From Donna Pilato,
Your Guide to Entertaining.
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This tip was submitted by Kimberly Moore-Woerle.

Add fun to your next party by using nametags! Not only do they help guests get to know each other faster (not to mention reducing the stress levels of those who have trouble remembering names), but you can use nametags as icebreakers. The possibilities are limitless, but here are a few fun ideas:

• Have guests add a descriptive adjective that starts with the same letter as their first name. Thus, your wild and crazy friend becomes Crazy Claudia. Your shy buddy becomes Bashful Bob. Your sky-diving pal becomes Daring Dan. The other guests have fun getting to know why each guest chose his or her adjective.
• Another idea is to pick a question and then have guests answer the question on their nametags. For example, the question might be, "What is your favorite travel destination?" Guests will have a lot of fun discussing places they've been or would like to go. Another question might be: "What's your favorite type of restaurant?" Guests will enjoy comparing notes on great places for Italian food or the new Thai restaurant in town. The question, "If you could be an animal, what would it be?", works well for both children and adults. Any question that can be answered in one or two words will help start a conversation.
• Another possibility is the number game. Guests pick a year where something important or memorable happened to them. Guests try to guess what happened. The keys to this game are that it has to be personal (the guest was involved in some way, like a marriage, the birth of a first child, the year they learned to drive a car, etc.) and it has to be appropriate for the audience! So remember, nametags aren't just for names anymore!

Thanks for the tip Kimberly!

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