Ice Breakers

1.Three Questions Game Everyone in the group writes down 3 provoking questions they would like to ask others in the group. Not the normal whats you name type questions but something like, "Where is the most interesting place you have ever traveled" or "Name a topic you feel absolutely passionate about". Give them time to mingle, and to ask three different people in the group one of their three questions. Get back together and have each person stand and give their name. As they say their name, ask the group to tell what they know about this person. 2.The Pocket/Purse Game Everyone selects one (optionally two) items from their pocket or purse that has some personal significance to them. They introduce themselves and do a show and tell for the selected item and why it is important to them. 3.The Talent Show Everyone selects one talent or special gift that they possess and can demonstrate for the group. They introduce themselves, explain what their special talent is, and then perform their special talent for the group. 4.Toilet Paper Game Pass around a roll of toilet paper to the group and ask them to take what they need. No further explanation. When done. Tell the group that as they go around the room, each person must tell a fact or something about themselves for each square of TP they took. 5.Birthday Game Have the group stand and line up in a straight line.

After they are in line, tell them to re-arrange the line so that they are in line by their birthday. January 1 on one end and December 31 at the other end. The catch is that they must do all this without talking or writing anything down. 6.Map Game Hang a large map of the world. Give everyone a pushpin. As they enter, they pin the location of their birth on the map. 7.Paper Airplane Game Everyone makes a paper airplane and writes their name, something they like and dislike on it (You may also want to add additional questions). On cue, everyone throws their airplane around the room. If you find an airplane, pick it and keep throwing it for 1-2 minutes. At the end of that time, everyone must have one paper airplane. This is the person they must find and introduce to the group. 8.The Shoe Game When entering, everyone must take off one shoe and leave it in a pile at the door. They keep the other shoe on. After everyone is in. The host will distribute the shoes to people not wearing the same shoe. When instructed, everyone must find the mix and find the person who belongs to the shoe and get some info about them. They then introduce their new friend to the group. 9.The Artist Game Give everyone a piece of paper and a pencil. In 5 minutes they must draw a picture that conveys who they are with out writing any words or numbers. At the end of 5 minutes the host collects the pictures. Show the pictures to the group one at a time and have them try to guess who drew it. After this allow each of the artists to introduce themselves and explain how their work clearly conveys who they are. 10.Three in Common Game Break the group into 3s. Their objective is for each group to find 3 things they have in common. But not normal things like age, sex or hair color. It must be three uncommon things. After letting the groups

converse for 10 - 15 minutes, they (as a group) must tell the rest of the groups the 3 things they have in common.

11.Dream Vacation Game Ask participants to introduce themselves and describe details of the ideal, perfect dream vacation. 12. Polaroid Game As participants arrive, take their picture with a Polaroid type camera. Hand out the pictures to the group with each participant getting a picture of another member of the group. Give them 15 minutes to find and talk to the people matching their picture. When the group reassembles, have each member introduce their new picture pal to the group and talk about what they learned about them. 13.Favorite T-Shirt Game Ask attendees to bring (not wear) their favorite T-shirt to the meeting. Once all participants have arrived, ask each person to show the shirt to the group and explain how the T-shirt best resembles their personality. 14.Famous People/Cities Game As each participant arrives, tape a 3 x 5 index card on their back with the name of a famous person or city. They must circulate in the room and ask questions that can ONLY be answered with a YES or NO to identify clues that will help them find out the name of the person or city on their index card. EXAMPLES: Paris, Madonna, Santa Claus, John Wayne, Casablanca 15.Favorite Animal Game As the guests arrive, and before you write their names on a name card, ask them to tell you their favorite animal and three adjectives to describe the animal. As they tell you, write the three adjectives on a name tag BEFORE their name (omit the name of the animal). Ask them to mingle with the crowd, sharing why these adjectives best describe their own personality. EXAMPLES: Loyal, cuddly, playful Dan

16.Creative Name Tags Give everyone 15 minutes to make their own name tag-they can list hobbies, draw a picture, give a selfprofile, etc. 17.Circle of Friends Game This is a great greeting and departure for a large group who will be attending a seminar for more than one day together and the chances of meeting everyone in the room is almost impossible. Form two large circles (or simply form two lines side by side), one inside the other and have the people in the inside circle face the people in the outside circle. Ask the circles to take one step in the opposite directions, allowing them to meet each new person as the circle continues to move very slowly. If lines are formed, they simply keep the line moving very slowly, as they introduce themselves. 18.Marooned Game You are marooned on a island. What five (you can use a different number, such as seven, depending upon the size of each team) items would you have brought with you if you knew there was a chance that you might be stranded. Note that they are only allowed five items per team, not per person. You can have them write their items on a flip chart and discuss and defend their choices with the whole group. This activity helps them to learn about other's values and problem solving styles and promotes teamwork .19.The Interview Game Break the group into two person teams (have them pick a partner that they know the least about). Have them interview each other for about twenty minutes (You can also prepare questions ahead of time or provide general guidelines for the interview). They need to learn about what each other likes about their job, past jobs, family life, hobbies, favorite sport, etc. After the interviews, reassemble the group and have each team introduce their team member to the group. This exercise helps them to learn about each other. 20.Story Time Game The facilitator starts a story by saying a sentence. It then goes in a circle, each person adding a sentence onto the story-after repeating each sentence that's already been added. 21.Ball Toss Game This is a semi-review and wake-up exercise when covering material that requires heavy concentration. Have everyone stand up and form a resemblance of a circle. It does not have to be perfect, but they should all be facing in, looking at each other. Toss a nerf ball or bean bag to a person and have tell what they thought was the most important learning concept was. They then toss the ball to someone and that person explains what they though was the most important concept. Continue the exercise until everyone has caught the ball at least once and explained an important concept of the material just covered.

22.Positive Reinforcement Cards Game Whenever a participant arrives to class on time from breaks, lunch, etc. give them one playing card. You can also hand out cards to people who volunteer for activities, are helpful, answers a difficult question, etc. At the end of the day, play one hand of poker. Give a small prize to the best hand (you can also pick the top two or three hands if you want to give away more prizes). Note that the more cards a person has, the better the chance of winning. 23.Human Bingo Game Before the meeting, make a bingo matrix and at the top of each square put something that someone in the group might have done-for example, voted for Ross Perot, served in the Peace Corps, etc. Everyone gets a copy and is asked to circulate, getting other group members to sign one square that is true of them. The first person to get "bingo" wins the prize (a candy bar or some other small thing). 24.Out on the Town Game If you have a two-day meeting and need a quick warm-up for day two, ask everyone to pantomime something they did the night before. Individuals or groups can act out a movie they went to, describe a meal they ate, or recreate a scene witnessed at a bar. 25.Lucky Penny Game Each person takes a penny or other coin out of their pocket and looks at the date. When it's their turn, they tell the year that's on their coin and recall something spectacular that happened that year. 26.Straw & Paperclip Game Give each group a box of straws not flexible straws) and a box of paperclips. Check that the paperclips can fit snuggly into the end of the straws. Give each group a task (you can use the same one for each group if you want) and let them go. Sample tasks: Build the structure as a group. tallest strongest longest most creative most functional etc. Debriefing included describing teamwork and situational leadership skills used as well as how different models are needed to accomplish different tasks. 27.Four Facts Game Each person writes down four facts about themselves, one of which is a lie. Each person takes turns reading their list aloud and the rest of the team writes down the one they think is the lie. When all are done reading the lists aloud, the first person reads their list again and identifies the lie. The team sees how well they did.

28.A to Z Freeze Game Ask participants to recite the alphabet in unison. Let them go on for a while until you yodel Stop! At that point, identify the letter they stopped on and ask everyone to share something they are looking forward to at school that begins with that letter. For example, if the letter is R, they might say ravioli in the dining hall or rooming with someone cool. Once everyone has shared, have them recite the alphabet again. Stop them on a different letter and ask participants to share a personality trait they possess that begins with begins with that letter. If the letter is D they might say things like diligence or doofiness. Come up with different questions to ask for each letter and repeat the process. 29.Reception Line Game Divide everyone into 2 groups. Have them stand facing each other. Each person talks to the person across from them until signaled (flash lights). At signal, person at end of one line moves to other end. Consequently everyone has a new person to talk to. 30.Autograph Sheets Game Prepare a sheet listing traits or facts about people with a line for them to sign their name next to the trait if it applies to them (i.e.: someone who wears contacts, someone who has been to Europe, etc.). People then mingle around the room with their sheets seeking to find people who are eligible to sign their sheets. A person can only sign once on any sheet. The process may also be reversed by having people seek out the autograph of people to which they think the category applies (i.e.: someone who looks like they enjoy the outdoors, someone who is from the east, etc.) 31.Puzzles Game Give participants a blank piece of puzzle (cut up a sheet of index card stock). Each person writes on the piece one skill which they contribute to the group. The puzzle is then assembled to show that everyone contributes to the whole. 32.Human Knot Game Divide into groups of 6-10 people. Each group forms a tight circle., standing and facing each other. Everyone extends their hands into the circle and by intermingling their arms, grasps hands with other members of the group. Instruct people to be sure that the two hands you are holding does not belong to the same person. The groups goal: untie the knot which results. Member of the group physically climb over/ under/ through each others arms to untie the knot of bodies. Note: Its RARE but it is possible for a knot to be unsolvable or end in two separate circles. 33.Find Someone Game Each person writes on a blank index card one to three statements, such as favorite color, interest, hobby, or vacations. Pass out cards so everyone gets someone else's card. Have that person find the person with their card and introduce themselves.

34.Get in the News Game Divide your group into teams of four or five persons each, and make sure each team has the necessary supplies--scissors, tape, pins, and plenty of old newspaper. You'll also need a separate room or corner in which each team can work with privacy (and hilarity). Each group selects one person to be the model. After deciding what kind of costume to make, the team goes to work--cutting, crumpling, bunching, rolling, piecing, pinning, taping. After an appropriate amount of time, call everybody together for a costume show. (And don't forget to recycle your newspaper when you're finished!) 35.Kangaroo Court Game Try this if there's an incident that irritates members of your group. Announce that a kangaroo court will be held to properly try and prosecute all guilty parties. After you make the announcement, everyone will begin to view the incident in question with a contagious sense of humor. Name the defendants. Select a lawyer for the defense, as well as a prosecuting attorney. Write up formal charges and submit them to the judge. Appoint a bailiff and court recorder. Screen and swear in your jurors. 36.Make a Date Game Give each participant a paper plate. Have them draw the face of a clock on their plate with a line next to each number (no digitals!). Then have participants walk around a find a "date" for each hour, writing their name by the hour. The catch is, no one can make a "date" with more than one person per hour. After everyone has made their dates, speed up time and allow 1-3 minutes for each hour. The facilitator then asks a question for discussion on each date. The pairs will have a chance to get to know one another. 37.People Knots Game Everyone sits on the floor in a circle with legs extended toward the middle. Each person grabs two others' hands and holds them. The hands cannot be those of either person sitting on your sides and also cannot be the two hands of the same person. Now, everyone stands up and untangles each other into a single circle, without letting go of the hands you have. 38.Quick Change Artist Game Pair off into partners facing each other. Each player is to observe his or her partner's appearance. Then the players turn around back-to-back and make two or more changes in their dress, hair accessories, etc. When they face each other again, each partner must identify the changes made by his or her partner. This game can be repeated several times by changing partners and increasing the number of changes made. 39.The Quiet Game The instructor explains that this exercise will take self control. Members pair back to back. On the count of three, everyone must face their partner, look each other in the eyes, and then try to remain solemn and serious. No speaking! The first to smile or laugh must sit down. All who remain standing then take a new partner and the activity continues until

only one person has not smiled or laughed. (Second round of playing can involve two teams competing to outlast each other.) If you get a pair at the end who are both keeping a straight face, the rest of the group can act ask hecklers to disrupt them. 40.Sunshine Cards Game Everyone writes their name in the center of a piece of paper and draws a sun around their name. Pass your paper around to the person on your right. That person will write something positive about you and they do not have to sign their name. Continue to pass your name around until everyone has written something on all the papers. 41.Finish the Sentence Game Write the start of a question on the board (i.e. My Favorite job was..,My Hobby is..) and go around the room with each person finishing the sentence. When the group is finished, post another question and start again.

42. Your Worst/First Job Everyone goes around the room and tells what they did for his/her first or worst job. You could also do it ahead of time and ask meeting attendees to fill out a card and the facilitator can read them aloud and everyone has to guess which employee had that particular job. Goal: To learn something new about your colleagues. It could also spark conversation between employees who do not normally work together often and in some cases it might get a chuckle or two.

43. Paper-Tearing Exercise

Time Allocation: 5 minutes Materials: Blank 8 -by-11-inch sheets of paper for each participant Instructions: 1. Tell the participants the following: We are going to play a game that will show us some important things about communication. Pick up your sheet of paper and hold it in front of you. Now, close your eyes and follow the directions I will give youand no peeking! Participants cannot ask questions.

2. Give the following directions, carrying them out yourself with your own sheet of paper and pausing after each instruction to give the group time to comply: The first thing I want you to do is to fold your sheet of paper in half. Now tear off the upper right-hand corner. Fold it in half again and tear off the upper left hand corner of the sheet. Fold it in half again. Now tear off the lower right-hand corner of the sheet. 3. After the tearing is complete, say something like Now open your eyes, and lets see what you have. If I did a good job of communicating and you did a good job of listening, all of our sheets should look the same! Hold your sheet up for them to see. It is highly unlikely any sheet will match yours exactly. 4. Observe the differences. There will probably be much laughter. 5. Ask the group why no ones paper matched yours. (You will Probably get responses like You didnt let us ask questions! or Your directions could be interpreted in different ways.) Then, lead into a presentation on the need for two-way communication in the workplace.

44. Cheeky-Cheeky
Required: Lipstick, small washablegrease pencil or markers Players: Small to large groups Game of the Month 12/99

Depending on the number of participants, you may want to pick a few helpers for this icebreaker game. The helpers will all have a small tube of lipstick in their pocket or hidden in their hands before the game starts. They can pretend at the last minute that they decide to join in the game; this helps them to find the person that they would like to stand next to. Have all participants line up in a straight line, side by side, instruct them that they have to look forward and they cant turn their heads. Tell them that youre playing the Cheeky-Cheeky game and everyone is to repeat what you do but must not move. Give them an example by lightly pinching the persons cheek on the right of you and say Cheeky-Cheeky. You should be at the beginning of the line. Note to them that that person is to do the same and then the next person all the way down the line until it reaches the end. Once demonstrated start out with Cheeky-

Cheeky but this time behind your back you have lipstick that you put on your fingertips. After youve done Cheeky-Cheeky and the movement has gone down the line then do nosey, nosey. After that do chiny-chiny, eary-eary, heady-heady and right eary-eary. Each time add more lipstick to your finger tips without them noticing. In the process the person next to you should end up with lipstick all over their face. Pick a person that is a good sport to stand next to. If youve planted helpers in the line, a few other people should end up with lipstick on their faces also. Submitted by Amy Sandison, GoTel Ministries

45.Dress the Mummy

Required: Rolls of toilet paper Players: Small to large groups Game of the Month 10/10

Set up teams with 2-4 players on each team. One person on each team will be the mummy and each team will be given 2 rolls of toilet paper. They will have 5 minutes to complete the game. The team players are to circle around the mummy and pass the toilet paper to each other while wrapping the mummy in it. The leader of the group will be the judge and decide which team has created the best mummy design.

46.Frozen Ts
Required: Plastic storage bag, freezer and large size T- shirts Players: Small to large groups Game of the Month 12/99

For each team you'll need one T- shirt and one plastic storage bag. Place one nicely folded T-shirt in each bag then pour in about 2 cups of water and freeze all of them overnight. If this wasn't done where the event is taking place bring the T-shirt in a cooler filled with ice to keep them frozen. Instruct the teams that they'll be playing an Ice Breaker game. Then hand out the bagged T-shirts to each team. On "Go" the teams will have to get their T-shirts thawed out so that one person from their team can put the Tshirt on. Teams will get creative in their attempts to win. They could run the shirts underwater, put them in the microwave and even pounded the ice out of them. The first team to come back with one person in the T-shirt is the winner. Submitted by Lindsay Scheel, Fun-Attic, Inc.

47.Gum Art
Required: Bubble gum, toothpick and index card Players: Small to large groups Give each participant a piece of bubble gum to chew, toothpick and index card. Allow them 10 minutes to chew the gum, place gum on index card and then design something on index card using only the toothpick as a tool (No Hands). The person with the best and most creative design is the winner. If you have quite a few players you can have several categories of winners, like most ingenious, most creative and of course the What is that? award. Please send in your ideas of award names and even pictures of your groups playing these games.

Submitted by Amy Sandison, GoTel Ministries

48.Gum Game
Required: Clean garden gloves, packs of gum Players: Small to large groups Game of the Month 10/08

Set up teams of five. Each team will receive one pair of new garden gloves and one pack of gum (5 pieces per pack). On go, the first person in each team is to put on the garden gloves, open the package of gum, pull out a piece, unwrap it, chew it, and then pass the gloves to the next person. The first team to complete the task wins. You can choose to have two packs of gum per team so that they would have to go around twice.

Ideal gifts for birthdays or Christmas

49.Ha Ha
Players: Small to large groups Teams competing lay down side by side on floor or ground. The first person lays back of hand on next persons stomach and that person lays back of hand on the stomach of the next to him and so on. The first person in line is to laugh one HA. The next person in line is to laugh HA HA (two times). The third person is HA HA HA. And so on. Any person that breaks out into a giggle is out of the game and must get up and the hole is filled in. The last one to giggle, wins.

50.Ice Cube Hunt

Required: Ice cubes, food coloring and winter weather Players: Small to large groups Game of the Month 4/09

Make up several ice cubes trays with food coloring in water. Once you have made ice cubes, distribute into search area. The person to find the most colored ice cubes is the winner.

51.King Boe Boes Ring

Required: Vaseline or mayonnaise (or anything mushy), chair, stool and blindfolds Players: Small to medium groups From the group select a number of persons that you would like to play this game. Send them outside.

Have some one (preferably a man) that has a very ugly toe, sit on the chair with his foot on the stool. Put some mayonnaise or Vaseline on his thumb. Let him bend the thumb and you put it on the jointed area. You also put some on the big toe that is on the stool. You then invite one of the persons that have already been blindfolded to come in with his/her hands behind him. It must stay behind him as long as he/she is approaching the king. They are asked to bow before the king in respect (keeping hands behind). Take them very close to the king where they can actually kneel right in front of the toe that has the mayonnaise or Vaseline on it. They bow as to kiss the king ring and the king puts his finger out so that the person kisses the finger instead of the toe. The king then puts his hand behind him leaving the toe as the visible object that has been kissed. The blindfold is now taken off and the person sees the toe and thinks that he/she has kissed this ugly toe. (Make sure that you keep adding more Vaseline to the finger as it will be kissed off, also make sure that enough is on the toe) Continue with the next person until all have come in. Do not tell the person what has happened but encourage the person to watch and see what has happened. He/she will laugh at himself. The other players must be locked away so that they have no clue as to what is happening, they will hear the laughs and will be curious and anxious to come in. No one in the room is to tell them anything. The last person usually does not know what is happening. You may tell him or her if you choose to. Submitted by Pat Henry

52.Memory Game
Required: Subjects for memory, tray, paper and pencil Players: Small groups Pick a subject like foods you would eat or crave. Lay them all in a tray for viewers to see and have participants pass tray around. Remove tray from sight and have participants list what was on tray. The person that lists the most objects is the winner. You can give extra points or break ties by asking specific questions like what flavor sucker and so

53.CATCH ME IF YOU CAN: Players should be paired up. All players divide into two lines (facing in) shoulder to shoulder, with partners facing each other. Participants should be given approximately 30 seconds to look at their partners, taking in all details about the individual. The leader then instructs the two lines to turn and face away from the center. One or both lines has 15-20 seconds to change something about their appearance (i.e. change a watch to different wrist, unbutton a button, remove a belt, etc.). The change must be discrete, but visible to the partner. The players again turn in to face each other and have 30 seconds to discover the physical changes that have been made. Players get to interact with each other and have fun!

54.UNCLE JOES SUITCASE: The group forms a circle. The first person states their name and the reason they picked this college, group, etc. You continue going around the group, repeating the names of the people preceding their name and why they chose to come to <institution>. You also can substitute the why you came here with other things. Another version of the game is to begin with, I packed Uncle Freds suitcase with........ and continue around like that. The real trick is the last person in the group who has to name all the people and why they came, what they like, etc. 55.SUPERLATIVES: Participants are asked to study the composition of the group quietly and to decide on a superlative adjective that describes themselves in reference to the others (youngest, tallest, most uptight, etc.). They then tell their adjectives, explain, and, if possible, test their accuracy.

56.STRING GAME: Participants select pre-cut lengths of string from the group facilitator . Each member holds the string between his/her thumb and forefinger. For each wrap of the string around the finger, participants must share one thing about themselves. 57.STINGER: Have the group form a circle and close their eyes. Facilitator circles the group and selects a stinger by squeezing an individuals 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 die 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 they get a second from someone else in the group within 10 seconds, the two of them may make an accusation. If the person does not get a second, he/she must wait to challenge again, after another person dies. 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 are automatically dead. If they select the correct person, the stinger is dead and the game is over. 58.SELF INTRODUCTION EXERCISE: The objective of this exercise is for members of the team to become acquainted with one another to work more effectively as a team. Each individual needs to complete the paragraph below and then, if they feel comfortable disclosing, may be asked to share answers with the rest of the group. Hello, my name is __________. I am ____ years old and I am majoring in ________. My hometown is ______________ and I really ________ it there because ______________. I always dreamed that someday I would ________________, and that dream has ______ true. I feel __________ about it now! Some things I like to do include ______________. There are many things I am good at and one of them is ______________. I did a really interesting thing once and that was ____________. My family consists of ______________. If I could change one thing about myself it would be _____________. Still, I am really glad to be here right now because ______________. I would really like to get together with anyone who be interested in _________________. The one thing I want to be remembered for is _______________. As far as future plans are concerned, I hope to be ________________ someday.

59.MUMBLE JUMBLE: Before the activity begins, the leader will cut up a few pictures into puzzle pieces. Each group member will grab a piece of a puzzle from a bag. The group members will keep their puzzle piece to themselves until the leader says, GO! At this point, the group members will try to locate the other members of the group with the pieces to form the appropriate pictures. Whichever group does it first, wins. Good activity for breaking into retreat/activity groups. 60.LOLLIPOP: Pass out dum-dum lollipops to the group. For every letter that appears in the flavor, the participant has to share something about him/her with the group. 61. HUM THAT TUNE:

Each person in the group is given a small piece of paper with the name of a nursery rhyme or other song written on the paper. (i.e. Row, row, row your boat, Rock-a-bye baby, etc.) All of the people who are given the song must hum that tune and fine everyone else singing the song. They then form a group.