Using Nametags as Icebreakers
Add fun to your next party by using nametags! Not only do they help
guests get to know each other faster (not to mention reducing the
stress levels of those who have trouble remembering names), but you
can use nametags as icebreakers. The possibilities are limitless, but
here are a few fun ideas:
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Have guests add a descriptive adjective that starts with the same
letter as their first name. Thus, your wild and crazy friend becomes
Crazy Claudia. Your shy buddy becomes Bashful Bob. Your sky-diving
pal becomes Daring Dan. The other guests have fun getting to know
why each guest chose his or her adjective.
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Another idea is to pick a question and then have guests answer
the question on their nametags. For example, the question might be,
"What is your favorite travel destination?" Guests will have a lot of fun
discussing places they've been or would like to go. Another question
might be: "What's your favorite type of restaurant?" Guests will enjoy
comparing notes on great places for Italian food or the new Thai
restaurant in town. The question, "If you could be an animal, what
would it be?", works well for both children and adults. Any question that
can be answered in one or two words will help start a conversation.
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Another possibility is the number game. Guests pick a year where
something important or memorable happened to them. Guests try to
guess what happened. The keys to this game are that it has to be
personal (the guest was involved in some way, like a marriage, the
birth of a first child, the year they learned to drive a car, etc.) and it has
to be appropriate for the audience! So remember, nametags aren't just
for names anymore!
Candy Introductions
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&M’s, 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:
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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!)
Block Party Group Activities and Icebreakers
If you have people on your block who do not know each other well, an
ice breaker is a wonderful tool to get people talking to each other and
learning about each other. We have put together a list of some fun ice
breakers to get your party going!
◦ Get the Group Talking: Ask neighbors to pair up with someone. Tell
them to learn as much as they can about the other person in five
minutes. Then have them introduce that person to the whole group.
◦ Friendly Competition: Tape the name of a famous person on each
person's back. As people socialize, they can ask for clues about their
famous person. The last person to guess the name on his or her back
loses. For children you can use cartoon characters, characters from
children's books and movies, and/or video game characters
appropriate for their ages.
◦ ShowingYour Age: Break people into small groups and give each
person a penny. Ask them to talk about what they were doing and/or
what was going on in the world during the year on the coin.
◦ Trivial Pursuit: Put out trivial Pursuit cards where people will see them
and automatically read the questions to one another.
◦ Human Bingo: Before your party make up a grid sheet or list with
varied personal information or characteristics in each square.
Examples might be "sings in the shower", "been to Asia", "watches a
soap opera", "has met a famous person", "plays the lottery"; "speaks at
least three languages", etc. Distribute copies of the grid sheet to your
neighbors and have them go around and collect signatures of
neighbors who have those characteristics. The first person to get all (or
the most) squares filled in wins the game.
http://www.thebingomaker.com/index.php/bingo-cards/parties-andevents-bingo-cards/ice-breaker-people-bingo-cards.html
Did You Know? Bingo
Did You Know? Bingo (also known as the Autograph Game) 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 Did You Know? 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 in a row), whether horizontally, vertically, or diagonally, he
or she shouts “BINGO!” and wins.
This game requires a little bit of setup. Prepare a 5 by 5 table, with interesting facts written
inside the boxes. These facts can include funny or bizarre things. For example:
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Likes anchovies
Has been to Hawaii
Speaks more than two languages
Has never been on a plane
Has more than four brothers
Has gone without a shower for more than three days
Be creative! You can mark the center square “FREE SPACE” like traditional bingo games.
After you have prepared the table, print out enough copies for the number of players you
are expecting.
Instructions for How to Play
Pass out a sheet to each person, along with a pen. Explain the objective of the game and
the following rules: (1) each person you talk to may only sign your sheet once, and (2) to
win, you must get signatures to form 5 in a row horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. Say
“Go!” and ask your participants to begin.
Once someone shouts “Bingo!” everyone returns and the person must introduce the
people who signed his or her sheet. If desired, you can ask each person to explain their
fact. This icebreaker game is fun way to get to know humorous or unique facts about
people. Enjoy!
Icebreaker Questions
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 note cards 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:
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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 romanticcomedy, action film, or science fiction?
If I could be anybody besides myself, I would be…
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?
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?
Additional Activity Ideas
1. Shinny Hockey
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Baseball
3. Flag football or touch football
4. Soccer
5. Volley Ball (water balloon volley ball)
6. Chinese Baseball
7. Tag and it’s many variations
8. Water games (slip n slide, sprinkler, water fight)
9. Side walk chalk art
10. Skipping rope
11. Frisbee
12. Botchy Ball
13. Latter Toss
14. Obstacle courses
Get-to-Know-You Scavenger Hunt
For each of the categories below, find a person in the group who fits the
description. Make sure to introduce yourself before asking the question to a person
you do not know. Write the person's name down next to the item that fits them. You
can only use each person twice. The individual who gets the most matches wins!
1. Was born in February __________________________
2. Is an only child __________________________
3. Loves country music __________________________
4. Has been to Europe __________________________
5. Speaks another language __________________________
6. Likes to go camping __________________________
7. Likes to paint __________________________
8. Is from a different ethnic group than you __________________________
9. Has 6 or more brothers and sisters __________________________
10. Watches the same T.V. show you do _________________________
11. Likes to sing __________________________
12. Has been on a cruise ship __________________________
13. Loves purple __________________________
14. Has been to more than 2 continents __________________________
15. Has gone white water rafting __________________________
16. Plays sports __________________________
17. Likes Mexican food __________________________
18. Dislikes hamburgers __________________________
29. Has been to an art museum __________________________
20. Has had braces __________________________
21. Has met a movie star __________________________
22. Was born in the province where you are located __________
23. Was born outside the province where you are located ___________
24. Has a twin __________________________
25. Flosses their teeth daily __________________________
26. Recycles __________________________
27. Is wearing something the same color you are wearing _____________
28. Has eaten a whole pizza by themselves __________________________