Icebreakers, Fun Games, Group Activities » Small Group

Good Icebreaker Questions

Icebreaker — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 06:19:11 +0000

Good Icebreaker Questions is simply a list of 12 good questions that you can ask to help break the ice. These questions are fun, and generally pretty easy and safe to answer. You can use them as an icebreaker for meetings or classrooms, written on notecards and adapted for other games, or simply as a fun activity to help people get to know each other better.

Instructions for Good Icebreaker Questions

In terms of facilitation, a great way to help people get to know each other is to ask them fun questions that allow them to express their personality or interesting things about them. Here is a list of fun, useful icebreaker questions to help break the ice:

If you were a comic strip character, who would you be and why?
What thought or message would you want to put in a fortune cookie?
If you had to give up a favorite food, which would be the most difficult to give up?
What is one food you’d never want to taste again?
If you won a lottery ticket and had a million dollars, what would you do with it?
You’ve been given access to a time machine. Where and when would you travel to?
If you could be any superhero and have super powers, which one would you like to have and why?
Mount Rushmore honors four U.S. presidents: Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Roosevelt. If yuo could add any person to Mount Rushmore, who would you add and why?
What award would you love to win and for what achievement?
If you could transport yourself anywhere instantly, where would you go and why?
In your opinion, which animal is the best (or most beautiful) and why?
What is one item that you really should throw away, but probably never will?
Growing up, what were your favorite toys to play with as a child?

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Four Corners

Icebreaker — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 07:25:41 +0000

Here’s another good icebreaker for the beginning of a school semester or as a fun way for people to get to know each other better. Four Corners (also known as Four Squares) is a simple activity in which students share who they are through the use of handdrawn pictures. This icebreaker is for all ages, and works well with small and medium groups. It usually takes about 15 minutes, depending on how much time you want to allow for sharing the pictures. You’ll need sheets of paper and writing utensils. Don’t worry, no artistic skills are required for this icebreaker activity — just have fun and encourage everyone to enjoy being creative while illustrating who they are!

Setup for Four Corners

Distribute a pen and sheet of paper for each player. Each person divides the sheet into four boxes/squares either by folding the paper in half twice (vertically and horizontally) or simply by drawing a horizontal and vertical line that crosses in the middle. For each square, each person will describe themselves in the form of drawings. Choose these four topics in advance. For example, in the top left square, everyone could draw “favorite hobbies,” while in the top right, people could illustrate “favorite place on earth for vacation,” the bottom left could be something like “if you were an animal, which one would you be?” and the bottom right could be something like “what are the most important things in your life?” Feel free to be as creative, hypothetical, or deep as you like.

Allow five to ten minutes to draw. When everyone is finished, gather them together and share the drawings as a group. This icebreaker is an excellent way for students to show-and-tell what makes them unique!

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String Game

Icebreaker — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 08:09:44 +0000

The String Game is an introduction icebreaker game and conversation starter that allows people to tell others about themselves. It’s a simple game and can be adapted according to your needs.

This getting-to-know-you game usually does not take long, unless you choose to run it that way. The recommended group size is small and medium groups, although with careful planning it might be possible to do this activity in a large group by splitting it into smaller groups. An indoor setting is ideal. This icebreaker is recommended for young children up through eighth grade. It’s well suited for classrooms, camps, or other settings where people may not know each other very well yet.

Instructions for the String Game

This activity needs a little bit of preparation work. Purchase a big roll of yarn or string. You can buy any color, or multiple colors if you wish. Take a pair of scissors and cut strings of various different lengths — as short as 12 inches, and as long as 30 or more inches.

When you are finished cutting the string, bunch all the pieces up into one big clump of string.

To play, ask the first volunteer to choose any piece of string. Have the person pull on it and separate it from the other pieces of string. Ask them to introduce themselves as they slowly wind the piece of string around their index finger. The funny part of this icebreaker game is that some of the strings are extremely long, so sometimes a person must keep talking for a very long time! This is a good way to get everyone to start talking. People might find out something interesting or new about each other! Feel free to adapt this game according to your needs. Have fun.

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Icebreaker Questions

Icebreaker — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 19:36:43 +0000

Icebreaker Questions is simply a list of 20 great questions that you can ask people to help them feel more part of a group or team. These questions are fun and non-threatening. You can use them as an icebreaker for meetings or classrooms, written on notecards and adapted for other games, or simply as a fun activity to help people get to know each other better.

Instructions for Icebreaker Questions

A great way to help people open up is to ask them fun questions that allow them to express their personality or interesting things about them. Here is a list of twenty safe, useful icebreaker questions to help break the ice:

If you could have an endless supply of any food, what would you get?
If you were an animal, what would you be and why?
What is one goal you’d like to accomplish during your lifetime?
When you were little, who was your favorite super hero and why?
Who is your hero? (a parent, a celebrity, an influential person in one’s life)
What’s your favorite thing to do in the summer?
If they made a movie of your life, what would it be about and which actor would you want to play you?
If you were an ice cream flavor, which one would you be and why?
What’s your favorite cartoon character, and why?
If you could visit any place in the world, where would you choose to go and why
What’s the ideal dream job for you?
Are you a morning or night person?
What are your favorite hobbies?
What are your pet peeves or interesting things about you that you dislike?
What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever eaten?
Name one of your favorite things about someone in your family.
Tell us about a unique or quirky habit of yours.
If you had to describe yourself using three words, it would be…
If someone made a movie of your life would it be a drama, a comedy, a romantic-comedy, action film, or science fiction?
If I could be anybody besides myself, I would be…

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Candy Introductions

Icebreaker — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 05:24:31 +0000

Candy Introductions is a get-to-know-you game that helps people learn new facts about each other in an easy way. They select various pieces of candy from a bag, and each candy variety is associated with a fact about themselves which they will introduce to the others. This game also goes by other names, including the M&M game, Candy Confessions, the Skittles Game, the Gum Drop game, among others.

Candy Introductions can work with any group size. The icebreaker works best when the group size is limited to 12, so if you have more than 12, divide the larger group and run the icebreaker within the smaller sized groups. This icebreaker works best indoors, and is well suited for classrooms or meeting rooms. Materials required are: candy with about five different variations (color or candy type), and an optional chalkboard/whiteboard.

Setup for Candy Introductions

Purchase several variety packs of candy, enough for each person to be able to have at least five pieces. They can be any candy type, but not too many choices (limit it to around five or six different varieties). Alternatively, you can buy gummy bears, life savers, gum drops, skittles, m&ms, or any other candy that already has a variety of colors.

Instructions for How to Play

Pass around the candy and tell each participant to choose anywhere from 1 to 5 pieces of anything that they want. Instruct them not to eat it yet, though. After they have chosen their candy, you will tell them what each candy type/color represents.

If there is a whiteboard or chalkboard present, write on the board the following:

Red – Favorite hobbies
Green – Favorite place on earth
Blue – Favorite memory
Yellow -Dream job
Orange – Wildcard (tell us anything about yourself!)

If you don’t have the above colors, change the above to match the candy types that you have. Each person takes turns introducing himself or herself, beginning with their name and then saying one fact for each candy type that they have. This easy introduction game should go relatively quickly (assuming they weren’t greedy and that they didn’t take too many pieces of candy!)

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React and Act Game

Icebreaker — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 23:53:08 +0000

React and Act! is a funny icebreaker in which players randomly select a sheet of paper that has an occurrence on it (for example, winning a million dollars in the lottery) and they must react to the occurence using animated expressions, gestures, and words. After a set amount of time, other players try to guess what happened that caused those reactions and actions.

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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Fabulous Flags

Icebreaker — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 04:53:59 +0000

Fabulous Flags (also known as the Personal Flags Activity) is a useful icebreaker activity to help people convey what represents them or what is important to them. Each person draws a flag that contains some symbols or objects that symbolizes who they are or what they enjoy.

This get-to-know-you activity is best done indoors. Any number of people can participate. The recommended age is 7 and up. Materials required are: several sheets of paper, pens, and colored pencils/crayons/markers.

Instructions for Fabulous Flags Activity

Pass out a sheet of paper, pens, and colored pencils, crayons, and/or markers to each person. Explain the activity: “We’re now going to draw flags that represent or symbolize us. Please design your own flag of you – include some symbols or objects that symbolize who you are or what you find enjoyable or important.” You can show your own sample flag if you like. For example, you could draw:

a guitar (representing your passion for music)
a tennis racket (someone who enjoys sports)
a country like India (representing your affiliation with a country)
a cross and a heart (representing Jesus and His love for the world)

Give everyone a set amount of time to draw (e.g. 15-20 minutes or so) and then reconvene. Ask for volunteers to share their flags and explain the meaning of what they drew. If it is a large group, you can divide everyone into smaller groups and ask them to share their flags with each other, or you can just ask a small number of volunteers to share.

Variations

After everyone has finished sharing the individual flags, as a big group you can ask everyone to brainstorm ideas on what to draw for a large class-wide flag. Proceed to delegate individuals to draw certain parts of the class-wide flag. Alternatively, you can collect the individual flags and paste them onto a board to create a “quilt” of individual flags, representing unity.

(credits: thanks Eunice!)

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Photo Scavenger Hunt

Icebreaker — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 19:43:36 +0000

Photo Scavenger Hunt is a fun team-based scavenger hunt with an interesting twist — the goal is to bringing back digital photos (or polaroids) of places and things. By doing this, people will capture good memories and also have some experience working together as a team.

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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Never Have I Ever

Icebreaker — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 16:31:18 +0000

Never Have I Ever is an icebreaker game that helps people get to know each other better. Everyone sits in a circle and take turns saying something they have never done. Each player starts with ten fingers showing. Each time says something that you’ve done, you drop a finger. The goal is to be the last player remaining.

This get-to-know-you game can be played indoors or outdoors. The recommended number of people for this game is ten to fifteen, but all group sizes can play by dividing into appropriate sized groups. Recommended age is 8 and up. No special materials are required.

Instructions for Never Have I Ever

Instruct everyone to sit in a circle. If you have an extremely large group, tell people to form smaller circles of about ten to fifteen people. To start each round, each player holds out all ten fingers and places them on the floor. Go around the circle and one at a time, each person announces something that they have never done, beginning the sentence with the phrase “Never have I ever…” For example, a person could say, “Never have I ever been to Europe.” For each statement that is said, all the other players drop a finger if they have done that statement. So, if three other people have been to Europe before, those three people must put down a finger, leaving them with nine fingers. The goal is to stay in the game the longest (to be the last person with fingers remaining). To win, it’s a good strategy to say statements that most people have done, but you haven’t.

Playing this game, along with the benefit of getting to know each others’ experiences better, can be very humorous (e.g. saying silly statements such as, “Never have I ever skipped a class in school” or “Never have I ever soiled my pants.”) Have fun!

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Lost on a Deserted Island

Icebreaker — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 05:42:11 +0000

Lost on a Deserted Island is a teambuilding activity that also helps people share a little about themselves. Given the scenario that everyone is lost and stranded on a deserted island, each person describes one object that they would bring and why.

This game is a teambuilding and get-to-know-you icebreaker. The recommended group size is medium, although small and large group sizes are possible too. An indoor setting is ideal. No special props or materials are required. This icebreaker works well for any age, including adults and corporate settings.

Instructions for Lost on a Deserted Island

The situation is dire — following a shipwreck, everyone has been stranded on a deserted island! Each person is allowed to bring one object to the island — ideally something that represents them or something that they enjoy. The first part of this icebreaker is simple: each person is asked to describe what object they would bring and why. This need not be realistic; if someone loves music, he or she might choose to bring a guitar, or an animal lover might choose to bring a dog, a food lover might choose to bring sirloin steaks, and so on. Encourage people to be creative.

After everyone has introduced their object and why they have chosen that object, the teambuilding portion follows. Divide into smaller groups and ask everyone to work together to improve their chances of survival by combining the various objects that they introduced. If necessary, you can add more objects, but be sure to use all the objects that everyone mentioned. If you wish, you can reward the most creative group with a prize.

Lost on a Deserted Island is an approachable way to get people to open up and share a little bit about themselves and what they enjoy or value.

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