Youth Venture

Icebreakers are a great way to get a team focused, comfortable with each other, and having fun. Below are some examples of icebreakers. Feel free to modify these icebreakers or design your own.

The Name Game

Everyone sits around in a circle. Each person says his/her name and one characteristic that describes him/her that starts with the first letter of his/her name. For example, Tim might say “Talented Tim” or “Truthful Tim.” Have the next person repeat the last name-characteristic combination and then add his/her own. Keep going until the last person has to repeat all the name-characteristic combinations.

Two Truths and a Lie

Each person writes three scenarios about themselves, two of which are true, and one of which is a lie. Each person takes a turn reading his/her scenario. It’s up to the rest of the group to guess which scenario is a lie. At the end, the presenter reveals the correct answer.

Questions

Each group member receives one slip of paper and writes down a general question. For example, “What’s your favorite movie?” Everyone then places his/her question in a bucket or hat. The hat or bucket then gets passed around the room and everyone has to answer the question they pick out.

Pass the Potato

Participants stand in a circle and toss a ball to one another. When someone catches the ball, that person must answer a question about him/herself. For example, recipients of the ball could be asked to say one interesting fact about themselves or describe one passion. This continues until everyone has had the ball.

Group Juggling

Participants form a circle and choose a leader. The leader starts with one ball and tosses it to someone else across the circle calling out his/her name before throwing it. That person then calls someone else’s name across the circle and then throws the ball to him/her. This continues until everyone in the circle has caught the ball and the last to do so tosses it back across the circle to the leader. The leader starts this process all over again, but this time multiple balls are added until the group is working together to keep all of the balls in the air.

Bingo

Each person writes three interesting facts about themselves and submits them to the leader. The leader then constructs a bingo board with one or two facts from each person, without including any names. The bingo board is photocopied and distributed to everyone in the group. Each person then has ten minutes to interview the rest of the group. The goal is to determine which fact belongs to which individual and to write the correct name beside the fact. The winner is the first person to have an entire row, column, or board of names.

11.5 Things about Me

Number a piece of paper from 1-11 and add an additional 11.5 at the end. Team members should write down eleven facts about themselves. When they get to 11.5, they should write down something they wish to be or do in the future. Afterwards, participants tape the list to their backs. The entire group stands, mingles, and takes turns reading each other’s lists. This icebreaker can be a great conversation starter as people read about each other, or the reading can also be done silently to make the sharing less intimidating for participants.

Line up

This short activity plays on team members’ knowledge of each other and their ability to communicate nonverbally. Ask team members to line up youngest to oldest or based on the month in which their birthday falls. The catch is that the entire activity is completed in silence.

Count to 10

This activity will help everyone learn how to work together in the midst of chaos. The object of the exercise is for the entire group to count to 10, in order, starting at 1. The only rules are: 1) any one person cannot say more than one number in a row, 2) the group cannot go in any order and cannot be directed by anyone, and 3) if two or more people say a number at the same time, the group has to start over at 1.

Human Scrabble

Each team member is given a letter to post on his or her chest. The group must then form as many words as possible by lining themselves up in different configurations. The leader keeps track of all of the words on the board or flip chart. At the end, each person must make a sentence using one of the words from the activity.

Picture Perfect

The purpose of this activity is to build understanding between team members and to explore how each team member perceives team goals. First, team members draw a picture or series of pictures to represent their current view of their team or a team project. Afterward, group members receive the chance to explain what they see in each other’s pictures. This should be followed by a discussion of the team’s needs or goals.

Telephone Charades

This activity illustrates how breakdowns in communications can negatively affect a team. Ask for five volunteers and send four of them out of the room. The remaining group chooses a simple charade for the remaining volunteer to act out. Invite a second volunteer back into the room. The first volunteer will act out the charade for the second volunteer, without any verbal explanations. Next, invite the third volunteer back into the room, and the second volunteer will act out the charade for the third. Continue this process until the fifth volunteer has witnessed the charade; the fifth person needs to guess the message of the charade. Follow this activity with a discussion: When did the communication break down? How could communication have been improved? What are strategies teams can adopt to communicate effectively?

Labels

This activity explores the different roles individuals assume within groups. Before starting, the leader uses index cards to create signs for each participant. Cards should read either 1) Leader, 2) Disagree with me, 3) Agree with me, or 4) Ignore me. To start the activity, form groups of four people, and give each group a project to complete. For example, the group needs to create a commercial for their Venture. Each group member is then given an index card to tape to their forehead; individuals cannot read their own cards. Allow teams to work for ten minutes on their projects. When they have finished, each team presents its finished project. After the presentations, ask the group to discuss what challenges they faced—how did they react to the labels? Did they follow instructions or continue as usual? Did they internalize their role in the group and get used to being the leader or being ignored?

Rain

Rain is a relaxing exercise that is useful when a group has hit a stressful period. Have everyone in the group form a circle and sit down. The leader then teaches everyone how to make it “rain.” To make it rain lightly, have everyone rub the palms of their hands together in a circular motion. To make it rain harder, have everyone snap their fingers lightly (one hand, then the other). To make it rain even harder, have everyone slap their hands against their thighs, right and left. Finally, to make it pour, have everyone clap their hands. Have everyone in the circle close their eyes and listen. When a person hears rain they should join in, keeping eyes closed and imagination open. The leader then starts with a light rain and takes the group to a downpour and back down to a drizzle.

Journal Share

This activity works better in smaller groups. The purpose is for group members to respond to each other’s wishes, fears, or concerns in a safe setting. Ask each person to write one fear they have about their Venture or upcoming project in a journal or on a sheet of paper. Afterward, everyone passes their journal to the person on their left, so the next person can respond in writing to the first person’s fears. The journals continue to be passed until they return to the original team member. By the end of the activity, each person has a list of encouraging messages from their peers.

All My Friends

This activity can help people get acquainted while getting them up and moving around. It is a variation on musical chairs. Everyone sits in a circle, except for one person who stands in the middle. There are only enough chairs for the people who are sitting. The person in the center begins the game by saying something that all the participants might (or might not) have in common. For example, "All my friends wear sneakers." At that point, all who are wearing sneakers must get up and move to a different chair. The person in the center goes to a vacant chair, if he or she can. One person is left standing. That person then chooses the next characteristic and calls it out.

Who’s the Leader

Have team members—the more the better for this activity—get into a circle facing each other. Ask for one volunteer to leave the room. Explain to the circle that one person is going to volunteer to be the “leader.” This person will start some sort of motion (a clap, snap, stomp, etc.) and the rest of the circle will immediately follow suit. Tell the group that the volunteer will come back into the room and try to guess which person is the leader, so the group should try hard not to “give away” the leader’s identity. Have the volunteer come back in and try to guess the leader. After the leader is guessed, have different team members be the volunteer and the leader.

© Youth Venture, 2007. All rights reserved.