Icebreaker Games
Something happens around the pre-adolescent/adolescent age that makes
them a little more difficult to engage in group settings. They begin to
be a little more concerned with themselves and their peers. The
following activities are non-threatening and non-embarrassing and should
help draw out these kids and make them feel part of a group. These can
be used during the beginning of the school year, youth group activities,
birthday parties, and many more settings. Little or no props are needed
on most!
Icebreakers/Mixers (4th grade and up)
- Have a bingo type game where you have a grid and you write different
things in each box like "has green eyes" or "has more then five people
in their family" then you go around and have to find the people who fits
that box and have them sign it! when you are through with the boxs(
usually 15 boxes) you end up knowing a lot of facts about the other
people and it is tons of fun scrambling to be the first one finished!
- Silent Identification: Each participant is asked to write words that
describe themselves. This is done silently. They pin he picture on their
chests, walk around and have everyone look each other over. Cards are
then shuffled and participants are asked to identify the person to which
the picture belongs.
- Pairs Game: Make up pairs or group of people that go together (Mickey
Mouse/Minnie Mouse, Barbie/Ken) You give each person a card with one of
the group or pairs on it. They must tape it to their forehead. Everyone
then walks around and tries to find their pair. The trick is that the
people need to ask questions about their identity. Am I a person or
animal? Male or Female? Musician or actor? Once people find their pair
then they win.
- Name Game: Sit in a circle. one person starts by using an adjective
starting with the same letter as their first name, followed by their
first name (i.e. Clever Claire, Kind Karen) The next person and
following has to repeat the first person's adjective and name and then
add their own. it goes around the circle and the last person has to
repeat all other names in order and end with their own.
- Human Knot: Have a group of 10-15 stand very close together. Tell them
to reach out their arms so all hand are jumbled and intertwined. Tell
them to grab one hand for each of their hands , but not the one of the
person's next to them. Now they are a human knot and must use teamwork
to untangle themselves into one circle without letting go of their hands.
- True or False:go around group and everyone has to say two true
statements about themselves and one false. The rest of the group has to
guess which one is false. This is a great way for a class that has been
together for awhile to learn new things about one another.
- Web Game- Everyone sits in a circle. Take a ball of yarn and have the
person who starts hold one end. They then toss the yarn to someone else
and say something positive about the person you throw to. When you are
done you have a web. Teachers/Facilitators can then point out how this
web is strong because you all worked together to make it. That is just
like working together in a classroom.
- Balloon Game #1- have everyone put one piece of information about
themselves in a balloon, then blow up the balloon and throw the balloon
in the middle of the circle of participants. then one by one, pop the
balloons and guess to whom that pice of information belongs.
- Non-verbal birthday lineup- ask everyone to line up according to the
month and day of birth without any talking. This should inspire some
interesting means of communication towards a common goal.
- Fruit Basket Upset- seat players in a circle. one person stands in the
center. each player is given the name of a fruit. the person in the
middle calls out the name of two fruits. the two people must quickly
change seats. The person in the middle also tries to reach one of the
seats. The one left standing then calls the name of two other fruits. He
or she may also call "fruit basket upset" and everyone must change seats.
- Animal Match- upon entering the room ,everyone is given a card with an
animal on it (make sure there are two of every animal) one the count of
three everyone makes their animal noise and tries to find their partner.
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