Name Order Up

Note: For this version, middle names are used. The game can be played with last names, or first names in a context where the players do not already know everyone’s first name.

Ask students to raise their hand if they have a middle name. Nobody should talk or say their middle name out loud. If any student does NOT have a middle name, tell them that for this game they can use their last name instead. If you have 20 students or less, play this as a whole group. If you have more than 20, you may split the kids up into two teams of mixed ages. Instruct students to think about the letter that their middle name starts with. When you say GO, students must get in a line in alphabetical order by their middle names WITHOUT TALKING! They may make motions with their hands or “draw” with their finger on another student’s back to try and communicate the letter of their middle name, but they may not talk, whisper or mouth anything. You may time them to see if they can do it in a given time frame, or if you have two teams, you can have them race to get in order. When they are done, go through the line and ask everyone to say their middle name – correct any errors in the order!