Icebreakers
Goal: Feel more comfortable interacting in the group while learning about others.
Candy Questions
Everyone sits in a circle and starts with 3-5 pieces of candy. A leader asks fun get-to-know-you type questions that can be answered with a yes or no. If the player’s answer is yes, they pass a piece of candy to their right. If the answer is no, they keep the candy. Players get to collect and keep their candy.
Supplies: Candy, List of Yes or No Questions
Number of People: 7-100
Challenge Cards
Supplies: Challenge Cards
Number of People: 5-100
Arrange the cards in the middle of the room, all face down
Ask the group to form a circle around the cards
Create multiple piles for larger groups
Explain the rules that when the music starts students will pick any card and perform the challenge on the card as quickly as possible
Once done, hold the card. The goal is to collect as many completed challenge card as possible in a give time frame
Challenges can be skipped but participants must return the card to the pile
You can make your own cards or utilize an online resources
Fact or Fiction
Supplies: slips of paper, paper, pens, bowl
Amount of People: 4-30
All participants are given three slips of paper and a pen
One two slips of paper, participants write two fictions (lies) and on one slip of paper, participants write one fact (truth)
Participants place their slips of paper into a bowl
The leader mixes the slips and reads them out loud one by one
As the leader reads the slips, each participant makes a guess and records their guess one their own paper. Keep the slips organized in the order they are read
Participant guess if it is fact or fiction and who they think wrote it
Once all slips have been read and guess have been quietly recorded, go back and reread them
Allow for a few guess to shared out loud before the writer reveals themselves and whether it is fact or fiction
Participants get one point for correctly guessing fact or fiction and one point for correctly guessing the writer
Participants keep track of their one points. Whoever has the most points at the end wins
Note: the leader can write their own fact or fictions but should not participate in the guessing since they are reading and may know the participants' hand writing. If the leader does include their fact or fiction, be sure to share this with the group so they know you are a possible guess
Find Your Match
Supplies: pre-planned index cards
Amount of People: 10-50
Beforehand the leader should prepare write out “pairs” on index cards. One part of the pair goes on each index card. There should be one index card for each number of participants on the team. If there is an odd number, create a trio.
Pairs examples:
1. Peanut butter 2. Jelly
1. Fred 2. Wilma
1. Rock 2. Paper 3. Scissors
The leader should tape an index card to each participant’s back so they do not see what is written on their card.
Participants must find their matching pair by asking other participants yes or no questions about what is written on their own card.
Ex: Peanut Butter
“Am I a cartoon?” – No
“Am I a food?” – Yes
“Am I peanut butter?” – Yes! (now they know to go find the person who had jelly)
Once everyone finds their matching pair, they have to introduce themselves and discover two things they have in common (cannot be anything visible such as “we both have brown hair.”)
Pairs introduce one another to the group and each share something they have in common.
Human Bingo
Supplies: Pre-made bingo cards
Amount of People: 10-100
Create bingo cards ahead of time with prompts that may describe people in the group
Ex: Met a famous person, has 2 or more siblings, traveled outside of the U.S., etc.
Don't forget to include a free space in the middle
Give everyone a bingo card and instruct them to find a person that fits each description
If they find someone who matches a description in the box, that person signs the box
Participants should ask others if they meet a specific category rather than asking "which can you sign?"
You get a bingo by having completing a line of signatures vertical, horizontal, or diagonal.
You can play towards a full board bingo as well!
First person to get bingo wins
Jellybean Trade
Everyone is handed 10 jelly beans. They are to try to get 10 of one color by trading with other people one at a time. First person to get all ten of a color they want wins.
Supplies: Jelly beans (or any candy with multiple colors)
Number of People: 4-100
Link
Supplies: None
Number of People: 7-100
One volunteer facing the group and says something about themselves (i.e. I have three siblings).
If the statement applies to someone else they yell “Link” and hook their arms with the first person.
The person who “linked” now says a new statement.
Repeat until all participants are linked. The last participant will need to find a statement that connects them back to the first person so the link becomes a circle.
M&M Game
Supplies: Fun Sized bags of M&Ms
Amount of People: 3-20
Give each participant a fun sized bag of m&ms.
Participants will sort the M&Ms by color and then pick which two colors they have the most of (they can eat the rest).
Participants go around and answer the questions for the two colors that they had the most of. Questions can be changed to anything you’d like!
Red: What is your favorite book and why?
Orange: What is the best vacation you have ever been on?
Blue: If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be and why?
Green: What was the last movie you watched and what did you think of it?
Brown: Tell the group one fact about yourself that you think is really unique.
Yellow: What do you consider to be your best talent and why?
No Lonely Soles
Supplies: None
Amount of people: 10-50
Have everyone stand in a circle and take off their shoes. Throw the shoes into a pile in the middle of the circle.
On the count of three, everyone needs to retrieve two different shoes (cannot be their own) from the pile.
Participants now must search for the shoes’ owners.
Once they find the owner of a shoe, the two should introduce themselves and briefly chat.
The leader can provide prompting questions if desired.
Once everyone has had a chance to talk, return to the circle.
Everyone now must share whose shoe they had and something they learned about that person.
Shoes can be returned either when the owner is found or after the owner is introduced to the group.
Paper Airplanes
Each participant write a “get to know you” type question on a piece of paper and folds it into a paper airplane.
Throw all the airplanes across the room at once.
Everyone picks up a different paper airplane, reads the question written on it aloud, and answers for the group to hear.
Supplies: Paper, Pens
Number of People: 7-50
Scavenger Hunt
Break participants into teams. Hand each team a scavenger hunt list and tell them they have 10 minutes to complete as many tasks as possible.
Task can include:
Taking pictures
Finding specific people or items
Etc.
Supplies: Scavenger Hunt List
Number of People: any amount
Secret Handhake
Tell everyone to find a partner.
Give partners 10 minutes to introduce themselves to their partners and create a secret handshake.
Allow time for partners to display their handshakes to the group.
Supplies: None
Amount of People: 2-100
Solemn and Silent
Everyone finds a partner and stands back-to-back.
On the count of three, everyone turns and faces their partner. Participants must remain silent with a stoic expression for 5 seconds.
Anyone who laughs or shows emotion is out.
Reset and go again
Supplies: None
Amount of People: 2-50
Stinger
Supplies: None
Amount of People: 7-50
Everyone stands in a circle with their eyes closed.
The facilitator circles the group and selects a “stinger” by squeezing an individual’s shoulder.
The group then opens their eyes and spends time introducing themselves to others while shaking hands (and trying to spot the stinger).
The stinger tries to eliminate everyone without getting caught. The stinger strikes by “injecting poison” with their index finger, while shaking hands. A person stung may not fall until at least five seconds after they are stung. The more dramatic the death, the better!
When someone thinks they have discovered who the stinger is, they may announce that they know.
If someone else in the group agrees within 10 seconds, the two of them may make an accusation.
If the person does not get a second, they must wait to challenge again, after another person falls.
If another person does step forward to second the challenge, both point to who they think it is on a count to three.
If they do not point to the same person, or they both point to the wrong person, they both automatically fall.
If they select the correct person, the stinger falls and the game is over.
Trainwreck
Supplies: Chairs
Number of People: 7-100
Arrange the chairs in a circle facing in. There should be one less chair than there are participants.
One volunteer stands in the center of the circle and says something about themselves (i.e. I have three siblings). Anyone who the statement applies to must stand up and change seat. You cannot sit in a chair directly to the right or left of you. The person who said the statement also runs to a seat.
The person who is left without a seat, stands in the middle of the circle and says a new statement.
Repeat for as many cycles as you’d like (recommend that every participants has at least one turn of being in the middle.
Unpopular Opinion
This is a nice and simple activity to do during introductions.
Go around the room and introduce yourself (name, title, major, year, etc.). At the end share your unpopular opinion.
Ex: Ketchup is a smoothie, Friends is funnier than The Office, Oreos are disgusting, etc.
You'll be surprised by the reactions!
Supplies: None
Number of People: 2-100
You're a Poet and You Didn't Know It
Each participant writes a poem about themselves.
The poem should have their name and something about themselves and be a minimum of six lines.
Once everyone finishes, share to the group.
Supplies: Paper, pen
Number of People: Any
You Will Be Found
Give each participant a blank paper to write three statements about themselves.
Gather the papers and pass them out at random.
Participants have to find the paper’s original owner.
Supplies: Paper, Pens
Number of People: 7-50
Web Of Connections
Supplies: Yarn
Amount of people: 10-50
Have everyone stand in a circle.
One person is given the ball of yarn and finds the end of it. They will make a statement about themselves like “I am the oldest sibling.”
All other participants that the statement is true for hold out their hands.
The participant who made the statement will choose someone with their hands out and throw the ball of yarn to them while still holding onto their end.
They will toss the ball of yarn to anyone in the circle while they are still holding the end of the ball of yarn.
Repeat until everyone in the circle in holding a piece of the yarn.
Be sure participants share their own names and ask for others’ names before throwing.
The web represents how we may be different but we are all connected in some way.
Question Ball
Supplies: Blowup beach ball
Amount of people: 10-50
Before you beginning, take the beach ball and blow it up. On it, write a bunch of open-ended questions. And by a bunch, I mean cover that ball in questions!
Have everyone stand or sit in a circle and toss the ball to someone.
Have whoever catches it look at the question that their right thumb is on, or nearest (it doesn’t have to be right thumb, you can pick a finger, but keep it consistent throughout the game so everyone uses the same finger.) Have them read the question aloud and then answer it.
Repeat
Sample Questions:
*What is your favorite color?
*Breakfast or dinner?
*What is your favorite animal?
*What kind of movie is your favorite?
*What is one thing you dislike?
*Video games or board games?
*Describe your favorite candy bar.
*Real books or electronic ones?
*What do you do on rainy days for fun?
*Favorite holiday?
*Favorite season?
*What do you want to learn this weekend?
Willow In The Wind
Supplies: None
Amount of People: 5-15
This activity can be performed in one large group or in smaller groups.
The group stands in circle with their shoulders touching.
One participant stands in the middle, with their eyes closed, body stiff, and feet planted. The rest of the group should be in a tight circle, in a sturdy stance. The outside circle group members have both of their hands up and ready at chest level.
The commands faller sways and falls may fall any way they like.
The rest of the group will gently change the faller’s direction by easing their “fall” and sending them in another direction.
The middle person will change after a few minutes.
Address the fact that the more hands on someone, the safer they will feel.
The leader also should ask group members to remain quiet during the activity - or even to make the sound of a gentle breeze.