Fun Icebreaker Ideas & Activities

Author: Jessica Dillion

  • Naming Animals

    Naming Animals is intended to be a simple game to memorize each other’s names. This game is best played in a medium to large group where enough people can participate to make it long. The point of the game is to match animals to the first letter in your name to help others memorize who you are.

    What You Need To Play

    What you will need to play Naming Animals:

    • Your Voice
    • A Quiet Area

    How To Set Up The Game

    To set up the game simply pick out a quiet area in your house or in town where everyone can hear each other.

    How To Play Naming Animals

    Start by gathering together in a circle and picking someone to start off. That person will then say the name they answer to and then an animal that starts with the first letter of their name. Afterward, the next person will do the same, but state the name of the person before them as well as their animal. As the game goes on each person must remember the animals and names of each person before them. If someone can’t correctly name both then they are out of the game.

    If you need to make the game longer or this is for a younger group only use animal memorization instead of both name and animals.

    Winning The Game

    The best way to win the Naming Animals game is to pay attention to the other players. The more names you remember the better off you will be in the long run. Just pay attention and repeat the name and animals in your head as they are said.

    Have fun!

  • Paper Snowball Fight!

    Paper Snowball Fight requires no real snow — it’s all about recreating a wintery fashioned snowball fight any time during the year! It is generally played in larger groups of friends but can be adjusted to fit a medium sized group as well. There are a few different you can play from the base game and it’s fun to mix things up. The snowballs are fun and easy to make on top of costing you next to nothing!

    Materials Needed

    • Paper
    • Paint or markers
    • Glue
    • Cardboard

    How To Set Up The Game

    Divide the player group into two teams. Afterward, use the resources to create a large pile of “snowballs” and select a large area to set up in. To create the snowballs take sheets of paper you have laying around and roll them into a ball, drop a little bit of glue in each one to ensure the snowball is held together well. Afterward use two different colors to mark the team’s snowballs and begin setting up the cover. If you don’t have natural cover use the cardboard to set up fake snow banks for the players to hide behind while planning their next move.

    How To Play Paper Snow Ball Fight!

    To play split the players up on the field and give both sides and equal allotment of snowballs.  The teams will have to stay behind a point or line that you can easily mark with a piece of cardboard at the start of the fight. Once started each team has to try to get the players out by hitting them with snowballs the team with the last player standing wins. If either team runs out of snowballs they will then switch colors as soon as the other team is empty or they stay in hiding for an amount of time that would force the game into a stand still.

    For a variation of this game, you can set up a capture the flag type scenario for your players.  To do this simply use paper and cardboard to make a mock flag and put it in the center of the field. The team who is first to successfully get the flag into the back of their base wins. To make the game run smoother don’t be afraid to place paper X’s where the flag goes.

    How To Win

    To win, simply take your time when in the game. Try to grab a stock of snowballs from the start and find cover, make sure to pay attention to your surroundings. If you can wait patiently for an opening then your team has a higher chance for success. If you find yourself playing capture the flag, then you may want to gauge who the most nimble member of your team is. Someone who is quick on their feet is less likely to get taken out by a snowball and return with the flag. Always be vocal with your teammates and make sure you are on the same page during and before the game for your best results.

  • Chariot Race

    “Chariot Race” is an exciting race on “chariots” to the finish line.  It’s a game about being a little ridiculous with your friends. The game is best done at a party or with a large sized group. This game is for developing team building skills and will bring the players closer together after the successful completion of a few rounds. You may have to collaborate with your group to acquire enough materials to play the game, but we promise the reward will be worth it!

    Materials Needed

    • Sleds or Wheelbarrows
    • Chalk
    • Sheets (optional)

    How To Set Up The Game

    For this game, you need sufficient wheelbarrows or sleds. Make a note counting the number of people who are coming and divide them into teams of 3 to 4 people (not including the player in the chariot). Once divided search out a safe place where multiple wheelbarrows could fit and use your chalk to draw a finish line.  Next mark measures out to the best of your ability a fair distance where each played will be waiting to swap the chariot, mark these locations with an X.

    For optional set-up, you can make the event toga themed, and use sheets to recreate a toga for each player.   You may wish to to secure all togas with a clamp or safety pin to avoid in-game accidents.

    How To Play “Chariot Switch”

    To play “Chariot Switch”  you need to distribute the teams and make sure everyone if familiar with one another.  Afterward, divide the team up to stand on the markers along the way to the finish and let them select a player to put into the chariot.  Make it clear that they have to use their hand to tag out by high-fiving the other player before the chariot can be switched over.  If togas are involved do a tug check to make sure all players are secured for the game.

    For added difficulty, you can make the paths less straight forward and draw arrows to make a winding path. If this happens make sure the paths you draw each have their own separate colors to ensure no one loses their way into another team’s lane.

    How To Win

    To have the best chance of winning in this game you can use quite a few different strategies to your advantage. When selecting the player to put in the wheelbarrow always go for the lightest teammate to increase your speed. When the player is the wheelbarrow have them balance out their weight or put it slightly more forward so that there is less resistance. When tagging your partner have them waiting with their hand already out so you can high five them and switch out quickly.

    If it turns out you have to use sleds try tieing the sled around your waist for easier pulling. Also, have the player sit directly in the middle of the sled so the weight will be evenly distributed. If your playing with a winding path pay close detail to the direction of the arrows to more quickly maneuver to the finish!

  • What I Would Have Done

    “What I Would Have Done” is get-to-know-you game all about what-if scenarios.  This game focuses on exploring different paths in life and hypotheticals. For example: what is another career path would you try? All you have to do is pick some words out that go along with life events. Be sure to keep the game fun and upbeat by using positive words!

    Materials Needed

    What you need to play “What I Would Have Done”:

    • Paper
    • A pen
    • A box

    How To Set Up The Game

    To set up the game just write different life events on torn-up scraps of paper. Use things like prom or sports that all the players can relate to and throw them into a box. Make sure to fold the paper or cut a hole so no one can choose their drawing and set the box in the center of the game room.

    How To Play “What I Would Have Done”

    Each player walks up and draws their own piece of paper. They then read the paper out loud, state what originally happened in their life with the word, and then say something they would like to try instead. For example, they draw sports. They should state that they originally played soccer, but if they could try another they would play baseball. Afterward, they say why they would choose to try the new activity.

    Make sure no one steals the show for too long!

    How To Win

    This is a game with no winners or losers; the point is to open up discussion paths amongst the group. Be sure to listen to the other players and give a genuine answer when it’s your turn to truly break the ice.

  • Art Effects

    The point of Art Effects is to build your group’s teamwork up with creativity and cooperation.  In this game, your group will give keywords to convey items to their partner to create an art masterpiece. This game is great for groups of all sizes and requires a little bit of setting up according to the size of the group. Be sure to have a critic overlooking your artists to make sure everyone is playing fairly throughout the game. There is both a competitive and non-competitive version of the game, so be sure to pick how you want to play!

    Materials Needed

    Materials needed to play Art Effects:

    • Paper
    • A surface to draw on
    • Pencils
    • Erasers

    How To Set Up The Game

    To set up the game start by getting a headcount of who all will be playing try to get an even number of people for teams and have an extra to be the critic. Write down random words that can be described — like goose or pizza — on slips of paper and hand them out as everyone comes in the door. Be sure to be stocked with a pencil sharpener and enough supplies for all the drawers.

    How To Play Art Effects

    Non-competitive:

    Pick out or have drawers volunteer from the group and then randomly select a partner for them to pair with. Each partner should have a few items to describe to their drawer. Once the partners are decided have everyone take a spot away from each other with the drawer and describer sitting back to back. Each pair will attempt to draw one item without the item being named, only described. Set a time limit or a word limit to keep the game interesting.

    If desired you can switch descriptors and drawers out in a rotation, so everyone will get a chance to work together during the game.

    Competitive:

    Set up the exact same way you would in a non-competitive game, but have a stricter time limit or word amount. Give each player in charge of descriptions at least five slips of paper. The drawer will then have to figure out each item and put them together in a creative light on paper. Whichever team has a more accurate drawing of the word chosen by the describer is the winner.

    *NOTE: The drawer can not ask questions in either version.

     

    How To Win

    If you choose to go the competitive route keep an open mind while your partner describes the item to you. If you have no pre-set ideas you are more likely to catch on to what they are trying to tell you.  When it comes to placing it all together take it easy and just go with the first things that come to your mind.

    If you are the describer use words that you would use to describe the item to a parent. The more clear descriptors for the item, the better the chance of the drawer catching on to your word. If you don’t know what the item is then ask to switch or quickly Google the item on your phone to get a grasp on its appearance.

     

  • Gone Fishin’

    Gone Fishin is a group game based on its board game counterpart of the same name. In this game, you will need to be the player who catches the most fish in order to win. This game will work best with large to extra large groups and will require players to switch roles frequently. This game may best be played at an event or party where space will be accessible.

    Materials Needed

    You will need to gather a few materials for this game  to make it work.  Materials needed to play Gone Fishin’:

    • Poles or sticks
    • String
    • A music player
    • A few rhythmic songs
    • A large area
    • Tape (optional)

    How To Set Up The Game

    First, start by picking a big open space that plenty of people can fit into; you’re going to need a lot of room to really make this work. Next, you need to create four fishing rods using the string and sticks, make sure that the string is tightly attached and won’t fall off when pulled on. Depending on the general height of your participants make the string long enough to reach from their waste to the floor. Finally, pick a song with a steady beat. It may help to put markers or tape x’s on the floor if your fish are younger so they know where to sit and fill in.

    *Make sure to have multiple songs on stand-by to change things up each round!

    How To Play Gone Fishin’

    Gather everyone together in a tight circle and pick four players to be the fishers. The rest of the players are going to be the fish for the game and you can rotate out these rolls as you go. Instruct the fish to open and close their hand to the beat of the music playing. The fishers have to get the string safely into the fish’s hands in order to score a point. When a player catches a fish the fish will then join them on their side of the room. The game will end when the song ends or when all the fish are caught.Lastly, the player can get as close to the fish as safely possible, but can not touch the string in any way other than indirect contact through the fishing pole.

    * Hard mode: Assign colors to the player and the fish. The player can now only catch a fish of the same color as theirs and can only win by catching all of their fish. For this version of the game, you may want to get the player to rotate occasionally throughout the song.

    How To Win

    Listen to the beat of the music and get your movements in sync. Pay attention to the players that are most in sync as well these will be the easiest fish to hook. If you are feeling to pushed you may not get many fish; relax and only throw your line in when you feel confident you will catch something. If you are matching colors be sure to visualize where all the players you need to catch are before you start casting your line.

  • Time Hop

    Time Hop is all about exploring different periods throughout each others’ lives. The game is played with coins or possibly even stamps that have a date on them from more recent years. You will use these date to open up topics of discussions and learn what life was like for the other players at that point. The game is played best with a smaller group, so everyone will feel most comfortable. Make sure that the group of people you invite are all on equal terms to make everyone as comfortable as possible when talking about their life.

    What You Need To Play Time Hop

    This is what you will need to play Time Hop:

    1. A hat or bag.
    2. Items with a year marker on them.
    3. A list of years everyone was born.
    4. A timer.

    How To Set Up The Game

    Take a hat or grocery bag and fill it with pennies that you can still see the year on. Make sure that all the dates aren’t too old and everyone will fit in with the years on the pennies. Pick a room where everyone can hear each other clearly, you don’t want anyone being overshadowed by music or appliances. Make sure that everyone in the group is fine with sharing personal details with each other. Collect everyone’s birth years collected together and carefully sort out the pennies to make sure you don’t go too far in the past.

    How To Play Time Hop

    1. Put all the pennies into a bag and shake them around, go counter clockwise around the room allowing everyone to draw a penny. Once a Penny is drawn the player should call out the year and then think of an event that happened to them at that point in their life.

    2. When the player is telling their memory pay attention to them and make sure all players are being respectful. When near the end of their memory keep anyone from grabbing a penny from the hat early or trying to expedite the game.

    3. Make sure you set a limit as to what type of memories can be shared. If everyone gets into a rut talking about bad past experiences while playing the game it may cause a problem later on. Also, be sure to have a time limit set to keep anyone from taking the stage for too long.

    4. Make sure to communicate the environment you want for the game. State that you’d like only positive memories shared or that you’re ok with anything before the start.

    Winning The Game

    This game really doesn’t have a way to have a winner, as it is all about learning more about a person’s life. Be sure to clearly listen to each person as you play the game to find out what you have in common with them. If you find you don’t have enough pennies for the game you can write down years on a scrap of paper or use another item that is dated by year. If you want to expand the game you could even have a hat of years and seasons to extend the length of the game.

     

  • Song Sync

    The object of the game is to get more in touch with your group’s music tastes by identifying songs they know or have listened to. This activity can be done anywhere that allows for clear communication between the group. The game is played in any size group and will require a lot of listening and a room that is quiet enough to communicate easily in. The game will allow for players to also inject some of their own personality into the way they say the song lyrics.

    Materials Needed:

    What you will need to play song sync:

    Music knowledge
    A phone or computer to check claims
    A timer

    • How to Set Up Song Sync Game

    Pick a word that you hear a lot when listening to music like the word “hey” or “love.” Let the other group members know this is your set word for the game and explain that you can’t use a variation of the word like “lover” or “loved”. Make sure to check and see if the word is widely used in songs by googling ” songs with ___ in it”; this will pull up sites that list songs with your chosen word in them. If you wish to play multiple games write down multiple words to use and let your guests choose which ones they want to try to play with first. If you want to make it a little more fun put the words into a hat and take turns drawing out of it after each game to give a sense of randomness to the players.

    How To Play Song Sync

    1. Go around the room in a circle giving everyone a chance to repeat song lyrics with your set word in them. If someone can’t think of a song then they sit out, repeat this until you have a winner. Be sure to have a set amount of time a player has to answer in as to not draw the game out for too long.
    2. Be sure to have a fact checker on hand like a phone or laptop to quickly google strange sounding lyrics. If a player is caught making up their own song then they are out of the game until you start again.  Be sure to use a site that checks all genres and not just the popular songs, you never know what music your potential friends may be into.
    3. Have fun with the game and be sure to ask questions about songs you’ve never heard before. To add an additional fun twist to the game you could even require the lyrics to be sung or said in the same tune as the song they are from.

    Winning The Game

    The game is based more on learning about someone’s music taste and sparking conversation than winning or losing. By naming different songs you will find out a lot about a potential friend’s personality and will have a great discussion point to start from. If you wanted to sprinkle some competitive elements into the game you can always add in small prizes like candy or inexpensive ribbons from a dollar store for the winner.