Can You Remember?

Name and Purpose

• Can You Remember? is a circle game for learning names and something memorable about each person.
• Players practise memory, attention, and kindness as they help one another be known.

a.k.a.

• Alliterative Name Circle, Name and Like

Age / Group / Time / Space

• Ages 8-16 | 8-30 players | 10-20 minutes | Circle space, indoors or outdoors. Fire ring or benches work well.

Materials

• No materials required

Quick-Run Card

1. Group sits or stands in a circle.
2. First player says: ‘My name is [Name] and I like [thing starting with the same letter as their name].’
3. Next player repeats the person before them, then adds their own.
4. Continue around the circle, each player recapping everyone before them.
5. Last player recaps everyone. Group applauds the effort.

Setup and Boundaries

• A consistent circle helps players track who is next. Seating works better than standing for longer groups.
• Signal: raise your hand to pause the game.
• No time pressure. Let players think without rushing them.

How to Play

1. Sit or stand in a circle.
2. One player starts: ‘My name is [Name] and I like [thing starting with the same letter as their name].’ Example: ‘My name is Priya and I like painting.’
3. The next player says the previous player’s name and interest, then adds their own. Example: ‘That’s Priya who likes painting. My name is Sam and I like soccer.’
4. Continue around the circle. Each player repeats everyone who went before them, then adds their name and interest.
5. Staff members join in. Their entries count too.
6. The last player recaps everyone in order.
7. Group applauds the final player. Recognise anyone who helped prompt a forgotten name.

I-OPt Options

• A (Active): Challenge yourself to go later in the circle when the list is longer.
• S (Support): Quietly help a neighbour remember a name if they get stuck.
• Q (Quiet): Choose a simple interest and go earlier in the circle to keep your list manageable.
• O (Observer): Watch one full round before joining. Choose your starting point when ready.

Inclusion Adaptations

• Players who find the memory chain difficult can use a prompt card with names written as each person shares.
• Campers with names that don’t have obvious same-letter interests can choose any word that feels true to them.

Stewardship Moment

• No materials used. No cleanup needed.
• Reflection: ‘We just learned something real about every person here. That knowledge belongs to all of us now.’

Consent

• Pre-brief: ‘You will share your name and one thing you like. For those not comfortable with the spotlight, going early in the circle means a shorter list to remember and less time in the middle of attention.’
• Mid-game check: If the group is large, pause halfway and ask how everyone is doing.
• Opt-out/re-entry: Any player can pass and choose to go last, or skip if needed.

Risks and Mitigation

• Memory pressure causing stress: reassure the group before starting that helping each other is part of the game, not cheating.
• Very large groups making the game too long: cap at 20 players per round, or split into two smaller circles.
• Repeat names causing confusion: if two players share a name, encourage them to add a second detail to distinguish themselves.

Warm-Up Suggestions

• Ask everyone to think of their alliterative interest before the game starts. Give 30 seconds of quiet thinking time.
• Go around the circle once where everyone just says their name, no interest yet, so faces and names connect first.

Debrief Questions

• What? ‘Who was the hardest person to remember, and why do you think that was?’
• So What? ‘What does it feel like when someone remembers your name and something about you?’
• Now What? ‘What is one thing you could do this week to help someone feel remembered?’

Cleanup and Reset

• No cleanup required.
• Close by asking the group: who can still remember everyone? Celebrate the effort.