This icebreaker game involves to teams and requires no special materials to play.  It works both indoors and outdoors, so go ahead and have fun!

Setup for Giants, Wizards, and Elves

This game involves two teams who will act as one of 3 characters: giants, wizards, and elves. When a player acts out a character, he or she does the specific hand motions and also makes the noise associated with the character.

• Giants.  Stand on your tippy toes, raise your arms like a giant, and make a menacing growling noise: “Rarrr!”  
• Wizards.  Crouch slightly, as wizards are a bit shorter.  Wave your fingers as though you’re casting a magical spell, and make a magical noise: “Shaazaam!”
• Elves.  Crouch down very low, cup your hands around your ears, and make a high pitched elf noise: “Eeeee!”

Make sure everyone knows the motions and sounds.  Feel free to practice until everyone knows how to become each character.  Split everyone into two teams and divide them into separate sides of the room. For each round, both teams huddle and choose to become a giant, wizard, or elf.  When ready, both teams then line up and stand facing each other, about five or six feet apart.  At the start of each round, the leader says “Three, two, one, go!!”

At this point, each team acts out the character they chose (giant, wizard, or elf).  As soon as they do this, the winner tries to grab the loser — as many people over to their side as they can.  The loser tries to retreat back to their own side to be safe for that round.  If captured, a person now belongs to the other team.  The following determines who beats who:

Giants beat elves, because giants are able to “squash” elves.  Elves beat wizards because they outsmart them.  Elves chew at their legs.  Wizards beat giants because they are able to zap them with a magic spell.  If both teams show the same character, no one wins.  Rounds keep repeating until one team wins (the other team is completely captured).

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This active game works best if you have between 8 and 15 people. It is a good indoor game, and although it does require some movements (mainly making animal gestures), there is no running involved. No special props are required – it’s pretty simple to play! The recommended age is 10 and up.

Setup for King Elephant Game

Not much setup is required. Instruct all players to have a seat and arrange everyone in a circle, facing each other. Each seat in the circle will be a different animal, arranged in order from the top of the food chain (the King Elephant) down to the bottom of the food chain (a slimy worm). Designate one person to be the King Elephant and then assign the other animals in order. If you wish, you can let players choose their own animal and invent their own gesture for the animal. Otherwise, typical motions for the animals are:

• King Elephant – hold one arm out, extended away from your nose, while the other arm wraps around and holds your nose.
• Bird – join both of your thumbs together and flap your hands like a bird flying
• Chicken – place your hands under armpits and flap your arms
• Alligator – extend your arms out in front of you, with one hand facing up, and the other down, and clamp them both together like an alligator’s jaws
• Bear – hold your two hands out like giant bear claws
• Lion – connect your hands above your head like a circle, make a growling face like a lion’s roar
• Snake – make a slithering snake movement with one of your arms
• Fish – clasp both your hands together and imitate a fish swimming upstream
• Monkey – puff cheeks, while pulling your ears out
• Worm – wiggle one bent finger

How to Play King Elephant

King Elephant is a rhythm game in that you must successfully stay on beat. Depending on the chair you are currently seated in, each person adopts an animal gesture (as described above, or you may create a new one). The task is to correctly do your animal signal when called upon, and then to make another animal’s signal to try to get that person to make a mistake.

The rhythm to maintain is set by the person who is King Elephant. He or she can alter the speed as desired. Everyone follows the rhythm of a 1-2-3-4 pattern, where 1 is a pat on the knee, 2 is a clap, 3 and 4 are left and right thumbs (or the signals). The person does his or her own signal (animal gesture and noise) first, followed by another animal’s signal. So for example, a round could look like this:

King Elephant starts rhythm: knee pat, clap, elephant signal (his or her own signal),
King Elephant signals a different player: knee pat, clap, bear signal (or anyone else’s signal),
Bear continues: knee pat, clap, bear signal (his or her own signal),
Bear signals another player: knee pat, clap, fish signal,
Fish continues: knee pat, clap, fish signal (his or her own signal)..

and so on. When people fail to keep the rhythm or make a mistake on their signal (e.g. do a signal when they aren’t supposed to) then they become the new worm and everyone else moves up by sliding up a seat. Those who change seats take on the role of a new animal. The goal is to try to be the King Elephant by knocking out anyone in front of you.

Great fun! Be sure to get everyone to make funny animal sound effects when they do their signal too.

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React and Act is an active icebreaker game that can work with a variety of group sizes.  It can work for small groups of five people, or adapted for very large groups by selecting volunteers.  This game is best played indoors.  Materials required include paper, pens, and a bag.  React and Act works with all ages, including adults.

Setup for React and Act

React and Act involves some preparation; however, this is part of the fun!  Pass out sheets of paper and pens to the players.  Have each person write an event.  Tell them to be creative!  Examples of events can include:

• Being surprised by a large, aggressive bear in the woods
• You just won the lottery
• You have just been proposed for marriage with an engagement ring
• You just got fired by an incompetent boss
• Making the game winning pass to win the Superbowl
• You just fell in love

Once everyone writes an event, fold the paper once and place it into the bag.  Divide the group into two teams (or select five volunteers if it is a very large group). 

Instructions for How to Play

Ask five people on each team to randomly select an event from the bag.  Instruct them to react to this event, without explicitly giving away what the event is.  Choose a time limit (usually 30 seconds to a minute works well) and when you say “Go!”, have all five people to simultaneously react to their event using exaggerated gestures, facial expressions, and their voice.

For example, the person who has just won the lottery could raise his or her arms and scream excitedly, jumping up and down.  The person who has just confronted a bear might make a terrified look, shake in fear, and call for help.  And so on.  Each of the five actors can interact with each other, but they must stay “in character” and continue reacting and acting based upon what their sheet said.

After time expires, the other members of the team try to guess what happened for each person.  If you wish to keep score, each team gets a point for each correct guess.  This game is a great way to break the ice, while watching people act out silly (and usually hilarious) things.

Variations to Try

There are many variations to React and Act that changes the way the game is played.  Try experimenting with these and see whether you like them.

• No talking allowed, but noises are okay.  This increases the difficulty of the game by a lot, but it can be more hilarious. 
• Narrator explains the event before each person acts.

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This active teambuilding exercise requires six people at minimum, and can support very large groups if the teams are divided evenly. Teams should be about three to six people in size. This game involves interacting with lots of strangers in a public place such as a school campus. Props required include small objects such as paper clips or pens (one for each team). Recommended age is 18 and up. This game can be played with adults and even in corporate settings. When playing with younger people, please be sure to provide proper supervision when necessary.

Setup for Bigger and Better

To prepare for Bigger and Better, get several paper clips or some small objects that are low in value. Be sure to have enough to provide one per team.

Playing Bigger and Better

Explain the rules to everyone: You will give each team a small object, and their job is to keep trading and upgrading their team’s object to obtain the largest and most valuable item possible. They may not offer anything other than the item they have, and they must stick together as a group. Set a time limit, such as one or two hours, and tell everyone that they must be back in time or else they will be disqualified. Announce that each team’s item will be judged in three categories: size, value, and creativity.

Divide the group into teams of three to six. Pass out the paper clip (or other small object) to the each group and send them off. When time expires, the judging process begins. Each team presents their item before the entire group. They explain why their item is biggest and best. At the end, choose winners for each of the three categories, or judge the items in any other way you wish. This activity involves good teamwork and creativity as each team coordinates their efforts and decides what strategies they will approach when playing. Camaraderie will be built, and surprises will come out of the activity. Who knows, a group might be able to turn a paper clip into a car! Well, maybe a toy car.

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This is an active game and teambuilding activity.  The recommended group size is: teams of three or four people.  Allocate plenty of time for this activity.  Recommended ages are: 15 and up.  You will need one camera (a digital camera or polaroid) for each team.

Setup for the Photo Scavenger Hunt

As the facilitator of this activity, prepare a list of about twelve interesting places, things, and circumstances that can be captured using a camera.  Some examples of items you can write are:

• A family of animals 
• A group photo with a local celebrity or someone famous
• A very relaxing place
• Something big and the color pink
• The biggest tree
• A group photo with someone dressed in very formal attire
• A photo with a yellow car
• A human pyramid of at least seven people
• The funniest thing you can find
• Something that begins with the letter “Z”

Be creative with this list.  When you have the list prepared, make enough copies for each team. 

Playing the Photo Scavenger Hunt 

Divide the group into teams of about three to four people.  Distribute cameras (preferably digital, although polaroid is okay too) and copies of the list you made.  Explain the rules of the activity.  Set a time limit for the groups (e.g. two hours or so).  Instruct the teams to find as many things as they can on the list, and for each item, take a picture with all the group members in the photo.  Encourage the players to be creative and to think otuside of the box.

When time expires, have all members reconvene and present their photos along with their checklist.  Award one point for each successful photo item and bonus points for extra creativity or effort.

This activity is great for building team chemistry and for creating (and capturing!) funny memories.  Be sure to provide adequate supervision if there are younger participants.  Always keep safety first!

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This is in active icebreaker that works best with a group of five or six people.  It can also be implemented for larger groups by taking five or six volunteers per round.   This game is best played indoors.  No special materials are required other than sheets of paper with the clues written on them.  Telephone Charades is for people age 10 and up. 

Setup for Telephone Charades

Telephone Charades or “Charades Down the Line” is an active icebreaker that combines charades with the “telephone down the line” game.   To prepare for the game, write a list of humorous actions to be acted out.  Some examples are:

• a pantomime 
• a nerd’s first date
• a cat bathing itself
• going skydiving
• fishing and catching a huge fish

Instructions for How to Play

Choose five or six people (or ask for volunteers) and ask them to line up in a row, facing the left side of the room.  Ask the first person to turn around to see the first clue to be acted out.  Reveal the clue to the person, and display the clue to the audience as well.  

The first person turns around and taps the next person in line on the shoulder.  He or she then acts out the clue using classic charades rules (no talking or noises permitted).  The second person then taps the third person and acts out his or her understanding of what was acted out.  This process continues until it reaches the last person in line, who must guess what the action is. 

This game is funny because the acting tends to warp and get distorted based upon each person’s interpretation of what is going on.

Variation

A good variation to try is to have two teams line up and act out the same clue simultaneously.  The teams that guess the clue correctly (or most correctly) wins the round.

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This game should be played in a large indoor area.  Be sure it is safe and that you are allowed to play in the area.  The ideal group size is 8-15 people.  This game is for ages 12 and up.  No special materials are required to play.

Instructions for Sardines (also known as Reverse Hide and Seek)

Gather everyone together and explain the rules and boundaries of the game.  Be sure to keep everyone safe and ensure no one wanders into areas that they aren’t supposed to be in.  When everyone understands the rules and boundaries, ask for a volunteer to be the first person to hide.  Give the person a set amount of time (e.g. a few minutes) to hide, while everyone else closes their eyes or sits in a neutral spot away from the playing area.

When time is up, everyone splits up and tries to find the hidden person.  When someone finds the hidden person, the game is not over!  He or she quietly hides alongside the hidden person.  Over time, several people will be hidden together, resembling a bunch of sardines.

The last person to find the hidden party loses that round.  He or she is the next person to hide.  Alternatively, you can reward the first person to find the hidden person by allowing that person to hide if he or she wants to.

Variations 

There are other variations to this game, such as playing it in pairs.  This adds a little more teamwork to the game.

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This activity is an active teambuilding activity that requires a great deal of space.  An outdoor setting with some obstacles (but nothing too dangerous!) is ideal.  The recommended group size is: small, medium, or large.  Participants will form pairs.  Materials required include blindfolds and any props that you can set up as minor obstacles.  This activity is for ages 14 and up.

Instructions for the Trust Walk Teambuilding Activity

The Trust Walk Activity is an effective team building activity involving leadership and building trust, as blindfolded participants must rely on instructions given to them in order to avoid various obstacles.

As the faciliator of the Trust Walk Teambuilding Activity, be sure to scout out a safe area in advance.  Large fields or the woods may be good places to try.  Minor obstacles (trees, branches, small hills) are okay, but do not play this game in a dangerous environment (for example, anywhere with very steep ledges or sharp protruding objects).  Once you have found a safe, large area, you can prepare additional obstacles if desired (cardboard boxes, balloons, etc.).

Start in a nearby location.  Ask participants to arrange themselves into pairs.  Instruct one partner to be the guide (navigator) and the other to be blindfolded.  Once the blindfolded partner is ready, slowly spin the person around a few times so that they are unsure which direction they are headed.   Guide the participants to the field with obstacles.  From this point on, the guide should not touch the partner at all, but rely solely on verbal cues (e.g. “In approximately five steps ahead, there will be a tree branch.  Go ahead and step over it slowly.”)

Remember that the guide is solely responsible for his or her partner’s safety.  He or she try their best to steer their partner away from obstacles.  Valuable lessons can be learned to teamwork and unity.  For example, the guide will learn about the challenge and responsibility of caring for another individual’s well being, while the blindfolded partner learns to trust and rely on another person. 

Reflection of the Trust Walk Activity 

If desired, ask participants to reflect and share what they learned from this experience.  The following are some sample questions to ask following the Trust Walk team building activity:

• What was it like to be the “guide,” being fully responsible for the safety of your partner?
• What do you think was the purpose of this team building activity?
• Did you have any difficulty trusting your partner while blindfolded? Why or why not?
• Why is trusting your teammates important?
• Afterwards, how did it feel when you and your teammate successfully trusted each other to accomplish something challenging?
• How does this relate to _______ (here you can fill in the blank with the current scenario of the participants, such as class, a sports team, employees working together on a project, etc.)?

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This game is a get-to-know-you style icebreaker.  The recommended group size is: large or extra large.  The game works best with a group of about 25 people.  It can be played indoors or outdoors.  Materials required are: printed bingo sheets and pens.  Ages 12 and up.

Setup for Did You Know? Bingo

The objective of this game is for people to wander around the room and to obtain the signatures of people who have the facts listed on the bingo sheet.  Once a person successfully obtains a full row (5 in a row), whether horizontally, vertically, or diagonally, he or she shouts “BINGO!” and wins.

This game requires a little bit of setup.  Prepare a 5 by 5 table, with interesting facts written inside the boxes.  These facts can include funny or bizarre things.  For example:

• Likes anchovies
• Has been to Hawaii
• Speaks more than two languages
• Has never been on a plane
• Has more than four brothers
• Has gone without a shower for more than three days

Be creative!  You can mark the center square “FREE SPACE” like traditional bingo games.  After you have prepared the table, print out enough copies for the number of players you are expecting.

Instructions for How to Play

Pass out a sheet to each person, along with a pen.  Explain the objective of the game and the following rules: (1) each person you talk to may only sign your sheet once, and (2) to win, you must get signatures to form 5 in a row horizonally, vertically, or diagonally.  Say “Go!” and ask your participants to begin.

Once someone shouts “Bingo!” everyone returns and the person must introduce the people who signed his or her sheet.  If desired, you can ask each person to explain their fact. This icebreaker game is fun way to get to know humorous or unique facts about people.  Enjoy!

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