The Name Web
Standing in a circle, the group tosses a ball of yarn while saying their name and something about themselves. The finished web shows everyone is connected.
- Age
- 6–18 yrs
- Players
- 8–25
- Duration
- 10–20 min
- Setting
- Indoors · Outdoors
- Equipment
- Equipment needed
- Prep
- No prep
- Energy
- Calm
It's probably the most widely used name game in youth work, and for good reason: it's calm, gives everyone time to speak and ends with a powerful image. Use it after an active game, once the group has lost a bit of its shyness.
Step by step
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Sit or stand in a circle. The counselor holds the loose end of the yarn and says their name plus a short sentence, for example "I'm Laura and my favorite food is pancakes".
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Still holding the end, toss the ball to someone else in the circle, saying their name if you know it, or asking for it.
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The person who catches the ball holds on to the yarn, introduces themselves the same way and tosses it to someone who hasn't had it yet.
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Keep going until everyone is holding a piece of yarn. You'll have made a web.
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To undo it, the last person tosses the ball back to whoever threw it to them, saying that person's name and what they shared. The yarn travels back until it reaches the counselor.
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Finish with a quick question - what happens if someone lets go of their thread? It opens a chat about how everyone in the group is needed.
Variations & adaptations
Prompts for the sentence
Change the prompt to suit the group - "a superpower you'd like", "the song that always cheers you up", "something you want to learn at camp".
For older groups
Before tossing the yarn, each person says something they have in common with the person receiving it. It makes everyone pay attention to each other.
Groups over 25
Make two circles with a ball each and, at the end, join the two webs by tying the ends together.
Inclusion
Instead of tossing, the yarn can be rolled along the floor or passed by hand. Anyone who doesn't want to talk can just say their name.
