Find someone who drinks tea instead of coffee / Shake hands with someone who is left handed / Show someone your silliest face and have them show you theirs. / Cats or dogs? Find someone who disagrees with you and try to convince them otherwise / Trade something you have with someone for something they have…No trade backs!
Beat someone in “Rocks, Paper, Scissors” / Find someone who sleeps with their socks on or with a blanket in the summer / Find someone whose favorite movie genre is opposite than yours / Find someone who has climbed a mountain: which? / When was the last time this person has burned a cassette/CD for someone else? (or has gotten a personalized playlist)
Find someone who currently owns a gaming system (and plays it!) / Ask someone about their New Year’s goals. / Pat yourself on the back; you’re awesome!
Free Space / Find Someone who has had a great experience with a landlord; what made it so great? / Find someone and ask them about their favorite memory they made this year.
Find someone with the same amount of siblings as you; share a family story with them / Make a pinky promise with someone. Make it a promise you can keep / Find someone who has lived abroad: Where? / Find someone who plays the same instrument that you play or wish you knew how to play. / Find someone with the same eye color as you
Someone who has freckles / Find someone who can show you a magic trick / Find someonewho can taste the difference between Coke and Pepsi / Find someone who can (without looking) tell you what color socks they have on / Find someone with a recent piercing or tattoo
Share with someone your hopes and fears for this class. / Draw someone’s portrait on the back of this bingo card and show it to them / Teach someone your signature dance move, and learn theirs / Plan the best concert ever with someone; you can have any 3 acts (dead or alive) / Find someone who is a morning person
Blanket Name Game: Ice Breaker Recap
Materials Required: One Large Blanket
Group size: 10-20 people
Activity Time: 15 minutes
Concepts Taught: Learning names of team members, get moving energizer
A Group is divided into two teams. A blanket is held by two volunteers (facilitator and a non player) , dividing the two groups. Each team stands huddled, hiding on their side of the blanket. Each team then quietly chooses one member of their team to stand just behind the blanket and ahead of their own team. At this point the chosen individuals are standing with their backs to each other, but concealed by the blanket. The blanket is then dropped and the two chosen individuals quickly turn around and identify their opponent! A point is scored for the team whose chosen member shouts out their opponent’s name first. The loser must join the other team. Continue until one side has run out of people.
Highs and Lows Icebreaker
Materials Required: none
Group size: any
Activity Time: as short or long as needed
Concepts Taught: Getting a sense of the crowd; checking in with the group, assessing
Going around in a circle, have each person say their name and share their best (Highs) and worst (Lows) moments from the previous week. This icebreaker is an easy one to use at first and gives you good feedback concerning their life at the moment. Some veteran groups do this several times a year... the answers become more honest as you go.
Personal Scavenger Hunt Icebreaker
Materials required: personal items; purse, backpack, pocket possessions
Group size: any
Activity Time: as short or long as needed
Concepts Taught: Getting to know each other, values
Take 5 minutes and find the following items in your wallet, purse, bag, etc:
Something that . . .
- You’ve had a long time.
- You’re proud of.
- Reveals a lot about you.
- Reminds you of a fun time.
- Concerns or worries you.
Have each person share the first item. Go around again on the second item and again until you have gone through each one. Don’t feel like you have to use the whole list because it will take too long.
Most Deprived (Never Have I Ever) Ice Breaker
Materials required: M & M’s candies, or opened pack of Smarties candy
Group size: 10 or Less
Activity Time: 15-20 minutes
Concepts Taught: Getting to know each other
Buy a large bag of M&M’s and give each person the same amount (try about 10 each). (The Goal is to have as many M & M’s as possible in the end. You win by being the “Most Deprived” and if others have done what you have never done, they pay you one candy. Play until someone runs out of candy. You must pay a candy to everyone who is also in the same position as you, so choose unique statements!). Start by stating something you’ve never done that you think everyone else has done (thus the name “Most Deprived”). For example, you might say, “I’ve never had a birthday party,” or some other true statement about yourself that you think everyone else has surely done. Then, everyone who has had a birthday party pays you an M&M.
You pay everyone who has not had a party. Keep playing until everyone has a turn or until someone runs out of M&M’s. Obviously the idea is to come up with the most M&M’s and be most deprived ( playing this away takes longer).
My Life in Pictures Icebreaker
Materials required: 2 -3 Old Magazines or newspapers depending on the group size.
Group size: 10-30 people
Activity Time: 15-20 minutes
Concepts Taught: Getting to know each other
Bring a newspaper or magazine. Have each person tear out a picture, article or anything they think tells something about themselves. Have them explain why.
House on Fire Icebreaker(maybe change title/concept for sensitivity)”Zombie Outbreak”
Materials required: none
Group size: any
Activity Time: 10 minutes
Concepts Taught: Getting to know each other, values
“Your house is on fire*/ Zombie apocalypse, and everyone is safe.You have 30 seconds to run through the house and collect three or four articles you want to save before you are transported to the safe house. What would you grab? Why?” After everyone has done this, the group can discuss what they learned about the things they value.
Heroes Icebreaker
Materials required: none
Group size: 5-10 people
Activity Time: 10 -20 minutes
Concepts Taught: Getting to know each other, values
Ask each member to name three people, past or present, they admire. Why? Or, ask them if they could interview anyone in history, who would that be and why? What one or two questions would you want to ask?