The Clap and Click Game

Clap and Click is a simple but clever and entertaining rhythm game that is great fun for remembering people’s names.

With your group sitting in a circle, establish a beat by asking your group to mimic your movements of CLAP – CLAP (clap in front with two hands) CLICK – CLICK (click own fingers, one at a time, left then right.)

Introduce a simple beat of claps and clicks – clap, clap, click, click – over and over, inviting your group to practice this a few times.

Next, explain that on the claps, one person at a time will say their own name twice, that is, they say their own name on each clap. And then, on the clicks, this same person will call out the name of another person sitting in the circle twice, so that with each click the name is called.

For example, “Kevin” (clap) “Kevin” (clap) “STEPHANIE” (left click) “STEPHANIE” (right click.) The person whose name was called during the clicks must immediately resume the pattern of names by saying their name twice (on the claps) and saying the name of a new person twice (on the clicks.)

The rule is, the person belonging to the name called with the clicks restarts the process immediately in keeping with the beat. Ideally, there should be no spaces or stutters as the names continue.

This process continues for as long as possible until someone makes an error, eg misses a beat or calls the wrong name. The person who makes an error is invited to start the next round.

Provided the beat is maintained and names are correctly called, the fun will continue. Repeat until the level of name-knowingness has peaked.

The topics of this publication: integration, interactions, disinhibition