My Name is Aaron and I Like Aardvarks
My name is Aaron and I like aardvarks is a fun and simple name game that requires nothing more than people to play.
Object of the Game
The object of this icebreaker game is to have the group learn the individual names of the people in the group.
Setting Up the Game
Have the group sit in a circle facing each other. Ask each member to think of an object, animal, place, or adjective that starts with the same letter as their first name.
Younger children may need help if their name starts with a rarer letter like X for example. Unfortunately for Xavier he always likes x-rays and xylophones.
Try not to have two players pick the same item. With most letters there are plenty of available choices. The game is designed so the group can learn names so it really doesn't matter if the player actually likes the item or not. The letter association is only a memory trigger to help others remember their name.
Once all the players have chosen their item, place, etc the game can begin.
Playing the Game
Pick a player to start. The first person says their name followed by the the word they have chosen. For example " My name is Aaron and I like aardvarks " or " My name is John and I like junk ". If the player chose and adjective it would be more like " My name is Hannah and I am happy ". Maybe they chose a place like " My name is Richard and I like Ripon ".
Lets say Aaron started the game with " My name is Aaron and I like aardvarks "The person to the left of Aaron continues the game by acknowledging what the previous player said and then following up with their name and word. It would go like this. " That is Aaron and he likes aardvarks " followed by " My name is Quincy and I like quail ".
On the third players turn they repeat the names and associated words of the previous two players before stating their name and what they like. " That is Aaron and he likes aardvarks ". " That is Quincy and he likes quail ". " My name is Rachael and I like rabbits ". The game continues on this way until everyone has had their turn.
As impressive as it is to see a player recite the name and word association correctly for each player, it is often a lot more fun when mistakes are made and players start making guesses.
If the energy of the room is such that the players are actively engaged give each player a chance to recite the entire groups names.
Variations
When playing the game with younger children or those who have poor memory skills , have them immediately recite the last players information.
In this scenario Aaron would say " My name is Aaron and I like Aardvarks ". The entire group would then say " That is Aaron and he likes aardvarks ". The second player would then go and say " My name is Quincy and I like quail ". Followed by the group saying " That is Quincy and he likes quail ". This variation reinforces the name with the entire group after each players turn.
To Icebreakers from My Name is Aaron and I Like Aardvarks
As an Amazon Associate, this site earns commission from qualifying purchases.