1. In advance, collect or create a set of alphabet cards (see Resources tab.)
2. Lay these cards on a flat surface in front of your group, eg table or floor.
3. Invite one volunteer to find the letters belonging to their first name and lay them side-by-side on the table/floor to spell their name.
4. When ready, invite all group members to find the letters of their first name and lay them in a manner that they intersect and connect with the letters/names belonging to other people, ie crossword-style.
5. Challenge your group to arrange all of the letters in a way that connects the names of everyone to the group.
6. In conclusion, invite your group to review all of the names represented.

This has become one of my go-to activities for groups that I expect will arrive in dribs and drabs. It’s ideal for both new and well-knit groups.

You’ll need to create or access a set of large alphabet letter cards. You can download a Print+Play set from the Resources tab or you can source them commercially.

Start by pulling out the letters which spell your name, ie D E V O N and lay them on a large table or the floor.

Spread the rest of the letters in a random pile close by.

Then, as the first people begin to arrive, invite them to grab the letters of their first name from the pile and challenge them to add their letters to your name crossword-style, ie where common letters intersect and connect to one another.

For example, Vera could choose to lay her letters below the V of Devon’s name because they share a common letter, ie Vera need only grab three extra letters to add her name.

The longer the names, the better because this will allow for many more letters to connect to and intersect with.

Over the course of several minutes, as more and more people arrive, the task becomes bigger and sometimes more complex as fewer letters remain and/or opportunities for connections become scarce.

If you’re lucky, the names of everyone in your group will find a way to connect to the ever-expanding crossword. If not, then that’s okay – you will have engaged your group immediately as they arrived, enjoyed a few fun moments and possibly learned a few new names. An ideal unofficial start.

Typically, standing in a circle around our crossword names, I like to invite my group to think of why I might have started with this activity. There are many rich and meaningful connections, and possibly the most powerful is that everyone is connected to the group somehow.

Example

As shared by long-time playmeo member Jennifer:

Download a set of Print+Play letters of the alphabet from the Resources tab. You’ll be able to print and cut out 100 letters that mimic the commercial board game Scrabble.

Crossword Names is a wonderful unofficial start – if this concept is new to you, click the link.

You could use an actual set of Scrabble tiles, but… they are quite small. So, unless you are working with ten or fewer people, you are best to create a set of much larger letters to make them easier for a large group to see and handle.

The supply of each letter is limited, so it is natural for some letters to be used up quickly, eg the five vowels. In this case, you can either challenge your group to find a way to solve this problem, or… invite a little creativity in the way they spell some of their names.

You could integrate Crossword Names as part of a well-designed SEL program to promote and maintain healthy and supportive relationships and to effectively navigate settings with diverse people.

Specifically, this activity offers ample opportunities to explore and practice the following social & interpersonal skills:

Self-Awareness

• Identifying Personal, Cultural & Linguistic Assets
• Demonstrating Self-Confidence, Honesty & Integrity
• Experiencing Self-Efficacy

Self-Management

• Demonstrating Self-Discipline & Self-Motivation
• Setting Personal & Group Goals
• Taking Initiative
• Use Planning & Organisational Skills

Social Awareness

• Taking Other’s Perspectives
• Appreciating Diversity
• Recognising Strengths In Others
• Respecting Others

Relationship Skills

• Communicate & Listen Effectively
• Seeking and/or Offering Support
• Build Positive Relationships
• Demonstrate Cultural Competency
• Work Collaboratively
• Showing Leadership
• Resolving Conflict Constructively

Responsible Decision-Making

• Demonstrating Curiosity & Open-Mindedness
• Making Reasoned Judgements
• Promoting Personal & Collective Well-Being

You can learn more about SEL and how it can support character education here.

There is no specific health & wellness perspective to this activity other than promoting the benefits to one’s well-being of affirming one’s name and interacting with others to complete a simple puzzle.

If you can think of more explicit ways in which Crossword Names could be purposefully integrated into a health and wellness program, please leave a comment at the base of this page.

• Arrival Activity: Take a look at Unofficial Start to present this exercise as a practical strategy to fill idle time and/or engage your group when they first arrive at your venue/class/session.
• Any Name: Invite the use of any name to be included in the crossword pattern, eg nicknames, surnames, alternative spellings, another language, etc.
• Letters & Numbers: Include the numerals 0 to 9 multiple times and permit their use to represent one or more letters of the alphabet. For example, the number 4 is sometimes substituted for an A, ie M 4 R I E.
• Theme Starter: Use a word that represents the theme of your program or some other significant attribute as a starting point, eg COLLABORATION. Then, invite group members to add their names to this word. Thanks to JeWElle de Mesa for offering this variation.
• Alphabet Letter Challenge: Supply only the 26 letters belonging to the English alphabet. Challenge your group to form a bunch of words that connect and intersect crossword-style so that (a) every word is legitimate and (b) uses all 26 letters. Click here to see one possible solution.
• Diversity, Equity & Inclusion: Distribute a bunch of blank index cards to each person and ask them to create their own alphabet cards. Encourage them to express their letters in whatever form, shape, colour, etc that they choose.

This next group exercise will demonstrate the effort it takes to connect every one of you to the group…

I’m not a big crossword fan, but I know many people are. In this instance, there are no clues other than the use of your names, and there is no rigid framework other than what you create as you work together…

Coupled with one or more reflection strategies, here are some sample questions you could use to process your group’s experience after playing this fun, interactive name-game:

• How did it feel to see most if not all of the names connected to the group?
• What might this tell you about our time together in this program?
• What was the most difficult part of solving this puzzle?
• Do you think this exercise helped you learn or recall a few new names?
• If you could change the rules, what would you do next time?