9 Exciting Name Activities that Your Kids will Love
[vc_row][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text]Are you looking for some ways to learn the names of your students? Being a music teacher, we usually have at least 100 names to learn as most of us teach the whole school. Starting a new school as a music teacher can be rough. I remember my first year all I could think was, “How am I’m going to learn 300 names!!!”. The great thing about staying at a school is you need to learn less and less names each year–usually just the incoming class and any new students that will join in the upper grades.
I’ve gathered a list of 9 name games for all you new teachers that are thinking the same thing I did, “How am I going to learn all these names?!”. Take a look and I hope a few of these are useful for your class.
Jump in, Jump Out
This song is great for upper elementary, grades 3-5. They get to introduce themselves, tell us 2 things about them, and move all in the same song! It keeps the kids engaged so it’s easy to do with a full class. There are many variations of the lyrics. This is what I use.
Jump in! Jump Out
Turn yourself around
Jump in! Jump Out!
Introduce Yourself
My name is [Scholar’s Name]
And I Like [Scholars mentions something they like]
And I can [Scholars mentions something they can do]
Alright, Alright, Alright
Here is a video I found on youtube that shows the song.[/vc_column_text][vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkNnJyWpVG8&t=16s” align=”center”][vc_column_text]Bee Bee Bumblebee, Can You Sing Your Name for Me
This song is for Kindergarten. You can try it in 1st grade but, depending on the maturity of your 1st graders, it may or may not work. It’s very simple.
Bee Bee Bumblebee
Can you sing your name for me?
My name is [Scholar’s name]
You can go around the room and have scholars keep a steady beat.
Hickety Pickety Bumblebee
Hickety Pickety Bumblebee
Will you say your name for me
This is similar to Bee Bee Bumblebee. I do this version with 1st grade because I pass around a small ball or stuffed animal that also helps me assess how well they can pass on the steady beat. They should remember steady beat from Kindergarten! Whoever is holding the object on “me” says his or her name. The game continues like that.
Movement Name Game
This game doesn’t incorporate any element such as beat but it’s just fun to play that’s why it’s on this list! You can make many variations of this game. I’ll teach you the basics–then let your mind run free! Scholars will stand in a circle and say their name with a movement. The class will repeat. The next person goes says their name with a movement THEN has to remember the name and movement of those that went before them. Ideally, you will be last so you can say the names and movements of everyone in your class!!
Up the Ladder
I saw this game on youtube and just loved it! I’ll leave the video below. It might be too much for Kindergarten but your scholars should definitely be able to play this name game by 2nd grade.[/vc_column_text][vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RysGWu3MIUQ” align=”center”][vc_column_text]Bounce High Bounce Low
This is one of my favorite songs because you can use it to teach so many different concepts. You can even use it as a name game! This game probably won’t work when the class is just learning games but it’s a good way to reinforce the names that they have already know.
Bounce High
Bounce Low
Bounce the ball to [Scholar Name]
Say Your Name
This chant is great for Kindergarten to help them learn names and practice clapping or patting a steady beat. Here is the chant:
Say your name
And when you do
We will say it back to you
After the class recites the chant, the scholars says the name, the class repeats it and the chant continues. Simple enough for K-1st grade.
There is a Class
This is one that I made up to the tune of B-I-N-G-O. My kids loved to dance so I wanted to find a way to incorporating dancing into a fun first week activity. Here are the lyrics
There is a class who has a girl/boy
And [scholar’s Name] is her/his name-o
Can you do a dance?
I can do a dance.
She can do a dance
And [scholar’s name] is her/his name-o
Scholars stand in a circle and you call out a name on “And [scholar’s name] is her/his name-o”. That scholars comes to the middle of the circle while the class sings, “Can you do a dance?”. The scholar in the middle sings “I can do a dance” and does his or her dance. The class now sings “She/He can do a dance” and repeats the dance that the scholar in the middle did. The scholars goes back to her/his spot and the teacher sings for a new scholar to come to the middle.
Who’s that Tapping At my Window
This is one of my favorites. It’s a name game that incorporates instruments. Here are the lyrics:
Who’s that tapping at my window?
Who’s that knocking on my door?
[Scholar’s name] tapping at your window
[Scholar’s name] knocking on your door.
There’s a great video on youtube that explains how to play this. I’ll link it below.[/vc_column_text][vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AunDCmeRR8o” align=”center”][vc_single_image image=”235″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
