Acrostic Icebreaker (Enhanced)

Youth introduce themselves to each other by creating acrostics of their own names.

Description
Youth use acrostics to introduce themselves. An acrostic is an arrangement of words in which certain letters in each line, when taken in order, spell out a word or motto

Resources
None

Preparation
None

What to Do

1. Give youth a few examples of acrostics:
   GRACE = God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense
   DIANE = Dynamic, Independent, Able, No-nonsense, Enthusiastic.
   TODD = Tried and true, Oh boy, a boy!, Diamond in the rough, Destined for glory.
2. Give the youth a few minutes to think of an acrostic for their own name (or nickname) using words or phrases that describe themselves.
3. Once everyone has thought of something, ask the group members to introduce themselves to each other by using the acrostics

Variations

• When creating the acrostic, have kids mix up the order of the letters in their names (Example: Ken = New Education King or NEK). Then have the rest of the group attempt to figure out each name.
• Instead of an acrostic, ask youth to create actions for each syllable in their name… (Example: Diane might act as if she will “Die” and hold up her “hand” – Die-Hand = Diane)
• If the group can be trusted to be encouraging and already knows each other to some degree, then you can ask the group to create acrostics for the names of each other.

Taking it to the Next Level

• Was there any truth in the words and phrases you chose to represent your name in an acrostic?
• If you didn’t have to use the letters in your name, what words and phrases might your friends use to describe you?
• At the end of your LONG life, what words and phrases would you want people would use to describe you?

Action Point
What are some things you can start doing now to start building the type of reputation that you want?