Fun Icebreaker Ideas & Activities

Author: OutlandSam

  • Who’s My Match?

    If you’re peanut butter, where is your jelly?  Which fictional police detective is the partner of David Starsky? Which royal is married to Kate Middleton? In this introductions game, the guests at your get-together take on the role of famous figures. Through the power of conversation they will figure out each other’s hidden identities, and try and find their match!

    This game will play everyone at the party.  Ten to twenty people or so will make for a good game — but it certainly works fine for larger groups.

    Set-Up

    1. As the host of the party, prepare a name-tag for each guest at your party by writing the names of famous figures from famous partnership on each name-tag. Both halves of the partnership should be represented on a name-tag. For example, you might have these eight name-tags: “Pinky,” (and his match) “The Brain,” “Beyonce,” (and her match) “Jay Z,” “Peanut butter,” (and its match) “Jelly,” “Romeo,” (and his match) “Juliet.”
    2. As guests arrive at the party, give them a random name tag. This is their hidden identity. You can try and give female identities to the women at the party and males names to men, but the game will be even funnier if you don’t worry about it!
    3. Tell the guests to read the name tag, then to put it in their pocket and not to tell other guests what is written on it!

    Play Who’s My Match?

    • As a player, the aim of the game is to find the guest who owns the name tag that matches yours. If you are Tom, you are looking for Jerry. You do this by talking to the other guests.
    • However — when answering questions about their hidden identity, players can only answer yes or no.
    • When asking questions players cannot ask directly ask about a character’s name. For example, questions like “Does you name start with a B?” or “Are you Beyonce?” are not allowed.

    If you think you have found your match, both players should go to an organizer to find out if they were correct or not. If you were correct, both players can now wear their name tags to show that they are “taken.”  This helps other players who are struggling to find their match. If you didn’t get it right this time, keep searching!

    Tips

    • When making the tags, throw some curveballs. A clever guest who gets the name Starsky might immediately know they are looking for Hutch, but you will make things harder for them if you also put in a similar pair, such as Cagney and Lacey. Now a question like “Are you a police detective?” isn’t so helpful.
    • Also, know your audience. You might want to focus on celebrity partners, or partners in literature, or partners in film, depending on the group you are organizing for.
    • When playing the game, ask other players about: their profession, their age, etc.

    The lovely advantage to this game is that it gets everyone at the party interested in each other. They know their partner is out there looking for them, and they just have to mingle to meet them. For this reason, it’s a real jewel at events where people haven’t yet met each other.

    When two players have found their match, ask them to pose as the people on their name-tags for a funny photo that you can put online. 

  • The Bests

    Perhaps you have seen those TV game shows where two team of friends or family members nominate people in their team to participate in a number of challenges. If you have ever thought it would be fun to try that out, The Bests is the game for you.

    What sort of skills will you be tested in? How about the longest stare? The quickest at looking up words in a dictionary? The fastest at walking backwards? Yes, this is a quirky game of unusual challenges. From the list of many challenge suggestions below there will be something for everyone, and even if you team loses, the pure silliness of it all will still keep things fun. This makes The Bests equally excellent for a laugh among friends, or to break the ice around strangers.

    This game works best with groups of 8 to 20 players of any age.  For extra large groups, choose a smaller group of volunteers to play at the front of the room while everyone else watches.

    Set-Up

    • As the organizer (who will not be playing) gather some or all of these items: paper cups (six or more), a dictionary, a coin, a tape measure, chewing gum, a tennis ball, and/or a stopwatch. Check the list of challenges below to find out how you will be using this strange assortment of items! You can also come up with your own challenges, and if so make sure to get hold of any equipment you will need. Also get a pen and paper to record the results.  Randomly put players into groups of four or five.

    Play

    The organizer should start each round by announcing the first part of the name of the challenge.  For example, he or she could say “The measurement..” but don’t announce what is being measured quite yet! For example, for “The Fastest Cup Stacker” round, simply announce that this round is for “The Fastest.”

    Each team now puts forward one of their players to compete in the round, who they believe will be “The Fastest…” though they don’t yet know what they need to be the fastest at! Every player needs to be picked once before anyone is chosen to participate in a second round.

    When you have a player from each team for this round, reveal the full title of the round and explain how to play.

    Give all players the equipment they need, and, if needed, tell them when to start. Meanwhile, you should referee the round to determine who wins.  The winner of the round gets one point for their team.  When all challenges have been completed, read out the scoreboard in reverse order, finally announcing the winning team. Then break out the champagne!

    Challenges List

    The quickest… at finding a particular word in the dictionary.

    The biggest… head circumference.

    The fastest… at walking backwards.

    The longest… time you get a coin to spin with one touch.

    The strongest… at speed arithmetic (ask 10 math questions, and the team who gives the fastest correct answers most often wins the point).

    The best endurance… in a staring contest.

    The shortest… time it takes to sing the Alphabet song.

    The widest… bubble blown with bubble gum.

    The greatest… at stacking paper cups (they must stack a pyramid of 6 cups, then put all the cups together again, in the shortest amount of time).

    The tallest… throw with a ball that is caught (both players have a chance to throw the ball into the air and try to catch it — the highest throw that is also caught wins).

    The most… hair.

    … and feel free to make up your own crazy rounds, too!

     

     

  • Word Association Game

    Thinking is all about making connections in the brain. Reveal something about how you and your friends think using this simple Word Association game of making connections between words!

    Play Word Association with a small group of two to eight players. It works nicely as a conversation starter, a car game, or as a drinking game.

    How to Play Word Association

    Everyone sits in a circle.  The first player, chosen randomly, says one word out loud.  The next player, in clockwise order, has to quickly say a word that has some connection with the previous word. What counts a connection is down to the parliament of players to determine: if somebody doesn’t like a connection, they can challenge it, and everyone votes on whether or not to allow it. In the event of a tie, the word is allowed.

    A player is eliminated, or takes a forfeit, if any of the below happen:

    1. They take more than three seconds to make a connection.
    2. They repeat a word that has already been said in this game.
    3. They are challenged and loses the vote.

    Eliminated players can still make challenges and cast votes.  The last player standing is the winner.

    For example, one sequences of words might be:

    • Jumper
    • Athlete
    • Javelin
    • Greek
    • God
    • Jupiter
    • Planet
    • Pluto

    At this point one player makes a challenge, on the grounds that Pluto is no longer considered a planet. Scientists are outnumbered at the table, and the word is allowed, so play continues clockwise.

    • Hades
    • Hercules
    • Hero
    • Spiderman
    • Marvel
    • Batman

    Another challenge: a player protests by pointing out that Batman is not a Marvel superhero. Pop culture justice is done, and the vote goes against the player. That player is eliminated, and a new round starts with the next player in order.

    Creative connections and creative challenges are encouraged. Don’t take this game too seriously. Just let the ideas flow and see if you don’t find it interesting or funny!

    Psychology of Word Association

    Famous psychologist Carl Jung speculated that how somebody responds in a word association exercise might reveal something about their character.  

    The connections of ideas, feelings, memories and knowledge in somebody’s brain all influence the word associations that occur to them. So, the questions is, why would one person’s first thought when they hear the word “cat” be “companion,” and another person’s as “claw.” Does that indicate a difference in a person’s feelings or experiences with cats? 

    What about how long it takes somebody to respond? One suggestion Jung made was that a fear of embarrassment at revealing their first thought was behind. But then, some words are just harder to make connections with.

    Feel free to interrupt the flow of the game to offer your off-the-cuff psychoanalysis of other players. As long it’s light and playful this game can be the source of many amusing observations. And it might even get you to ask questions about yourself, and how you think about things.

  • Zip, Zap, Boing

    A quick thinking game like Hot Potato without a ball. Kids play it on the playground, drama students play it as a warm-up exercise, and party-goers play it as a drinking game.This versatile little distraction has many variations, each named differently after the words called. Most start with Zip; Zip Zap Zop, for example. The hard to pronounce Zoom Schwartz Profigliano is a related game.

    Both of the versions described below are best played with groups of about ten or more.

    Zip Zap Zop

    This most basic version of them game isn’t very challenging, but will get a group moving and using their voice, and get them used to paying attention and responding. It’s great for the start of a class!

    Set-Up

    Everyone stands in a circle.

    Rules

    1. The first player claps their hands, says “Zip”, and points at another player in the circle.
    2. The player that was pointed to must immediately clap and point at someone else in the circle (including the previous player), saying “Zap”.
    3. The third player continues the pattern, this time using the word “Zop”.
    4. The pattern of words repeats, going: “Zip”, “Zap”, Zop”, “Zip”, “Zap” etc.
    5. If anyone hesitates or says the wrong word, they take a strike.
    6. Three strikes and a player loses, which ends the round.
    7. Try to play the game with some speed to increase the chances of a mistake.

     

    Zip Zap Boing

    This variation ups the difficulty. Instead of going through the words in a predetermined order, the player’s choose which word to use, and each has a different effect. Here is one way to play it:

    Rules

    • If a player wants to choose the player to their left, they point and say Zip.
    • If they want to choose the player on their right, the point and say Zap.
    • If they want to choose the person that just pointed at them, they say Boing without pointing.
    • Each time another player is selected in this way, it is their turn to quickly Zip, Zap, or Boing.
    • If a player hesitates or doesn’t respond when it is their turn, they get a strike. If a player’s word doesn’t match where they are pointing, they get a strike. The first player to three strikes loses, and the game ends.

    After a round or two, mix things around and up the confusion by changing the rules: now, when a player Zips or Zaps, they DON’T point, and when the Boing, they DO point. Everyone’s brain will get twisted into knots trying to relearn when to point and when not to, and the players to either side of the current player will have to be really paying attention because they have to rely on the words rather than the motions to know when it is their turn.

  • Bango Card Game

    Bango brings some of the atmosphere of the Bingo Hall to the family table. It is a very simple card game that can be played with children of almost any age. Play for counters, coins, or candy in a game of pure luck, where the toddlers can have the thrill of claiming victory over their elder siblings and parents.

    This game should be played with between three and ten players using two decks of cards, and more decks of cards can be added for even more players to join in (the more players, the better) until you’ll need a hire a hall and an announcer of your own.

    Set Up

    1. Two packs of cards are used, but are not mixed together (therefore to avoid confusion it is better to choose decks with different colored backs). Shuffle both decks separately.
    2. A dealer is decided. One classic method is to deal out cards one at a time to each player, face-up. The first player to be dealt a jack is the dealer. Retrieve the cards and shuffle that deck.
    3. All players put in an equal stake in whatever currency is being played with, to make a winner’s pool.
    4. The dealer deals out five cards to each player, including himself, from one of the two decks. This deck is now put to one side: it is not used until the next round begins.

    Play

    1. The dealer takes the second deck of cards and draws one, placing it face up in the centre of the table and announcing the name of the card.
      If any player has the duplicate of that card in front of them, they turn in over, face-down.
    2. The dealer continues to draw and announce cards, the other players turning over cards that match announced cards, as above.
    3. The winner is the player that turns all five of the cards in front of them face-down. They proudly shout “Bango!”, and have the glory of claiming the pool of winnings.

    Playing with more than ten people

    There are only 52 cards in a deck; not enough for eleven players to have five cards each. If playing with more than ten players, take a third pack of cards. Shuffle two of the packs together. The resulting deck is the one that will be dealt out to players. The other regular-sized deck is where cards are announced from.

    It is possible for there to be duplicate cards face-up on the table. When this a card is also announced by the dealer, all players that have the matching cards turn them over. As such, it is also possible for two players to win simultaneously. If one player has two identical cards and that card is announced, they turn over both of their cards.

  • Bang / The Gun Name Game

    To avoid getting shot, learn and remember names of the people in a group!

    Bang! or (The Gun Name Game) is a game of name-recall that works perfectly amongst strangers as an introductions game, but is also a game of reactions that can be played in groups of people that already know each other. Younger boys especially will love it, because any time spent pointing fingers as weapons and shouting “Bang!” is time well spent — and perhaps we don’t even have to be all that young!

    Bang! needs a big group to be played — ideally more than 12 people.  It takes just a few minutes.

    Rules

    1. Everyone arranges themselves in a circle.
    2. An organizer, who is not playing, calls out the name of somebody in the circle. For example, let us assume he called out the name “Frank”.
    3. Frank, upon hearing his name, must duck. The players to either side of Frank, upon hearing Frank’s name, must turn towards Frank with their fingers pointed into a pretend gun, and shout “Bang!”
    • If Frank failed to duck quickly enough, he has just been shot, and is eliminated from the game.
    • If Frank ducks to safety, but one player shouts “Bang!” faster than the other, the slower player is eliminated.
    • If Frank ducks to safety, and both players shout at the same time, all three are safe and nobody is eliminated.
    • If any player in the circle makes the mistake of ducking or shooting at the wrong time, they are eliminated.
    1. The organizer continues shouting names, as quickly as he can adjudicate the results, until only two players remain in the game.

    Finale

    1. The two remaining players stand back to back in the style of a duel.
    2. The organizer starts callings names of anyone in the room. If the name is called does not belong to either of the duelists, both duelists take a step forward (stepping away from one another).
    3. If the name of one of the two duelists is called, both must spin around and aim a “Bang!” at the other.
    4. The organizer decides on a winner, or if it is too close to call has the duelists play the finale again.

    To make the finale harder, the organizer could ask all of the eliminated players to shout random names during the duel. The duelists must only react to the voice of the organizer.

  • Fake Artist

    Can you work out what is going on in another person’s mind just from a single line they have drawn? All players in this game are handed the same piece of secret information on slips of paper: a codeword. All players… except one. One player is given a blank slip of paper, and they are the spy. Everyone trying to work out who the spy is, while the spy tries to stay hidden. One problem: everyone can only communicate by drawing a single line on a shared sheet of paper.

    RULES

    1. An organizer, who is not playing, takes a number of slips of paper equal to the number of players. On all but one of these slips, they write the same word. This word is the codeword. The codeword could be an activity, a place, a person, or any noun. They leave one slip blank.
    2. One slip is dealt to each player. The player with the blank slip is the spy.
    3. The organizer gives the group a clue to the word, usually a category that relates to the word. For example, if the word was “dog”, the clue might be “pets.”
    4. Each player is given a pen or pencil. A piece of paper is placed in the centre of the table.
    5. A starting player is chosen randomly. They draw one line on the piece of paper, which should demonstrate to the other, non-spy players that they know what the word is, which will make it easier
    6. for everyone to identify the spy at the end of the round. However, they don’t want to give away too much information with their drawing, because the spy will have a chance to guess what the word is at the end of the round, and if they do, the spy will win.
    7. Play continues clockwise, each player drawing one line on the paper.
    8. When all players have had two turns, the drawing phase of this round is over.
    9. Everyone votes on who they think is the spy. Everyone raises their fingers and, on the count of three, points at who they think is the spy. When the votes are counted, the spy can reveal themselves.
    10. If more fingers are pointing to a player who is not a spy, the spy has won. If more fingers are pointing to the spy, the spy has one last chance to save themselves. They must guess the codeword. If they guess correctly, or close enough to satisfy the other players, the spy wins.

    Imagine that you have just been given that blank slip of paper. You hope your face gives nothing away as you nonchalantly place the slip of paper facedown again on the table. Behind everyone else’s eyes there are cogs turning as they think about what to draw based on the word they have just seen. You, too, furrow your brow, to look as if you have something to ponder, though you have nothing yet to work from.

    The first player takes their turn. It’s… a triangle? It means nothing to you. Some players aren’t sure either, but others nod, knowingly. You say nothing.

    The next player draws a circle a little way out from the triangle. A few players laugh: “What is that?” they ask.

    You take a chance. “I think I get it.” you say, though you still have no idea.

    “What is it, then?”, somebody says.

    “Well, I can’t give it away to the spy. Just look at it again.” They find this answer acceptable, and look again at the picture.

    The next player draws a line from the triangle. Again, the other players aren’t convinced. Feeling confident, you try to pin down a scapegoat: “Yeah, that could be anything. That’s pretty suspicious.”

    The line-drawer groans. “No, it makes sense. You just don’t get it yet…”

    There is one more player before you have to take your turn. What is this picture supposed to be? A boat? A landmark? A logo? You need to work out what that codeword is — and quickly!

  • Spoons

    Spoons is a game of speed, silliness, and having a sharp eye. It’s engaging, fast paced, and intense!

    The first thing you need to play Spoons is a pack of playing cards. The second thing you need is… spoons. To be precise, you will need one less spoon than the number of players who will play.  In other words, for seven players, you will need six spoons. Plastic spoons are totally fine.

    In the absence of spoons, please don’t attempt this game with knives or forks. Other than being inconsistent with the title of the game, it could actually cause injury. Still, if the scoopers cannot be acquired, play Spoons with sticks, beer mats, pens, or coins.

    The ideal number of players is the number that will fit comfortably in a circle around a pile of spoons — five to eight is ideal. The energetic nature of Spoons means it can be a favorite for any member of the family, except those with brittle knuckles.

    Set-Up:

    • All players sit in a circle.
    • Place one less spoon than the number of players (eg. for five players, place four spoons) in the centre of the circle, so that the pile is an equal distance away from all players.
    • Deal four cards to each player.
    • The dealer should keep the remainder of the deck near them to their left. The dealer will be the only player drawing from the deck.

    Rules:

    1. The dealer draws a card, then passes a card from their hand to the player on their left. When that player receives their new card, they must too choose a card from their hand to pass along to the left. Meanwhile, the dealer is simultaneously picking up a new card from the deck, and will then pass a card along. In this way cards a continuous flow of cards is created: as soon as a player has five cards, they must choose a card to pass to the left. The trick is to choose and pass quickly, so that there is a frantic pace of play.
    2. The player to the left of the dealer does not pass their chosen card to another player, but instead places it in a discard pile.
    3. When a player has a set of four matching cards, they may take a spoon.
    4. After one spoon has been taken, the race is on: all other players are allowed to grab for a spoon, and the player left without a spoon is the loser of this round.

    A player with four of a kind will usually make an immediate grab for a spoon, sparking an outburst of furious grabs and knuckles getting bruised.

    They could also make a more discreet acquisition while other players are paying attention to their cards. The spoon holder can then enjoy the ignorance of the rest of the circle (keeping their matching hand by always passing on all new cards given to him) until another player notices that a spoon is missing. In this way Spoons resembles the popular drinking game of observation and sneakiness, Thumb Master.

    Variation:

    If you have a little space (free of tripping hazards or antique vases — outside would be ideal), take the spoons some distance away from the players. No, instead of a grab, it’s a run and a dive!

  • 1000 Blank White Cards

    1000 Blank White Cards is a unique and hilarious game that involves zaniness and creativity.  Each person is handed ten blank white cards. These are the cards this game will be played with — but first, you have to write something on them to create interesting rules.  In other words, you have to decide the effect of the cards, how points are scored, what people do on their turn, and even how the game is won. Being presented with a blank canvas like this might be intimidating at first, but after you see how it works, everybody will be brimming with crazy new ideas.

    This is a game that takes on the personality of you and your friends — because it is created by you and your friends!  It can be simple, or if play with experienced gamers — the sort that play Hearthstone or Poker — you might end up with more complicated cards that favor combos, strategic thinking, and careful point scoring. Other groups will create cards that demand that players complete silly dares: “Speak like a pirate for one turn, then disc-ARRR-d this card.” or “Whilst this card is in front of you, you must do 10 jumping jacks before you take your turn.”

    Either way, as this is a game in constant flux it will surely be very unpredictable, chaotic, and hysterically silly. It can be played with two players — all the way up to large groups — but works best with four or five.

    Set Up For Your First Game

    You’ll need to have writing utensils and about 1000 blank white cards.  You can get white notecards, for example for about $10 at Amazon.  Hand out 10 blank white index cards and a pen or pencil to each player.  Each player should create cards that can be used to play this game. If this instruction sounds too vague — it’s supposed to be! — read the next section for more information on how the game is played. Then there are some guidelines below to help you get started.  Shuffle all the created cards that were created together, along with an additional 10 blank cards, to form a deck.  Deal out five cards to each player.

    Creating Cards

    A good guideline to follow is to give each card:

    • A title.
    • A picture.
    • An effect.

    Here are some examples of names and effects of card created by real 1000 Blank White Card players who have posted their creations online:

    • Bruce Willis Fails to Destroy the Asteroid and Everyone is Killed – everybody loses 1500 points.
    • Super Chewie – Can’t be discarded, ever! All cards featuring animals, breakfast food and stick figures are worth double points.
    • Winter Is Coming – Play in the center. At the end of each turn, discard the top card in the draw pile.
    • Grave Robber – Every turn, play the top card of the discard pile on yourself. +1000 points.
    • Sally’s Revenge – Play in the center. Any player called Sally draws three cards and puts them in play in the center. -500 points.

    Play

    1. On a player’s turn, they first draw a card from the deck. Then they play a card from their hand.
    2. Typically, a card is either played on oneself, placing it on the table in front of you, or played on another player, placing it on the table in front of them. For instance, you could play a card that said “+100 Points” on yourself, or play a card that said “-100 points” on another player. However, depending on what is written on the card, this might change. Cards could go into a discard pile, be played to the center of the table (which means they have an effect on all players), end up ripped up and thrown away after they are used — or anything else you can think of!
    3. Any player that wants to go first can start by drawing a card from the deck, starting their turn.
    4. If you have a blank card in your hand, you can write on it to turn it into a playable card at any time.
    5. After the first player has finished their turn, play continues clockwise, either until there are no cards left in the deck, or until some card effect has determined the end of the game.

    If you’re not sure what to write on a card, just ask yourself what cards you would like to see in the game. This might be a reaction to another card — for example, if one player makes a card that says “When this card is played, you win the game”, you might make a card that reads “Opposite day: If a player wins the game, play this card out of turn. That player loses the game.”.

    At the end of a game, you can discuss as a group which cards should be kept for play in future games (if you don’t want to keep them all). You might consider that the real aim of 1000 Blank White Cards is not winning, but making cards that get the approval of the group.

  • Sticker Ninja

    What is Sticker Ninja?  Well, it’s a game that requires stealth, agility, deception and the use of a hidden weapon to stick your opponents. Sticker Stalker makes for a nice, casual side-game at walk-around events where all guests are standing up and moving from group to group. Play it with any number of players — even as few as two, for a slightly absurd but intense competition. Stick another couple of tens of players in and that works well, too.

    Set-Up

    • You will need to purchase a set of sticker sheets — ten stickers per sheet is a quantity that works well.
    • As guests enter the event, give them each a sheet of stickers.  For “Pro” Sticker Ninja, give each player a different color or design of sticker, so you can verify a win (useful if there is a prize at stake). Regardless, some variety in the sticker stock will make this a more colorful game. Extra laughs if the stickers are absurd or childish; extra difficulty if they are large.  Explain the rules to everyone present before fidgety guests start sticking stickers on your TV set and pets.

    Rules

    Players must stick their stickers on other guests at the party.   Each of one player’s sticker must go onto a different guest, though oblivious guests might find themselves with a back full of stickers from several other players. If a player is “caught in the act”, by the guest they are targeting, that guest can remove the sticker and give it back to the player. However, if a guest doesn’t notice a sticker being placed on them immediately, they have to leave it — no removing stickers until the end of the night!

    The first player to get all of their stickers stuck to other guests can announce they they have won. That’s it! As mentioned, if you want to check that a winner hasn’t disposed of their stickers, you can ask that player to call all of their supposed victims to the centre of the party to be examined and shamed!

    You will never have had as many friendly “slaps-on-the-back” as you will at the start of this party, but if targets aren’t fooled by this tactic players will find more creative ways to prevail. A sticker on the back of the shoe, where the guest won’t feel the pressure of your fingers, is one possibility.

    If you managed to get a sticker onto the front of somebody’s belt buckle without them noticing, well, I think you should give yourself a pat on the back — though, if you don’t, I’m sure everyone else will be happy to “pat your back” for you!