Icebreaker Guide
Composed by the CKI S.P.I.C.E Committee
1
CAR RIDE GAMES ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 3 - 8
BUZZ ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 4
FORTUNATELY-UNFORTUNATELY ........................................................................................................................................................................ 4
HOT SEAT ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 5
I PACKED MY BAG [FOR DCON] .............................................................................................................................................................................. 5
NEVER HAVE I EVER................................................................................................................................................................................................... 6
NAME THAT TUNE ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 6
SAVE ME ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 7
WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 7
WOULD YOU RATHER ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 7
CONTACT ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 8
SMALL MEETING GAMES......................................................................................................................................................................................... 9 - 18
LASER EYES.................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 10
TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 10
QUESTION WEB ......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 11
BALLOON TOWER ..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 12
GUESS WHO ................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 13
NAME BINGO .............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 14
JIG-A-LOW..................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 15
HUMAN KNOT ............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 16
TELEPHONE CHARADES ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 17
BLIND MAP WALK...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 18
LARGE MEETING GAMES ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 19 - 29
SCREAMER................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 20
UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 21
GIANTS, WIZARDS AND ELVES .............................................................................................................................................................................. 22
STACKER ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 23
HANDSHAKES ............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 24
PANCHO ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 25
RIFF-OFF ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 26
BRING BACK MY BONNY ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 27
BEACH BALL QUESTIONNAIRE ............................................................................................................................................................................. 28
NAME SWITCH ........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 29
2
When you were a kid, the thought of going on a
road trip made you jump up and down with
excitement. But within a couple minutes into the
drive, you were yawning and asking the ever so
popular phrase, “Are we there yet?” We never
really grow out of being tired and bored on quiet and uneventful road
trips. Could it be the motion? The lack of scenery? Or perhaps the
restlessness you feel from not moving for a while? Fear not, we have
composed a few games specifically designed to keep your mind off of the
ride and focus on getting to know
your car mates better! Feel
free to apply these games
___________________
anywhere from waiting in line to
BUZZ
riding trains. But be careful not to
FORTUNATELY-UNFORTUNATELY
distract the driver with too much
HOT SEAT
fun.
I PACKED MY BAG FOR DCON
NEVER HAVE I EVER
PLAYING DJ/NAME THAT TUNE
SAVE ME
WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND
WOULD YOU RATHER
CONTACT
___________________
3
Objective:
Avoid saying a specific number; elimination type game
Description:
Determine the order in which everyone will go in (typically in a rotational or
circular type of order). Pick a number in which to “eliminate” and begin counting
starting at one. When the chosen number, any multiple of it, or if it appears within
another number, instead of saying the number, the one whose turn it is says “buzz”
instead. Try increasing the counting speed to increase the level of difficulty.
Example:
[7 is eliminated] 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, buzz, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, buzz, 15, 16, buzz, 18…
Objective:
Spark a creative and funny story while avoiding a silent car
Description:
There are many variations and additions to this game, but the general structure of
the game is to go in a circle while adding “fortunately” and “unfortunately”
sentence structures. The order of people adding onto the story can vary from
clockwise, counter-clockwise, throwing a bean bag to a selected person, etc.
Example:
“Fortunately I was able to go to the creek cleanup service project” – Starting person
“Unfortunately I slipped and got mud all over my white pants” – next person
“Fortunately I had an extra pair of leopard printed pants in the car trunk”
“Unfortunately a mouse took my keys when I fell in the mud” etc….
4
Objective:
To spotlight someone and get to know them on a more personal level
Description:
Pick one group member to be in the ‘hot seat’ for the duration of 2 minutes (or
however long you choose). The other group members will then ask questions to the
person in the ‘hot seat’ and they must answer. No discussion is allowed (but that’s
up to you). If, however, it’s not a question he or she wants to answer, he or she can
say ‘No’, and then whoever asked the question MUST answer it instead.
Examples:
“If you could choose the manner of your death, what would it be?”
“If you knew that in one year you would die suddenly, would you change anything
about yourself or the way you are living now?”
“Who do you admire or look up to?”
Objective:
Reinforce your ABC’s while practicing your memory
Description:
The game starts with a player saying, “I packed my bag for [Event] and in it I put…”
That person should then name something that starts with an ‘A’. The next person
continues the chain by repeating, “I packed my bag for [Event] and in it I put a
[word beginning with A] and a [word beginning with B].” The chain continues by
stating the previous items and adding the next letter until you reach the end of the
alphabet.
Variations:
Instead of using alphabetical order, use the last letter in the previous item, or try to
spell a word out using the first letter of the items.
Examples:
“I packed my bag for DCON and in it I put an apple,” First person.
“I packed my bag for DCON and in it I put a bear,” Second person.
“I packed my bag for DCON and in it I put a crow,” Third person.
5
Objective:
Find out what others have in common with you and what they don’t.
Description:
Each player starts with a full two hands, ten fingers, stretched out. The game begins
by someone stating something true about him/herself that possibly does not apply
to the others. If any of the other players have done the action or statement that the
person stated, then those people must put down a finger. The game continues until
only one player remains.
Variation:
If a statement is said and only one person in the group puts down his/her finger,
have them explain why.
Examples:
“Never have I ever been out of the country.”
“Never have I ever skipped a class in high school.”
“Never have I ever had any pets.”
Objective:
Are you a radio addict? Prove it!
Description:
Have a source to play songs from, whether it’s through the radio, mp3 player, or
CD’s. Then play a couple minutes of the song and the first person to name the title
of the song wins a point. The person with the most points wins!
Variations:
You can add difficulty to the game by adding additional requirements such as
naming the artist, the year it was produced, the names of the members if it’s a
group, original artists or writers if it’s a cover, etc.
6
Objective:
Why should you be saved?
Description:
You and everyone in the car are stranded on an island. There’s only one way to get
off of the island for one person. The person that can come up with the most
creative, funny, and convincing story, as voted on the rest of the car or the
predetermined judge, will be the winner.
Variations:
To add more content, the stories told can have a common theme, or players can
explain why the others should not be rescued.
Objective:
Find out what others’ first impression is of a word.
Description:
One player starts by saying the first word that comes to his/her mind. The next
player responds to the word by saying the first word that comes to his/her mind.
This continues with players saying the first words that come into their minds. Any
player who does not answer immediately or who repeats a word is out.
Variations:
Add specific themes such as color, holidays, etc.
Objective:
Choice A or B? Be creative!
Description:
Player one gives the other players two choices from which they can only pick one.
Keep going until you run out of choices or questions to ask.
Variations:
You can always add a theme or make things unrealistic.
Examples:
“Would you rather give up chocolate or Netflix for 10 days?”
“Would you rather go to the beach or Disneyland?”
“Would you rather wear just green for a year or kill one spider?”
“Would you rather go sky diving or cliff jumping?”
7
Objective:
Connect with someone telepathically by trying to figure out a secret word.
Description:
Choose one person to be “it” and have them choose a word in their mind while
not revealing it to the group. “It” reveals the first letter of the secret word to the
group, and the group must now figure out this word through a series of questions.
A member may suggest a clue that follows the given information (the revealed
letters) to the group, and another member who understands may signal the original
member and count down simultaneously, “Contact! Three, two, one…!” The two
members then state the word they had in mind, and if it is the same word, “it”
must reveal the next letter of the secret word. However, “it” has the chance to
disrupt members’ contacts by stating, “It is not [word]” at any point after their
‘contact.’ The game ends when all letters are revealed or when members guess the
secret word.
Example:
Mike chooses the secret word “eliminate.” He gives the first letter, ‘E’ to the group.
Sally has a guess and proposes, “The name of a mountain.”
Tom signals Sally and both begin counting down, “Contact! Three, two, one--”
Mike interrupts, “It’s not Everest.” Original contact is lost; a new one must be made.
Sally has another guess, “Another word for test.”
Tom and Sally both count down, “Contact! Three, two, one… Exam!”
Since Mike did not interrupt their contact, he must reveal the next letter, ‘L.’
8
When it comes to icebreakers within the club environment, there are
many icebreakers that are ideal for smaller clubs for up to 30 members. A
lot of people believe that icebreakers involve lots of preparation and
materials that make it not worthwhile to attempt. Within the next few
pages, you will read about some potential icebreakers that can be played
either before, during, or after your meetings. These icebreakers are
designed for smaller groups and can keep your audience engaged to make
your meetings more enjoyable for everyone!
___________________
LASER EYES
TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE
QUESTION WEB
BALLOON TOWER
GUESS WHO
NAME BINGO
JIG-A-LOW
HUMAN KNOT
TELEPHONE CHARADES
BLIND MAP WALK
___________________
9
Objective:
Test your reflexes and see if you can outlast the other players!
Ideal Setting: Ideal for 15-30 members, and can be played either indoors or outdoors. You just
need to have enough space to make a circle that can fit everyone that is
participating.
Description: Have the group sit or stand in a circle. Everyone in the group should have their eyes
closed with their heads down. The moderator will say "1... 2... 3... Laser Eyes!" On
"Laser Eyes!" each player looks up and stares at another player. If you and another
player are both staring at each other, you both are eliminated. The last player in the
game wins.
Extra Notes: This icebreaker is best played with everyone standing because it will be harder to
know who is staring at who when players are sitting. This icebreaker can be played
with either an odd or even number of people. Once people get eliminated, they can
serve as judges so they still feel like they are part of the game.
Objective:
Learn more about one another personally!
Ideal Setting: To cut down on the time this activity takes, it is best to split into smaller groups if
you have a lot of members participating.
Description: Ask each person in the group to think of two true facts about themselves, and one
lie. Each person in the group takes a turn telling the group their three items. The
group then has to agree on which fact they think is a lie. Once the group
announces their decision, the speaker tells the group the correct answer. The group
then can talk about any of the interesting things they just learned.
Variation:
Each person writes down their 2 truths and a lie on a piece of paper and hands it in
anonymously. Read each card randomly one at a time. The group has to decide
who the person on the card is, as well as the lie.
10
Objective:
Everyone plays a part in creating a unique and special web. If one person were gone,
the web would look different.
Ideal Setting: The size of the group will determine the length of the string needed. As for the
location, anywhere is fine but keep in mind that the larger the circle, the larger the
space must be.
Materials:
Spool of string or wool.
Description:
Ask the group to stand in a circle. Hold on to the end of the string and throw the
ball/spool to one of the members of the group. They then choose a question from
1-20 to answer. A list of a couple sample questions is given below. Adapt for your
group. Holding the string they then throw it to another member of the group.
Eventually this creates a web as well as learning some interesting things about each
other!
Examples:
“If you had a time machine, what time period would you visit?”
“If your house was burning down, what three objects would you try and save?”
“If you could talk to any one person now living, who would it be and why?”
“If you had to give up one of your senses which would it be and why?”
“What’s your favorite thing to do in the summer, and why?”
“Who’s your favorite cartoon character, and why?”
11
Objective:
Have everyone network and experience some good competition!
Ideal Setting: Indoors, somewhere appropriate to balloon popping and yelling. Include an area
with clean surfaces (tables or floors) to build the towers on.
Materials:
Prizes (any), tape, a selection of different colored balloons. The number of balloons
depends on how big you want the tower to get and how big the balloons get when
blown up, usually anything from 20 (large balloons) to 40 (smaller ones) per team
will work.
Description:
First, explain that there is a time limit
(usually around 10 minutes or however
long you prefer) and that the best team will
receive a reward of some sort. Then explain
to the groups that they must make a
balloon tower that is free standing only (no
sticking the tower to any overhead lamps or
walls etc.) They can only use the equipment
provided and nothing else. No additional
balloon spares are provided if one pops when the icebreaker starts. Make sure to
provide a 2-minute warning and any additional ones if necessary.
Extra Notes:
Once a winner is announced, you can make another round to see which group can
burst all the balloons the fastest!
12
Objective:
Particularly useful when participants already know each other and want to become
further acquainted.
Ideal Setting: Ideal for 10-20 members, and should take around 15 minutes depending on the
number of participants.
Materials:
1 sheet of paper for each person participating in the icebreaker, something to write
with, and something to collect the paper in once everyone has written their answers
down.
Description:
Have everyone answer 3-4 questions about themselves, ensuring that none of the
other participants see the answers that they are writing down. Once everyone
finishes writing down their answers, pool the answers together and begin reading
off the answers that were given one by one. At this point, the object is to guess who
is who.
Extra Notes:
Depending on how many people you have participating, you can create several
small groups or do it as one big group.
Examples:
“What is your favorite beverage?”
“What is your favorite animal?”
“If you could create any holiday, what would it celebrate?”
“What is a unique fact about yourself?”
13
Objective:
Let members get to know each other better as acquaintances!
Ideal Setting: Best played with about 15 people, must have a lot of room to walk around freely.
Materials:
Bingo cards with different characteristics of your members in different boxes, and
something to write with. [An example is shown below; you can add and modify
however many boxes you want to the template.]
Description:
Explain that everyone will have a set limit of time to mingle, introduce themselves,
and find people who match the traits on their card. They must put the person’s
name in the corresponding box or have the person sign the appropriate square. The
first person to fill five boxes across or down yells “BINGO” to end the game.
Variations:
To prolong the icebreaker, ask members to introduce themselves and share one of
the interesting traits they learned about someone else.
B
I
N
G
O
Allergic to
cheese
Not born in
USA
Can dance to
salsa
Can touch
their toes
Has a pet
Is afraid of
spiders
Likes chick
flicks
FREE
SPACE
Is wearing
earrings
Has a tattoo
Doesn’t like
chocolate
Can
skateboard
Has
snowboarded
Doesn’t drink
coffee
Is a lefty
14
Objective:
Act silly while getting to know each other! Build comfort and allow everyone to be
creative while learning people’s names.
Ideal Setting: This game is ideal for ten or more members. It also should be played in a space that
is big enough to make a huge circle.
Description:
Ask members to form a circle standing up about an arms-length apart. The leader
of the activity will explain the rules of this exercise saying that they will start by
saying their name and saying, “My hands are high” while raising his or her hands
above their head. They will then say, “My feet are low” and lower their hands to
touch knees (or close to them). Lastly, they will say, “This is how you jig-a-low.” The
leader will then do a unique dance move for the group. Following this, everyone
else in the circle will repeat the motions and sayings that the leader did until the
final one when they say, “This is how <leader’s name> jig-a-lows” and everyone
copies the leader’s dance move or jig. Repeat this around the circle until everyone
has had a chance to show off their dance move and names.
15
Objective:
Focus on the group’s understanding of communication, leadership, problem
solving, teamwork, trust, persistence, etc.
Ideal Setting: Meant for small groups of members, preferably ten or less. Would be perfect at the
beginning of the semester when there are many new members in your club.
Description:
Ask members to form a circle, shoulder-to-shoulder, and to place a hand in the
middle of the circle and to grasp another hand. Then ask participants to put their
other hand in the middle and grasp a different person's hand. Explain to members
that the objective of the icebreaker is to untangle themselves, without letting go of
hands, into a circle.
Variations:
If you want to make the activity more personal, ask members to introduce
themselves to the person they are holding hands with. If there are a lot of members
present, coordinate multiple groups and challenge them to race each other in
untangling themselves.
16
Objective:
Combines the concept of two popular icebreakers, which are telephone and
charades to improve communication skills.
Ideal Setting: Can be played in any space with room for lines of members, ideally 6-7 members
per group.
Materials:
Write out 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, and catching a
huge fish.
Description:
Ask six or seven members to line up in a row, facing the wall. Reveal the clue to the
first person in line, and display the clue to the audience as well. The second person
then whispers what they believe the action is to the third person. The third person
acts out the action and the process continues until it reaches the last person in line,
who must guess what the original action was.
Variations:
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. You can also
use pop culture or more generic ideas for the actions, such as popular movies (i.e.
The Lion King, Twilight, The Conjuring) or animals.
17
Objective:
Helps participants learn the importance of giving clear directions and learn what is
required of them when using good listening skills.
Ideal Setting: Ideal for up to twenty members, works best when you use an area that is unfamiliar
to the group so they do not already know what obstacles they may encounter.
Materials:
You will need blindfolds and a sketch of the surrounding area with a course drawn
on it.
Description:
Divide the group into pairs and blindfold one member of each pair. Give the
partner, without the blindfold, a copy of the map. The partner without the
blindfold must guide the blindfolded partner through the course with only verbal
directions. The partners may walk together but they may not touch each other.
Once the course has been completed, switch the blindfold to the other partner and
give the pair a new map to follow.
Extra Notes:
This icebreaker works best when the pairs include members that may not speak to
each other during the meetings because this icebreaker requires members to be able
to give clear directions to whoever their partner is in the icebreaker.
18
___________________
SCREAMER
UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL
Large meetings, especially on a weekday
GIANTS, WIZARDS AND ELVES
during the school year, tend to feel
STACKER
redundant or unnecessary, especially if all it
HANDSHAKES
contains are board members at the front of
PANCHO
the room simply informing the club
RIFF-OFF
members about upcoming events. From the
BRING BACK MY BONNY
BEACH BALL QUESTIONNAIRE
perspective of a general member in a large
NAME SWITCH
audience, the meeting could, in a sense, feel
___________________
like any another college lecture. To prevent
this situation from occurring, clubs are
encouraged to implement more interaction during their meetings. In
these next few pages, you
will read about potential
icebreaker games that
can be played before,
during, or after possible
meetings. Designed for
larger audiences, these
games will better catch
the attention of the
crowd and keep them on
their toes for the
duration of the meeting.
19
Objective:
A high-energy game intended to energize the crowd and encourage an interactive
audience.
Ideal Setting: Anywhere indoors with sufficient room to walk and travel through a crowd of
people (Examples include, but are not limited to, lecture halls and large classrooms).
This game is preferably played with a group of fifty or more people.
Description:
Choose one person or volunteer from the audience and bring the person to the
front of the room. Introduce the player to the audience. Then, escort the player
outside of the room to prevent him/her from hearing the next set of instructions.
Once the player is outside of the room, explain the game to the audience. First,
choose an object and make sure everyone, except the player, knows what this object
is. Then, have the player walk back into the room and explain the game to the
person. He/she is to walk around the room and find the object, and the audience
will aid him/her in doing so. Once the player leaves the front of the room and
travels about, the closer he/she is to the object, the louder the audience will scream.
The further he/she is from the object, the quieter the audience will become. The
player will use the audience’s screaming as a guide to find the object. Once the
player has found the object, the game will end.
Variations:
An object can be moved to allow two players, instead of one, to participate. The
first player would then find the object and the second player would return the
object to its original location. The second player would need to leave the room
during the first part.
20
Objective:
Energize the crowd by sparking competition and encouraging a few laughs.
Ideal Setting: Anywhere with sufficient room to walk amongst a crowd of people. This game is
preferably played with a group of fifty or more people.
Description:
This game is played through a series of rounds. Participants are to stand up and
choose a partner; they stand back-to-back. Once everyone has a partner, the proctor
counts, “One, two, three!” The partners are to turn around and face each other
with straight expressions. Whoever laughs or smiles first loses and must sit back
down. The game continues until there is only one winner (depending on the size of
the crowd). Participants are allowed to do whatever they’d like as long as their facial
expressions do not change (i.e. Try to make the other laugh by dancing, assuming
bizarre poses, etc.)
21
Objective:
A competitive team game based on Rock, Paper, Scissors intended to engage
teamwork and physical and mental alertness.
Ideal Setting: Anywhere with enough room for people to gather in groups (outdoors or indoors).
This game has a preferred audience of thirty or more people.
Description:
This game is a team variation of the game Rock, Paper, Scissors. The choices,
however, will be giants, wizards, and elves. First, divide the crowd into teams. Each
team is then given time to discuss whether they want to be giants, wizards, or elves.
Once each time has decided what character they will portray, two teams are pit
against one another. The proctor will count, “One, two, three!” and then the two
teams must reveal their character. Giants are to growl or make a menacing sound
on their tip-toes with raised arms and curled fingers. Wizards yell, “Kazaam!” while
crouching and pretending to point a magic wand at the other team. Elves must
shrink in size (i.e. kneel, hunch), cup their ears, and make a screeching noise. The
victories are determined as follows: Giants squish elves, elves outsmart wizards, and
wizards can zap giants. If the teams choose the same character, it is a draw. Teams
must choose a character again and repeat the ‘battle.’ Actions after a successful
fight include: pretending to ‘die’ upon losing (i.e. clutch chest, fall to the ground).
Winning teams may celebrate.
Variations:
This game is most easily facilitated with only two teams, but more than two works
just as well. It would simply be facilitated similar to a bracket tournament.
22
Objective:
An interactive game that will involve enough personal contact to truly ‘break the ice.
Ideal Setting: A classroom or lecture hall with enough seats for everyone. Seats must be arranged
in a grid-like pattern. This game works best for a group of thirty or more people but
can also be applied to smaller groups.
Description:
This game requires one moderator who will have creative freedom in announcing
commands. Everyone must find a seat and obey the rules of the moderator. The
game may proceed as long as the moderator wishes it to. There is no ‘winning’ or
‘losing.’ The objective of the game, however, is to stack participants as commands
will inevitably force players to sit on top of other players. See examples.
Examples:
“All males must move one seat to the left!”
“Everyone wearing the color blue must move two seats to the right!”
“People wearing glasses must move three seats to the left!”
Extra Notes:
Since this game is much more personal than most icebreakers, it is advised to play
the game a few meetings in when attendees know each other a little better
23
Objective:
A lax, creative game that will involve direct personal contact but does not delve
deeply into the personal aspect of icebreakers.
Ideal Setting: Anywhere with enough room for free movement (walking speed). This game works
best for a group of forty or more people (the more, the merrier).
Description:
One announcer will instruct the players as to when the game begins and when the
game ends; the announcer is free to participate in the game as well. Players must
first choose a number between one and five. The players must shake hands with
others the same number of times as their chosen number. The objective of the
game is to find another player who chose the same number by shaking their hands.
Once the players are paired up, they may introduce themselves to one another
before the moderator announces the end of the game.
Example:
Player 1 chooses the number five; player 2 chooses the number three. When they
shake each others’ hands, Player 2 cannot return Player 1’s five handshakes, so they
move on.
24
Objective:
An energetic, team-building game intended to instill pride and teamwork through
competition and unity.
Ideal Setting: Anywhere with enough room for free movement (for the congregation of
groups/teams). This game works best for a group of forty or more people (the more,
the merrier).
Description:
One announcer will split the players into groups of ten to twenty by counting off
(preferably four teams total). The teams will proceed to cheer and challenge each
other as follows:
1. The first team will challenge another of their unanimous choice, “We are
pancho number one, number one, number one! We are pancho number one;
where’s number ___?” The cheer must be chanted in unison; simultaneously,
the team cheering must perform the same dance move.
2. The returning team will then respond to the challenge. Suppose it is team
number two that is called upon. Team Two would proceed to perform a dance
move in unison while cheering, “We are pancho number two, number two,
number two! We are pancho number two; where’s number ___?”
Since the game is continuous and without any breaks between the cheers, the game
would continue until the teams fail to chant the same cheer or fail to perform the
same dance move. Depending on the time allotted, there can either be one or two
winning team(s). The announcer would have to keep an eye out for teams that fail
to stick together!
Extra Notes:
This game may require a bit of a demonstration at the beginning, when explaining
the rules. Once it has been explained, however, the facilitation of the game should
be simple.
25
Objective:
An energetic, relatively competitive game that encourages teamwork and creativity.
Ideal Setting: Anywhere with enough room for free movement (for the congregation of
groups/teams). This game works best for a group of forty or more people.
Description:
The moderator will split the players into groups of ten to twenty (preferably four to
five teams total). The moderator will then proceed to give each team a word. The
teams will then have a few minutes to plan out their strategies; there will be no
other time to strategize once the game begins. The teams must find or create lyrics
to sing to that contain the word assigned to them. Once the planning period is over,
the moderator will proceed to call upon the teams to perform to the rest of the
players. A team will stay in the game if and only if it sings the song together and
clearly uses the word as often as possible or as creatively as possible. The moderator
will call upon the teams in rounds (with no extra planning time allotted), and the
teams will be expected to sing a different song each round. The teams that fail to
keep up with the pace will be out!
Variations:
The moderator can either give each team a different word or the same word (up to
his/her discretion). The game doesn’t need to be played in rounds; instead, each
team could perform only once or twice, and the team with the most creative song(s)
would claim victory. You can also not allow strategizing at all for another variation
of this game.
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Objective:
An energetic, medium-energy game that engages players in mental and physical
alertness.
Ideal Setting: A lecture hall or classroom with enough seats for all of the players. This game works
best for a group of fifty or more people (the more, the merrier).
Description: This game requires not a moderator, but a narrator. The narrator would read the
lyrics. The players must listen to the song and sit or stand (opposite of what
position they were in previously) every time they hear a word that begins with a ‘B.’
Every time the players hear the name ‘Bonny,’ however, they must high-five the
player to the right of them.
Extra Notes:
Variation:
My Bonny lies over the ocean
My Bonny lies over the sea
My Bonny lies over the ocean
So bring back my Bonny to me
Bring back
Bring back
Oh, bring back my Bonny to me, to me!
Bring back
Bring back
Oh, bring back my Bonny to me!
My Bottom
My bottom was bit by a black bear
My bottom was bit by a bear
My bottom was bit by a black bear
Won’t you bandaged my boo boo for me
Bandage
Bandage
Won't you bandage my boo boo for me for me
Bandage
Bandage
Won't you bandage my boo boo for me
This game is more of an energizer than it is an icebreaker. While the players may
actively participate in the game by sitting down or standing up, it is rather
impersonal.
The moderator is more than welcome to create his/her own story and add more
commands that encourage interaction among the players!
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Objective:
An energetic and selective game that allows players to make personal commentary
to the entirety of the club but may not necessarily establish a personal connection
with other members.
Ideal Setting: A lecture hall or classroom where players sit or stand near each other. This game
works best for a group of fifty or more people.
Materials:
A beach ball divided into sections, with each containing a question.
Description: An announcer will toss the beach ball into the crowd for the players to hit around.
The announcer can give an allotted 5-10 seconds to allow the ball to be passed
around, but once time is up, the player who catches it must stand and introduce
him/herself to the room. The question under his/her left thumb would be the
question he/she answers. Sample questions include:
a. Would you rather breathe underwater or speak to animals? Why?
b. What is the first item on your bucket list?
c. If you could be any fictional character, who would you be and why?
d. What is your guilty pleasure?
e. Coffee or tea?
f. Do you prefer the cold or the heat? Why?
g. Do you think the tomato should be a fruit or a vegetable?
h. What is your favorite store to shop at?
After the first person answers the question, the ball would be thrown into the
crowd again and passed onto the next person.
Extra Notes: This game is very easy to facilitate. The announcer’s role is significant in that
he/she would provide feedback to the member and possibly personalize the
icebreaker more.
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Objective:
A challenging and engaging game that allows players to get to know each other and
to promote fellowship.
Ideal Setting: Anywhere with enough room for free movement at walking speed. This game works
best for a group of forty or more people (the more, the merrier).
Description:
Have members partner up and have them introduce themselves to each other with
their name and a fun fact. The moderator will call time and tell the pairs to switch.
The pair will then switch identities and pose as their partner. The identity
switching will continue until the moderator calls time. Once the moderator calls
time, he/she will then introduce to the players the challenge of finding the player
posing as themselves.
Example:
Player One: Hello, my name is Bob. I enjoy eating tacos.
Player Two: Hello, my name is Jenny. I play the trumpet!
Moderator: Switch!
[Players regroup into new partnerships.]
Player Two: Hello, my name is Bob. I enjoy eating tacos.
Player Three: Hello, my name is Susan. My fingers are double-jointed.
Moderator: Switch! Now, try to find yourself!
[Players regroup into new partnerships.]
Player One: Hello, my name is Jenny. I play the trumpet!
Player Three: Hello, my name is Bob. I enjoy eating tacos.
Player One: Hey, you’re me!
Variation:
At district or divisional events, partners can physically switch nametags.
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