Ice breakers and other acquaintance exercises are helpful when bringing in new members. Throughout the year, they can be used to re-energize a group or break up meeting monotony.
Listed below is a sampling of ice breakers. For more ideas please contact the SOC desk.
M & M’s
Have each person take a handful of M & M’s (or any candy). (Tell
people not to eat them, yet.) Each person must introduce him/herself and
tell one thing about themselves for each M & M in their hand.
Variation: Use toilet paper instead of M & M’s and ask them
to say one thing for each square.
Nametags
Provide each person with paper and markers. Have them write their
name and draw pictures of things important to their life.
Variation: In a group already familiar, have people draw names and
make a nametag for someone else in the group important in their life.
Variation: Have people write down the (animal, vacation spot, movie)
they think they would be and why they would like to be that (animal, vacation
spot, movie).
Halves
Prepare pictures of objects on cards. Cut the pictures in half and
give each person a card as they walk in. When told, they are to mingle
and find the other half of their picture, and introduce their picture partner
to the group.
Question and Answer
Have a hat full of questions ready before a meeting. Depending on
the situation, you can make the questions as personal, silly, or basic as
you need. Encourage elaborate detailed stories to get as comfortable
talking with the group as possible.
Knots
This is a more physical ice breaker. Your group should stand in a
close circle, and everyone grabs the hands of two other players across from
them. It should look like a giant mass of humanity, arms binding everything
and everyone in. Next is the tricky part: Try to untangle yourselves,
working together. It may be impossible, but this activity will help
your group feel more comfortable together as they work on solving dilemmas
or planning activities.
Marooned
For this, everyone needs a pen and paper. Tell the group they have
been each marooned on a deserted island, and that they can select six people,
anybody… movies stars, boy scout leaders, historical figures, their
favorite librarian… and they only get five minutes to choose. Then
they must all tell the group why they chose whom they did, did they have
problems reducing their list to six? After they heard the group, did
anyone want to change their list?
2 Truths & a Lie
Bring a small prize for the winner in this ice breaker. When the group
is introducing themselves, ask them to do it by telling 2 truths 1 lie.
Tell them to explain their name, major, the basics, hometown, and that one
thing that they say must be a lie. Give the prize to the most elaborate
or most popular lie. Discuss which were the best lies and why. Who
was a bad liar? Who was way too good?
My Name Is..
Have everyone sit in a circle. First person says “My name is
“ Second person introduces the first person and then him/herself.
Last person introduces the entire group.
Variation: Add a gesture (salute, nod, bow, turn, etc.) with the name.
Laps
Sit in a circle. Read statements such as, “If you brushed your
teeth twice today, move to the right.” People move right and
left according to the statement. People will end up on each-others
laps.
Limericks & Mission Statements
Limericks are 5-line poems. Find several limericks and cut line into
a strip of paper, passing them out as people arrive. When told, they
are to mix until they have put the entire limerick together.
Variation: Do a similar activity by cutting the organization mission statement
into phrases. Participants re-assemble the mission statement (and learn
it in the process).
Animal Sounds
On pieces of paper, write the names of animals (one per piece of paper),
such as dogs, snakes cats, etc. Give each person a piece of paper
(there should be several with the same animal on it.) When told, people
make the noise of the animal on the paper and mix to find the other like
animals.
Train Wreck
Have everyone sit in a circle. Take one chair out of the circle. A
leader in the middle of the circle states “Hello my name is ______
and I’m going on a train ride. You can go with me if you _____.”
Those people sitting in the circle who have that quality get up and run
to another seat. The person left in the middle repeats the phrase
with their own name and a different quality. If there’s a lull
in the action, one of the participants can yell “Train Wreck!”
and everybody has to stand up and find a new seat.
3 Stickers
Each person is given three sticky back nametags. They mingle in a
large group meeting and talking with each other. After talking with
someone, they choose something they like about the person, write it on the
nametag and stick it to their back. At the end of the game each person
should have three stickers on their back with complements on them.