The
Animal Name Game
Preparation
needed: none
Resources:
none
Age
range: early years, primary, secondary, adult
Group
size: any
Additional
issues: none
Gather the group into a circle. This can be played either
standing or sitting, just make sure that each person can see everyone else. The
animal name game is played by the first person introducing themself with an
animal starting with the same sound, for example ‘Liam lion’ they then need to
make a sound and/or action relating to that animal so Liam may hold up his
claws and roar. The next person in the circle needs to introduce Liam lion and
make their noise/action then introduce themselves for example Rosie Rabbit. As
each person takes a turn the list becomes longer but using the animal action
helps to ensure that the names are more memorable. If you have a group that
consists of younger children you may need to support them and maybe offer some
suggestions for children with names that do not have many animals starting with
their initial, for example someone called Liam with find it much easier to find
an animal name (Lion, Leopard, llama, lemur, lark) than someone called Quentin
(who could incidentally choose quail).
If you play this game on subsequent occasions then young
children with remember their names and help their friends to remember their
own. Younger children will need more support and help than older groups, but
peer support may be needed for all ages with people giving clues perhaps by
acting out the animal action.
What are
we learning from this activity? :
following the rules of a game, turn taking, alliteration, sounds, learning by
using sounds and movements, learning by repetition, helping and encouraging
others. For younger children it helps to increase their vocabulary and
knowledge of animals including the sounds and movements they make.