Fun Icebreaker Ideas & Activities

Category: Active

Active icebreakers! These games will get people moving, whether it’s running around, jumping, dancing, hiding, dodging, or some other action. You’ll probably get a little bit of a workout after playing these kinds of icebreaker games! Some of these games may burn some serious calories. Either way, you are sure to have a great deal of fun!

  • Categories

    The Categories Game tests your ability to pull names of people and places, and other words, from your memory while under pressure in this simple quick-thinking game. Great for car journeys, and it can also be played as a drinking game (of course, only if you are of the proper age).

    4 to 10 is a good number of players for Categories. It can be played with more, though gaps between each player’s turn will become longer. Split into two groups if needed.

    With pen and paper

    Each player is given a pen and a sheet of paper.

    • A category is chosen. Just for example: names of counties, last names of celebrities, makes of car, or names of films.
    • A letter of the alphabet is chosen. The letters Q, U, V, Z, Y or Z can make the game too challenging, and mental blocks in this game will cause frustration and boredom, which is why those letters were removed from the dice in the similar game called Scattergories.
    • Set a countdown timer for one minute.

    Aim

    • The goal of the game is to score points by writing words that start with the given letter and fit into the given category.
    • You are rewarded for originality: a word is only worth points if other players have not also thought of it.

    Play

    • Start the timer.
    • Everyone spends the next minute writing down as many valid words (those that fit the category and start with the correct letter) as they can think of.
    • When the timer ends, everyone stops writing immediately.
    • Each player reads through their list of words out loud. If one of their words was also written by another player, that player should say so. That word scores no points for either player. Every word that only appears one one players list scores one point for that player.
    • If anyone thinks a word does not fit the category, all players can vote on whether to accept the word or cross it off. In the case of a tie, the word is disqualified.
    • The player with the most points wins.

    Without Pen and Paper

    This simpler variation removes the need for a pen and paper, or for points scoring. Instead, players take it in turn to give a valid answer, and if they take too long to think of one they are eliminated, or take a forfeit.  This version is great at times that you cannot write, such as during a car journey.

    Play

    • Everyone gathers into a circle.
    • Decide on a category and a letter of the alphabet, as above.
    • In clockwise order, starting with a random player, each player must give one valid answer.
    • If a player cannot think of any, or takes more than five seconds to give an answer, they are eliminated from the game.
    • A new category, letter, or both are decided upon, and a new round begins starting with the player to the left of the eliminated player.
    • The last player standing is the winner.

    Instead of eliminating a player, you can have them take a drink. It won’t improve their ability to give an answer in the next round, though!

  • Group Juggling

    Group Juggling

    Group Juggling is a great, high-energy active icebreaker activity that helps participants learn the names of the other people in the group.  It works best when it is played in groups of about 15-20 people.  If you have more than this number of players, you can divide into smaller groups.  This game can also serve as a teambuilding activity if people do not know each other well.

    Setup for the Group Juggling Activity 

    This game is best played outside in a grassy area, or in a large, open space indoors. You will need several soft balls/tennis balls or other soft fun objects, like rubber chickens and stuffed animals. Dog toys (preferably unused) make great choices too, as they usually come with great sound effects. Bowling balls are not recommended.

    Playing the Group Juggling Activity

    Ask the group to form a large circle, with everyone facing the center. Start by tossing the ball across the circle to another person. As you toss, say the name of the person you to whom you are tossing. This lets them know the ball is coming to them and lets everyone hear their name. Once that person catches (or retrieves) the ball, they pick someone else, shout their name and toss them the ball. Play continues with the one ball until it makes it to everyone in the group. Once someone has received the ball, they cannot get it again. Last person in the group throws it back to the group leader. Practice the pattern a few times, always tossing to and receiving from the same person in the group. Once your group has the pattern down, start adding additional balls/objects, this is where the mayhem really begins. Keep going, try to get at least five objects going at once. Feel free to try again with a new pattern and mix it up.

    This game takes about 10 minutes in a group of 20-30 people. If you have more than 30 players, consider dividing into two circles to keep the throws within easy catch and toss range.

    If having too many objects makes the game too chaotic for your group, you may also reduce down to one ball.

  • Great Wind Blows

    Great Wind Blows (also known as the Big Wind Blows) is a good icebreaker activity that involves a bit of movement, a bit similar to Musical Chairs.  The game can help everyone break the ice and help students get to know each other a bit better.  You’ll need several chairs (one fewer than the total number of players).

    Setup for Great Wind Blows Game

    In order to begin, first arrange all the chairs to form a circle (all chairs facing inward toward the middle).  One player starts in the middle, standing up.  He or she begins the round.

    Playing Great Wind Blows

    The game is simple to play; one person in the middle starts by saying “Great wind blows for everyone who…” and then says any characteristic that is true for that person.  For example, if the person has been to Canada before, he or she can say, “Great wind blows for everyone who has been to Canada.”  All players who have been to Canada before must stand and quickly find a new seat that is more than 2 chairs away from them.  If the player is not able to find a vacant seat, he or she is the new person who is in the middle.

    Some ideas include:

    • Great wind blows for everyone who has been to more than 3 countries before.
    • Great wind blows for everyone who hates chocolate.
    • Great wind blows for everyone who loves to wear boxers.
    • Great wind blows for everyone who has gone more than 2 days without showering.
    • Great wind blows for everyone who is addicted to video games.
    • Great wind blows for everyone who loves sushi.

    Be creative and have fun!  Teachers, youth group leaders and camp counselors love this game because it gets people moving, helping to break the ice at the beginning of class or youth group, or at the start of camp.   It’s also a fun way to get to know interesting things about each other.

  • Ultimate Ninja Game

    Ultimate Ninja Game

    Ultimate Ninja is one of the fastest, most hilarious party games out there.  The primary goal to be the quickest ninja warrior by hitting another player’s hand — while dodging other player’s ninja attacks!  This activity works best with about ten people in a group.  If you have a very large group, subdivide into groups of ten.  Ensure you have plenty of space to play this game.

    Materials required:  None — just a large enough space to play!

    Setup for Ultimate Ninja

    Have all players stand in a circle, facing each other, in the middle of a room.   To begin, have everyone say together, “Ultimate Ninja!”  And then everyone can freeze in a ninja pose.  At the beginning of the game, everyone must remember their turn order.  Turns go clockwise; thus a person should remember who was before and after them.

    Playing the Game

    The goal of the Ultimate Ninja game is to be the last ninja standing.  To stay in the game, you must not let anyone hit your hand.  If someone hits your hand, you are “out” and must leave the game.  Each player takes turns.  On a player’s turn, he or she is allowed one motion: one smooth motion to attack another player, or one smooth motion to move somewhere (to jump or take a large step in any direction).

    Attacking another player

    When you attack another player, you try to hit their hand with one smooth motion.  When you attack, another player is allowed one smooth motion to try to dodge your attack, even if it is not their turn.  That is, he or she can react by moving their arm or hand away; however, he or she must hold this new pose.  If you have a successful attack (i.e., if you hit their hand successfully), that person must leave the game.

    As soon as a player takes his or her turn, the next person in order may immediately take their turn.  He or she does not have to wait.

    The last person remaining wins.  Have fun — may the best ninja survive!

  • How’s It Hanging Game

    How much do you trust your hip thrusting technique? There are a number of games you can play by hanging everyday objects by a string down from your waist. Use the momentum generated by your thrusts to swing a weight like a croquet mallet and knock a ball into a target. Impress your friends will precision hip action, or give them something to laugh at as you lose control of your swinging attachment.

    You will need

    • String
    • A banana. Other objects can be used. It simply needs to be a weight you can hang between your legs.
    • 2 oranges. Tennis balls, or any similar sized ball, will work fine too.
      Optional: A hula hoop.

    Set-Up

    1. Tie the string around your waist so that the end of the string dangles down to the floor in front of you from your pelvis.
    2. Tie (or otherwise attach) this hanging end of the string to the end of a banana. While you are standing the banana should be hanging several inches off the floor. You now have a banana mace that you can swing by moving your hips.
    3. Place oranges on the ground near you.
    4. Mark out a target area on the ground on the other side of the room. This might be a simple circle of string on the floor. A hula hoop is a good option. The thickness of the hope makes a more challenging obstacle to get the oranges over. More forceful hip thrusts may be required to overcome this challenge.

    Rules

    The aim is to swing the banana between you legs in order to knock the oranges into the target area. Stand with an orange a few inches in front of your, take aim, and swing your weight so the banana is propelled ahead of you, hopefully batting the orange along the ground in the intended direction.

    Once one orange is sitting in the target area, go back and do the same thing for the second fruit. Once both oranges are in the target area, you have succeeded!

    You will need a little space to play this competitively. If you can, give each player enough space for their own oranges and target area. If they do end up getting in each other’s way, though, it’s only more fun to watch. The first player to get the oranges in the target area wins!

    While you’ve got that string wrapped around your waist, here’s another fun game:

    Put Your Pencil In

    You will need

    • A pencil
      A plastic bottle

    Set-Up

    1. Use the string to hang the pencil between your legs from your waist.
    2. However, unlike the banana in the previous game, the pencil should be behind you, hanging down from your backside. The pencil should hang straight down, vertically, so tie the string to the end of the pencil, not the middle.
    3. Place the plastic bottle on the floor between your legs. This is the new target area!

    Rules

    The challenge is to inset the pen into the mouth of the plastic bottle by lowering your hips towards the floor. Not being able to clearly see what you are doing is part of what makes this game difficult. You will also be combating social embarrassment, as the sight of somebody attempting this feet is rather comical. The shameless will prevail.

    The first player to squat the pencil into the plastic bottle is the winner!

  • Ships and Sailors Game

    The Ships and Sailors game is a fun way to get a group of people working together and creating bonds. It’s ideal for medium to very large groups, and because it’s an elimination game, the amount of players in each round will shrink. The game is named Ships and Sailors because players follow instructions related to the theme of being aboard a boat or in the ocean. Since there are many different commands, it’s a good idea to practice all of the moves a couple of times through before officially starting the game. This game is best played in large open spaces such as a field or basketball court, so that players can move safely about the boundaries.

    Set-Up

    • Select one person to be the “captain.” They will be in charge of calling commands throughout the game.
    • Mark the boundaries of the area as you would a boat. For example, on a basketball court Starboard would be near one basket, while Port is located on the opposite side. The sides are either lines running perpendicular to Starboard and Port.

    Practice the commands:

    • Port-North—run in the direction of the marked Port
    • Starboard-South—run in the direction of the marked Starboard
    • Seasick—run to the sides of the boat and pretend to get sick
    • Man Overboard—(2 players) one person is on their hands and knees, while the other puts their knee/foot on that players back and pretends to look overboard.
    • Shark—(1 player) lie on your stomach with an arm up to look like a shark fin.
    • Fish out of water—(1 player) lie on your back kicking your knees like a fish out of water.
    • Jellyfish friends—(2 players) partners face each other and wiggle their arms.
    • Row, row, row your boat—(3 players) 3 players sit in a line and pretend to row a boat, while singing “row, row, row your boat gently down the stream. Merrily, merrily, merrily life is what a dream.”
    • Dinnertime—(4 players) 4 players sit as if they were at a table and pretend to eat.
    • Captain on Deck—Freeze where you are, face the captain, and hold the salute position. You can’t break this position until the Captain says, “At ease.” If you follow any other command before hearing “at ease,” then you will be kicked out of the game.
    • At Ease—The only command to release players from “Captain on Deck” position.

    How to Play the Ships and Sailors Game

    • Select a captain who will call out the commands during the game.
    • Review the commands listed above.
    • At any point in the game, if someone if the last to perform the command or does the wrong command, then they will be out on the sidelines.
    • Those players who are out can help the captain spot other players to eliminate.
    • The captain will call out the commands for the players to follow.
    • Players will need to listen and react to the commands accordingly. If the command involves a partner, 3 players, or 4 players, then groups will need to form quickly to avoid being eliminated.
    • There are no set partners or groups.
    • At least one person will be eliminated in each round—sometimes more depending on the command.
    • The game is played until the last player is standing.

    Variations

    • This game can be played with smaller groups if needed.
    • The commands can be adjusted to follow a different theme or response.
    • If physical activity needs to be limited then adjust moves like shark or fish out of water to avoid lying on the ground.
    • The captain can call out commands as quickly or slowly as he or she wants. Command times can be adjusted to increase the competitiveness.

    Like this activity? Please check out our other great 100+ icebreakers!

  • Mad Words Game

    Mad Words Game

    Mad Words is a game where you fill in the blanks of a provided story. Players randomly select words, including nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and pronouns to create a crazy story. Mad Words is a creative game that helps develop thinking and imagination, while also being fun. Create a wacky story that will be sure to get your players laughing.

    Materials

    • A book, poem, song, or any type of unified text.
    • A highlighter or pen to mark the different parts of speech.
    • A sense of humor

    Mad Words Set-Up

    • Mad Words is best played with a small to medium group of people—around 10 players.
    • In larger groups, players can be paired up to work together
    • Find a used book at a secondhand shop or take one from home—it’s easier to use a children’s book, but any story will work.
    • Read through the text highlighting different nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and pronouns (optional).
    • Create four or five different lists—depending on if you use pronouns—of frequently used nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and pronouns.

    Remember:

    • Nouns name a person, place, or thing. (dog, father, stick)
    • Verbs are action words. (jump, sing, run)
    • Adjectives are describing words. (hot, dark, funny)
    • Adverbs tell how an action is done. (angrily, softly, calmly)

    How to Play Mad Words

    • Assign one person to mark the words and read the story out loud.
    • This person can also choose to reveal the name or genre of the story.
    • Be careful not to reveal too much of the story or the new words might match with the text and not be as crazy to read.
    • Players choose from the lists of words to fill in the blanks accordingly.
    • One person will fill in the story with the selected words throughout the game, making sure not to reveal the story.
    • For example, a noun fills in a blank marked ‘noun.’
      • Ol’ McDonald had a ___________.
      • Ol’ Mc Donald had a teapot.
    • Read the whole story out loud.

    Variation

    • Instead of using premade writing, each player must create his or her sentence to contribute to the game using nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and pronouns.
      • Players will select a card marked with the words above.
      • They will receive four points for every sentence created.
      • If a player uses their words to link to another player’s sentence, then they receive double the points—eight points.
      • The first player to earn more than 50 points is the winner.
    • Choose a poem, song, or excerpt instead of a story. Use the selected text and find words to replace.

  • 6 Challenging Party Games With Paper Cups

    1. Yank Me

    A game of steady-handed stacking and precision demolishing of paper-cup towers. Can be played solo, as a race, or in teams.

    You will need:

    • Three medium sized index cards per player. They need to be big enough to fit a paper cup on top of. If you can’t find index cards, try and find A4 paper of a similar weight that you can cut up into thirds across the width. You want fairly thick paper, at least 150gsm, or it won’t hold the cup.
    • Four paper cups per player

    Rules

    The challenge for each player is this:

    1. build a tower of upside-down cups that is four cups high, with an index card between each cup.
    2. from top card to the bottom, remove the index cards so that the cups fall onto each other in a stack.

    If you stacked the cups poorly, or you don’t pull the cards in the right way, the cups will tumble off the tower and you will have to stack them back up to their full height before you can try again.

    The first player to build and collapse their tower is the winner!

    To play this as a team race, get into teams of two and assign one person as the builder (who builds the tower) and another as the collapser (who removes the index cards). If the collapser causes cups to fall away from the tower, the builder must take over again to restack the tower to it’s full height before the collapser can try again. The first team to finish wins!

     

    2. Moving On Up

    A game that asks player to try to be a little ambidextrous, as they alternate hands to hastily cycle through a tall stack of cups.

    You will need:

    • Lots of plastic cups! 40 per player, in fact.
    • One cup of each 40 should be a different colour to the others. If you don’t have multiple colours of cup, you could simply colour one of the cups with marker pen.

    (To save on plastic cups, instead of having everyone play simultaneously, you could use only one stack of 40 cups and time each player when it is their turn.)

    Set Up

    For each player, stack all 40 cups with the differently colored odd-cup on the bottom. Give one stack to each player to hold at the bottom with one hand.

    Rules

    Players will take the cup from the top of the stack and move it to the bottom of the stack. With their other hand, they will now reach again to the top of the stack and move that cup to the bottom. This continues, with players alternating hands with each cup moved, and the odd-cup slowly moving up the stack.

    The winner is the first player to get the odd-cup to the top of the stack and move it back to the bottom, completing the cycle.

     

    3. Flip Your Lid / Cup Ballet

    Here’s a challenge with a plastic cup and a bottle that is very satisfying to pull off.

    You will need:

    • One bottle (glass or plastic) per player.
    • One plastic cup per player.

    Set up

    1. Place the bottles about 30cm away from the edge of the table.
    2. Turn the plastic cup upside down and place it over the edge of the table, so about one third of the opening hangs over the edge. Each player should have a plastic cup set up in this way facing their bottle.

    Rules

    Use your fingers to flip the plastic cup into the air towards the bottle. The first player to get their cup on top of the bottle (upside down) wins!

    You can also play in teams. Have one player hold the bottle. They will stand on the opposite side of the table. The player flipping the plastic cup will now have further to flip it, but their teammate will actively move the bottle to try to “catch” the cup. The first team to do so, wins!

     

    4. Pass The Water

    A relay race of passing water from cup to cup. The twist? You pass the water over your head, without looking. If your teammates get overexcited this could be a wet game.

    You will need:

    • A plastic cup for each player.
    • Water.

    Set-up

    1. Split your group in half. Arrange them into two lines, all players facing the same direction, one behind another.
    2. Give each player a cup.
    3. For the player at the front of the line, give them a cup that is filled to the brim with water.

    Rules

    Without turning, the players at the front of the lines must raise their cup over their head, then pour the water in the cup backwards, while the player behind them will (hopefully) catch as much of the water as they can.

    Repeat until the water has reached the last player in the line. The team with the most water left in the last player’s cup wins!

     

    5. This Blows

    Commit the air from your lungs to a balloon then skillfully wield it, like Storm from the X-Men, to topple paper cups. Or waste it as your balloon pathetically deflates.

    What you need:

    • A balloon per player.
    • 15 cups per player.

    Set-up

    1. Place the plastic cups in a line at about 15cm from the edge of the table. Each player should have their own separate line of 15 cups.
    2. Take hold of your balloon and prepare yourself.

    Rules

    Inflate the balloon, then hold the opening closed with your finger. Face the opening towards the first cup in the line on the table. Release the air from the balloon so that it pushes the cup, until the cup falls off the table. Repeat with the next cup in the line. You should be able to get several cups off the table before you have to reinflate the balloon.

    The first player to blow all 15  cups off of the table wins.

    6. Cup Stacking

    This game, that seems the simplest in the list, is in some ways the most competitive. There are even cup stacking championships. The world record for “sport stacking” is 1.33 seconds. How fast can you do it?

    What you need:

    10 cups per player. That’s it!

    Rules

    The challenge for each player is this:

    1. Build a pyramid of cups. Start with a line of four to make the base. On top of these, above the gap between the cups, place another three cups, each resting on two cups below. Repeat this with a line of two cups on top of that, and a final cup at the top.
    2. Collapse the pyramid into a single stack of cups. Instead of doing this one cup at a time, you can take the top cup and carefully work it down one side of the pyramid, collecting one cup at each level, then take that stack back up to the new top cup continue collecting cups. You can collapse a pyramid of cups very quickly this way, but don’t go so fast that you knock the whole thing down.

    The first player to collect all their cups back into one stack wins.

    Competitive cup stacking uses more complex patterns, but the challenge above is a good place to start. If you want to learn more about cup stacking, speedstacks.com/learn/ might be a good place to start.

  • Wedding Shoe Game

    The Wedding Shoe Game is a great way to create laughs and memories after the ceremony. The shoe game is ideal for a wedding because it allows the whole audience to participate, while still focusing on the newlyweds. There is no limit to the amount of players that can participate. Guests can get to know the bride and groom more through their comical shoe responses and inevitable disagreements.

    Set-Up

    Ask the tables or individuals to submit ‘who’ questions before the wedding to use.

    • The questions should focus on the couple and be easy enough to answer with a raised shoe.  For example: Who is the better dancer? Who is more likely to do the dishes? Who is more likely to make the dishes? Who said I love you first? Who is more likely to get sunburnt? Who wears the pants in the relationship?
    • Seat the newly married couple in front of or in the middle of the room, dance floor, etc.
    • Have all the guests seated around the couple, so that everyone can see/hear them.
    • The teams will be set up based on the table seating. Each table of guests will be one group that can contribute a question to ask.
    • Select one individual such as the DJ or someone from the wedding party to ask the questions.
    • The bride and groom should each take one of their shoes off to use for the game.

    How to Play the Wedding Shoe Game

    • Seat the bride and groom in the front or middle of the room.
    • Have the bride and groom seated back to back, so they can’t see each other’s responses.
    • Select someone to read off the ‘who’ questions from the guests.
    • Whenever the question applies to the person, they will raise their shoe in the air.  For example: “Who is a morning person?”   The bride might raise her shoe and not the groom.
    • There can be some disagreements when asking questions like, who is funnier? Both the bride and groom might raise their shoe in the air.

    Variations

    • This game can be played at any point during the wedding, but it is most commonly played during the reception before food is served.
    • Instead of using one person to read the questions, the bride and groom can read them off to each other.
    • Family members and friends can also ask the questions.
    • Give each table five minutes to come up with one question together during the wedding.
    • The couple can raise any object in the air—their hands, a wand, a balloon.
    • The couple can switch shoes—the bride holds a dress shoe, while the groom holds a heel.

  • 3 Games of Intimate Cooperation

    1. Pucker Up

    You won’t kiss anyone in this game, but you won’t be far off. The game challenges you to carry a tennis ball between the mouths of two players. Get in sync with your partner or risk dropping the ball and ruining the mood.

    You will need

    • 3 tennis balls per team
      A glass for each team
      A bowl for each team

    Set-up

    1. Put the glass and bowl, which are your start point and endpoint respectively, on opposite sites of the room.
    2. Place the tennis balls near the glass.
    3. Arrange players into pairs. v

    Rules

    One teammate will place a tennis ball on top of the glass. This is so you have easy access to all sides of the ball. Both teammates now lower their faces to the tennis ball and place their mouths on opposite sides of the ball.

    Now that the ball is trapped between their faces, they should now be able to lift and move the ball. With ball only in contact with both player’s mouths, the teammates will transport the ball to the bowl on the other side of the room, and drop the ball in the bowl.

    Return to the other side of the room, and repeat for the other two tennis balls to finish the challenge. The team that finishes first, wins!

     

    Ready Spaghetti

    A similar concept to above. There’s no Lady And The Tramp spaghetti action here, but you will be holding a piece of uncooked spaghetti lengthways between two player’s mouths. They use this rigid pasta prop to transport soda cans, threading the pasta through the can’s ring pull.

    You will need

    • A strand of uncooked spaghetti per team.
    • 3 empty soda cans per player. Pull the ring pulls on all cans into a vertical position.

    Set-up

    1. Place the soda cans on one end of the room.
    2. Designate an “target area” on a surface at the other end of the room.
    3. Arrange players into pairs. The two teammates will start by standing on opposite sites of the soda cans.

    Rules

    One teammate places one end of the spaghetti in their mouths, so that it is pointing away from them. Without using any other part of their body point the spaghetti towards the can, and thread it through the ring pull. The other player now uses their mouth to hold the other end of the spaghetti.

    The team can now lift the spaghetti supported can between them. Take the can to the target area. One player now releases the spaghetti so it can be freed to use for the next can.

    Go back to the cans and repeat twice more. The first team to transport all three cans wins!

     

    Belly Balloon Break

    Use the power of hugging to violently burst as many balloons as possible between you and your teammate’s bellies. Don’t get too affectionate — this is squeezing is for competitive purposes!

    You will need

    1. 10 baloons for each team.

    Rules

    Arrange the players into pairs. Players must pick up a balloon, hold it between the bellies of themselves and their teammates, then remove their hands so that the balloon is supported only by belly pressure.

    Together, the teammates squeeze the balloon between them until it pops! Take another balloon and repeat the process.

    The first team to pop all ten of their balloons wins!