Category: Get-to-know-you

Get-to-know-you games. These icebreakers help people get to know each other better! When people don’t know each other well, a good icebreaker can be extremely useful. These activities can quickly help people get to know each others’ names and to go deeper — how do people think? What are their interests? What are their goals and deeper desires? Try these activities for the first day of class or whenever you are in a situation where you want to get to know someone better.

27Jun 2020 by kafash

Interview Game

Classroom Icebreaker, Get-to-know-you, Large Group, Medium Group, Small Group, Talking Games
Spend three minutes finding three interesting facts about a partner, then discuss them as a group. Interviewers will ask pointed, specific questions and subjects will answer them to the best of their ability. Afterwards, the interviewer will report to the rest of the group about what they learned. This icebreaker is a good way to spark conversation in quiet groups that may be intimidated by public speaking or more active icebreakers. It works reasonably well with groups that don’t have space to move around, although spreading out is ideal for this icebreaker. Interview is an icebreaker for mid-sized groups (8-15 people) and works best with groups aged 10 and up. Younger children may have difficulty thinking of questions to ask their partner and identifying interesting facts. Larger or smaller groups…
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26Jun 2020 by kafash

Would You Rather? Game

Classroom Icebreaker, Get-to-know-you, Large Group, Medium Group, Small Group, Talking Games
Ask the group to decide what they would rather do given two possible options. Take a poll, and then lead a short debate between the merits and disadvantages of each option. The questions can range from silly, to gross, to impossibly cool. This icebreaker can also be adapted to fit a theme, such as a holiday or study unit. Would You Rather is a dynamic activity that makes people think on their feet and gives insight into their priorities. Would You Rather is a good icebreaker for large or small groups and is most effective in 10 to 40 minutes sessions. This highly adaptable activity can easily be made age appropriate for young children, adolescents, and even adults. Small groups could use this activity in more of a debate style,…
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25Jun 2020 by Jessica Dillion

Time Hop

Get-to-know-you, Medium Group, Small Group, Talking Games
Time Hop is all about exploring different periods throughout each others' lives. The game is played with coins or possibly even stamps that have a date on them from more recent years. You will use these date to open up topics of discussions and learn what life was like for the other players at that point. The game is played best with a smaller group, so everyone will feel most comfortable. Make sure that the group of people you invite are all on equal terms to make everyone as comfortable as possible when talking about their life. What You Need To Play Time Hop This is what you will need to play Time Hop: A hat or bag. Items with a year marker on them. A list of years everyone was…
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25Jun 2020 by Jessica Dillion

Song Sync

Active, Extra Large Group, Get-to-know-you, Large Group, Medium Group, Small Group, Talking Games
The object of the game is to get more in touch with your group's music tastes by identifying songs they know or have listened to. This activity can be done anywhere that allows for clear communication between the group. The game is played in any size group and will require a lot of listening and a room that is quiet enough to communicate easily in. The game will allow for players to also inject some of their own personality into the way they say the song lyrics. Materials Needed: What you will need to play song sync: Music knowledge A phone or computer to check claims A timer How to Set Up Song Sync Game Pick a word that you hear a lot when listening to music like the word "hey"…
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25Jun 2020 by Blahman

Catch the Ball Introductions Icebreaker

Classroom Icebreaker, Get-to-know-you, Medium Group, Small Group
Catch the Ball Introductions is a get-to-know-you icebreaker that is very simple to play, yet effective. This activity works well for small and medium sized groups. The only material that is required is a small ball or other object that can safely be passed around the room. For example, we recommend a soft foam ball such as this one: Nerf Mini Sports Pack Playing Catch the Ball Introductions First, give the first person the soft foam ball. Introduce the game and explain that the ball is the "share an interesting fact" ball. The first person must reveal something interesting about themselves (hopefully not too controversial!) and then throw the ball to the second person. The second person also reveals something about themselves and throws it on to the next person.…
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22Jun 2020 by Blahman

Categories (or Similarities) Game

Classroom Icebreaker, Extra Large Group, Get-to-know-you, Large Group, Medium Group, Talking Games
Each team must find a certain amount of things they all have in common (similarities) before the other teams in this simple competitive icebreaker game. It's best for ages 8+. It works great for medium sized groups, or even really large groups of 20+ people if you split into smaller sized groups. Materials needed You won’t need anything to play this game. If you’d like to make things more official, you can use a piece of paper and a writing utensil for each team to record their similarities on, although this is not necessary. How to set up the Categories (or Similarities) game: No setup is necessary to play the Similarities game! How to play: Divide your group up into separate teams of about 5 people each. Ideally you should end up with…
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21Jun 2020 by Blahman

Paper Airplanes (Name Planes Game)

Classroom Icebreaker, Extra Large Group, Get-to-know-you, Large Group
Paper Airplanes (or Name Planes Game) is a simple but effective get-to-know-you game: find the owner of the paper airplane that you pick up and learn a few things about them! This game works best for larger groups of ten or more people. The activity is ideal for those ages 12 and up and is suitable for the classroom. Setup for Paper Airplanes (Name Planes Game) There is not much setup required for this activity. However, several materials do need to be provided: At least 1 sheet of paper per person 1 pen, pencil, or other writing utensil per person How to set up Paper Airplanes To set up the game, you can either place the supplies around the room on the seats, desks, or tables where group members will be sitting.…
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21Jun 2020 by Blahman

Memorable Catchy Names

Classroom Icebreaker, Get-to-know-you, Medium Group, Small Group, Stationary, Talking Games
Memorable Catchy Names is one of the simplest icebreakers you can play, but it's short and sweet! And it might be one of the most efficient ways to get to know other people better in an amusing way. The game involves going around in a circle, so it probably works best in a small or medium sized group. Setup for Memorable Catchy Names No set up is necessary! This icebreaker works great in a classroom or indoors. Playing Memorable Catchy Names Get into a circle. Instruct everyone to think about an adjective to describe themselves. The adjective should start with the same letter as their first name. For example, "Funny Fred," or "Powerful Paul," or "Clever Charlene." Have each person go around and announce their new name for the rest…
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21Jun 2020 by Blahman

Name Aerobics

Active, Classroom Icebreaker, Get-to-know-you, Large Group, Medium Group, Talking Games
Name Aerobics is a simple icebreaker to help group members introduce themselves in a fun and energetic way! You can think of it was a name memorization activity with a touch of aerobics. It's good for players ages 10+. This activity works best with medium or large sized groups of 6+ people each. Materials required There are no required materials to play this game. You can play it anywhere with just the members of the group! Indoors (such as in a classroom) may be the most ideal place to play. How to set up the game The ideal setup is to have all group members standing in a circle, but you can also have the individuals take turns coming in front to introduce themselves. Placing people in a circle may help those who…
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20Jun 2020 by Blahman No Comments

Human Bingo (Did You Know?) Game

Active, Extra Large Group, Get-to-know-you, Large Group
Human Bingo (also known as the Autograph Game or Did You Know? Bingo) is an icebreaker that helps people learn interesting facts about each other. People walk around the room and mingle until they find people that match the facts listed on a bingo-style sheet. 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 Human 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…
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