In this game, a child says his name and the class affirms it. Let the students stand, form a circle and say their names one after another. After a few rounds, toss a soft ball to one student. As he catches the ball, let everybody shout out his name. Let the student toss the ball to another student, with the whole class shouting the name of the second child. Keep going until the ball has been passed to everyone. This activity encourages memory skills and caters to auditory and kinesthetic learning styles. It works well as an activity to start off the day because it lets the children release some energy.
Another name game with a soft ball involves passing and rolling the ball around. Form a circle with everybody. Ask the first student holding the ball to announce his name and pass the ball to the student beside him. The second student must name the first person correctly and name himself before passing the ball to the next student. The next student must name the first and second students as well as himself. Have the students pass the ball around until everyone gets a turn. This game is not as physically engaging as the first activity, but it still develops memory and listening skills. Auditory learners can benefit most from this activity.
Gather students in a circle. Roll a soft ball to any student and ask him to name himself. Have him roll it to anyone else in the circle. That student must name the student who passed him the ball and name himself. Saying another student’s name, he rolls the ball to that student. Take the game further by letting the students change places at random. Play this game when the students are already a little familiar with their classmates’ names. To make the game more interactive, ask students to name the person on their right when they randomly exchange places. This encourages more social interaction and lets each student get comfortable with his classmates.
Tell the students to find a student who matches a description. You could say, “Find one whose school bag is the same color as yours.” As soon as a student finds that person, they shake hands and introduce themselves. Allow them only about half a minute for the find-and-introduce process, and give a signal for them to freeze. When everyone has frozen, call on a pair of students and let them say each other’s names. Repeat the game using other descriptions and ask as many pairs as possible to come up and talk.
This activity encourages not only listening skills, but observation and memory as well. Because the children are looking for a specific item or information, it encourages them to talk to their classmates and gives them the opportunity to break the ice. This game can take longer than the other games.
Pick out or make up a short chant that prompts the students to say the name of the neighboring person. For example, a chant can end with “Who’s that friend on your right?” Invent a rhythm to go with the chant. They can clap hands, stomp feet or pat knees.
Let everyone do the rhythm and recite the chant in unison. At the end of the chant, pick a child to identify the student next to him. The process is repeated until everyone has spoken. This activity develops several skills: listening, memory, rhythm and physical coordination. Play this game to refresh your students’ memories at the end of the first day. Repeat this game for a few days to see if your students have memorized the names of their classmates.