Name Games
These are more like introduction activities than games, but we call them games because they're supposed to be fun. There are countless variations on them - don't hesitate to make up your own!
Standard
Let's say it's the first day of summer camp and the kids just arrived. Have them all sit down in a circle. Then tell them they have to say their name and something about themselves. Some things I have used in the past:
color of underwear
hometown
favorite color
favorite food
favorite animal
an animal that begins with the same letter as their name
color of toothbrush
favorite quote
etc, etc, etc...
Variations
With older groups, you can throw in a twist that really helps kids remember other kids' names (and it helps you too!!) Have the second person say the first person's name and whatever they said about themselves, and then their own name and their fact. For instance: "That's David, and his underwear is purple; my name is Andy, and my underwear is pink with red hearts." Well, you get the idea anyway. :) That means the last person has to say EVERYONE'S name and fact! If you've paid attention, you should be able to do this.
Object Toss
Have the kids stand in a circle with a diameter of easy throwing distance (if the group is too large, this might not work). Give them an object to throw (preferably a ball, but anything throwable will do - we once used a roll of tape). Have the first person choose another person to throw to. They must say the name of that person as they complete the throw. Then the receiver chooses a person and says their name, and so on and so forth, until everyone has received the ball once. Repeat the sequence several times, keeping the same order. This allows the kids to learn not only the name of the person they are throwing to, but also the names of the other kids as they watch the game - and yet it isn't as stressful for them because they only have to actually remember ONE name. After they've run it a few times, you can make it more interesting by adding more objects (in the same sequence). Eventually there are just too many things flying around, and it all falls apart - which is very funny to see. Kids usually like this one a lot.
I know I know more name games, but I'm having a brain freeze! But these will do for most situations.
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