NAME GAMES :
Games to help girls (and Guiders!) learn newcomers' names

KNOW YOUR NEIGHBOUR
This game helps the players learn each other's names and at the same time have some fun. It's a good 'ice-breaker' for the first night at camp. One player is designated to be IT. She takes her place in the centre of the players, sitting in a circle in the dark. IT suddenly flashes her torch on one of the players and asks "Who are your next door neighbours?" And then she flashes the light on the nearby neighbours. If the player who was asked the question, can't name both neighbours correctly, she becomes IT. If she does name them correctly, IT asks her "How is So and So?", naming either of the players. If the reply is "OK", the players remain seated, but if the answer is "Not so good", all players must change seats. While everyone is shifting IT tries to get a seat. If she succeeds the one without a place then becomes IT.
Note: Until everyone is sure of the names, IT must give them time to learn the names of their neighbours before they move.

THE EXPENSIVE NAME GAME
Come prepared with pennies in your pocket. Sit the girls in a ring. Ask them to keep count of how many names you get wrong. Each Guider gets a turn! Walk around the outside of the ring. Stop at each girl put your hand on her head and say something like: You are dressed in Brown....You have short blonde hair.... Your name is????..... (Well, if you don't know use any name.) Ask the girl if you guessed right. If not girls count that as one wrong. Move on to next girl until you visit all the girls. Have the pennies at the end. Ask for how many you got wrong, and deposit same amount of pennies in to a sock hanging up somewhere. Tell the girls that in a few weeks you will send all the pennies to the WFF. Don't forget each Guider gets a go.

SOCK NAME GAME
Equipment: sock pairs (at least one per person-fun if more!)
Ages: have to be able to throw and catch
You form a circle and the leader throws one person a pair of socks (rolled up tight in a ball) That person (1) must ask the name of a person (2) she doesn't know then before she tosses the socks to person 2, must shout out person 2's name. Person 2 then has to ask the name of someone she doesn't know, call out that person 3's name, and toss the socks to her....etc. until everyone has caught the socks.
RULE: You must always toss the socks to the same person - but only after you
shout out their name.
Now here's the game...
Meanwhile the leader tosses in more and more and more socks. Socks are flying everywhere names are being shouted all at once (sometimes a person may have 4-5 pair and then it's "Susan, Susan, Susan, Susan (pelt, pelt, pelt, pelt) Leaders were running after socks they missed catching...bedlam and laughter abound. The leader then will start to remove pairs of socks one by one and it 'calms down a bit' and you again get to hear all the names as the last sock tosses around. It's crazy - but like I said - it worked for me!

NAME BALL
Make a big circle. This works well for younger girls too. Have each girl say their name (and you can have them say one thing that they like too, if you'd like). After they have gone around the whole circle, you toss a ball to one of the girls, while saying their name. The girl whose name you call is the one who is supposed to catch the ball. Try to encourage them to call on people that they don't already know, especially if there are lots that aren't acquainted yet.

NAME ACROSTICS
As people arrive, hand them a pencil and card. Ask them to print their first name in capitals vertically at the left of the card. They move about, trying to find persons whose last names begin with those letters. For variation, use the monthly theme or other word along the left of the card.

SILLY SUSAN
Have everyone think of an adjective for themself which starts with the first letter of their name. Start with one person who might say "I'm silly Susan". The next person says "I'm clever Claudia, she's silly Susan". The next person says "I'm lovely Louise, she's clever Claudia, she's silly Susan" and so on until everyone has joined in. If you have more than about 12 people it may be kinder to split into groups or at least make sure the new people are near the beginning!
A variation on this is to use animals: Susan Snake, Claudia Crocodile and Louise Labrador - with an action to go with each animal.

SURRENDER
Have everyone stand in a circle and introduce themselves by name. One girl starts by pointing at any other girl and saying her name. That girl raises both hands, and the girls standing on each side of her raise the hand nearest her. Then the girl who's name was called calls the next name, and so on. If a girl is "out" she stays in her place but sits down - she can be got out by not putting the correct hand/s up, calling a wrong name or (once you get going) by being too slow. People who are out don't count so after a while the girls either side of the girl who is pointed at may be standing several spaces away!

MY NAME YOUR NAME
Take a ball and stand everyone in a circle. Introduce everyone by name. The first girl says her name and then that of someone else, who she then throws the ball to. That girl says her own name and then that of a 3rd person who she then throws the ball to and so on. Anyone who calls a wrong name or drops the ball is either out or gets a penalty point but keeps playing. Add more balls and get quicker.