whose title ends in the identical letter as yours.
   • Collect into two teams: even variety of letters in your title, and odd variety of letters.
   • Collect into two teams: names that begin with vowels, and names that begin with consonants.
2. As college students collect in these clusters, give them a minute or two to speak with their group mates earlier than shifting on to the subsequent.

Get your free title sport Google Slides!

We created a free set of student-facing Google Slides that includes all the video games described above. Fill out the shape on this web page to seize them.

What’s one in all your favourite title video games? Come share within the We Are Teachers HELPLINE group on Facebook!

Plus, try Elementary Icebreakers To Start the School Year Off Right!