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About this Stuff
This Ice Breaker and Group Dymanics list has been compiled from numerous searches
across the web.
Any Ice
Breaker activity listed here is the property of its rightful owner.
I just wanted to put them all in one place!
It's a huge list, so scroll down, they are in no particular order. There a few
duplicates with a bit different directions.
They will be better organized in time.
So read on.
Enjoy.
BREAK THE ICE!
What are
Ice Breakers?
Ice Breakers are ways to introduce people, allow people to get to know each
other better, and get people mingling for an event. They can be great to use
during staff meetings, floor meetings, to kick off a program, or as a program
themselves.
Ice breakers are a great way to begin a meeting. They help to relax participants,
and that makes them more receptive to listening and contributing. An ice breaker
can also serve to build a team atmosphere and to generate enthusiasm. Ice breakers
can be fun, amusing, humorous, thoughtful, surprising or just plain silly. The
days of one-liner jokes as ice breakers are gone, and there are many new creative
ideas. The most popular are games that have participants reveal something personal
about themselves, or which encourage participants to get to know each other
personally. The idea is that more than just having fun, the ice breaker will
truly help to create group cohesion based on trust and understanding.
One of the tricks of an icebreaker is timing. It should not be too long otherwise
the serious work of the meeting will not be given enough time. It should not
be so short that participants feel it was a perfunctory exercise. Timing also
depends on the size of the group, the overall length of the event, and the purpose
of the event. An all-day retreat might warrant a half hour ice breaker, but
a one-hour meeting may merit only a minute or two. The following are some ideas
compiled by category, and gathered from a variety of sources:
FARMYARD
The demonstrator whispers to each guest the name of an animal. At a given signal
they are to imitate the sound of that animal, whether it be a cow, pig, chicken,
cock, donkey, horse, etc. When they sound like a riotous farmyard, they are
told to stop. The guests are to write down the names of all the animals they
heard, the one with the longest list wins a prize.
BALLOONS IN THE AIR
Give everyone an inflated balloon. The balloons should be in different colours
or with identifiable marks on them. Everyone tosses his balloon in the air and
tries to keep it in the air as long as possible. In the meanwhile, he must try
to get everyone else's balloons to touch the floor. When a person's balloon
touches the floor, he is out. The person who keeps his balloon in the air the
longest, wins.
BALLOON BLOW-UP
Have everyone pairs up and give each person a balloon. Each pair designates
a left and a right person. The partners stand facing each other about six inches
apart. When you call "left", the "left" person blows into
his balloon. Give him a few seconds, then call "right", the right
person then blows into his balloon. Do this repeatedly. The idea is to literally
"blow-up" the balloon in the partner's face before he can blow up
his.
A BAG OF FUN
Equipment: 6 Pairs of old stockings, 2 blindfolds, 2 pairs of gloves, and 2
paper bags. * Ask for 2 volunteers. Ask them to remove their right shoe. Blindfold
them, and have each put on a pair of gloves and give them a bag containing several
pairs of old nylon stockings. Award a prize to the one who succeeds in getting
all the stockings in the bag over their foot. It is a riot of fun because the
gloves make it difficult to tell the top of the stockings from the foot. The
other guests get the laugh of a lifetime. Just try it!
A GAME FOR CHRISTMAS TIME
Ask the guests to write their names vertically down the back of a paper. Give
them three minutes to make a list of Christmas gifts, using each letter to start
the name of the gift. Try to make up as many possible beginning with each letter.
The guest with the greatest number wins the prize.
ALL THUMBS RELAY
Equipment: Wrapped sweets, 2 paper bags and two pairs of men's large thick gloves.
Divide the guests into two teams. The first in line of each team is given a
paper bag filled with wrapped sweets and a pair of men's thick gloves. Each
guest in turn has to take the gloves out of the bag, put them on, choose a sweet,
unwrap it, and put it in their mouth. They then have to take off the gloves,
return them to the bag, and pass it to next guest in the team. Fist team to
finish wins a chocolate each.
ANSWER YES
Ask questions and if the guest answer with a "Yes" they must get up
from their chair and move one place to their left. They may end up sitting on
someone's lap or two laps. Here are the questions which you can vary with your
own: Do you have black shoes on? Did you walk here? Do you have three or more
children? Are you wearing earrings? Are you wearing pearls? Do you have blue
jeans on? Is it your birthday this month? Are you wearing the colour red? Etc.
The first person to get back to her original seat is the winner of a chocolate!
APPOINTMENTS
Give everybody a few minutes to make 3 appointments - 3 pm, 6 pm and 9 pm. After
that have everyone stand in a circle. When you shout "3 pm", everybody
meets their 3 pm appointment and find out 1, 2 or 3 things about each other.
After a short while shout, "6 pm" and then "9 pm". After
that have people share what they find out about each other. This game can be
used for introduction where people introduce other people, instead of themselves.
ATLAS
Arrange everyone in a circle. Someone say the name of any country, city, river,
ocean or mountain that could be found in an atlas. The person next to him must
then say another name that begins with the last alphabet of the word that has
been given.
Example: First person: Auckland
Second person: Denver
Third person: Rotorua
Each person has a definite time limit (e.g. 3 seconds) and no name can be repeated.
BANANA DUEL
Have everyone pair up and tie their left wrist together. Give each a banana
to hold in their left hand. When you say "go", they peel the banana
with only their right hand and try to push it in their partner's face/mouth.
You may want to do this blindfolded to add excitement.
BATTLE OF THE NUTS
Give each person a peanut and have them pair up. They should try to crack their
partner's peanuts by pushing their peanuts against one another. Those with cracked
peanut are out. Do this in round until only one or a few peanuts are left not
cracked.
BIG SCULPTURE
Divide the group into two teams. Give each team five large garbage bags and
as many blown-up balloons as possible. Have them create a huge human figure
by putting the blown-up balloons in the bags and attaching the bags together
within a definite time limit. The best sculpture wins.
BINGO
Guests are asked to choose 10 letters from the alphabet and list them on the
back of their papers. The demonstrator calls off letters of the alphabet at
random and guests cross corresponding letters off their lists. The first one
to cross all the letter of their list then calls Hallelujah. If she calls "Bingo"
they loose and the game continues
BLINDED BY MONEY
Pair everyone up and form a big circle. Give each pair two coins. One person
in each pair tilts his head back and places a coin on each eyelid with eyes
closed (no peeping!). Put a big container in the centre (e.g. a garbage can).
The object is for each person to dump their coins into the container, following
the verbal direction of their partner. No physical guiding by the partner is
allowed. If any coin dropped, the person should pick it up and start all over
again. The fun comes when all the pairs go at once, crowding around the container,
blinded by money, trying to hear their partner's direction.
BLOW OR BUST
Equipment: Balloon and large biscuit to each guest. Start the game by getting
each guest to blow up a balloon and eat a biscuit at the same time. The guest
who has a fully blown balloon and has eaten their biscuit wins a prize. They
have to take a bite - blow the balloon, take a bite, blow the baloon...etc.
BRAIN TEASERS
Hand out copies of any of the following "IQ Tests". Each block represents
a well known phrase or saying. You may divide a large group to teams of three
or four. Give a time limit. The team with the most correct answers wins.
PLASMA
H2O
HIGH
CLOUDS
1 3 5 7 9
WHELMING
EILNPU
PICT RES
Headache
Arrest
You're
EMPLOY MENT
LESODUB
TENNIS
Answer: Blood is thicker than water
Line up
You're under arrest
High above the clouds
You ought to be in the pictures
Men out of work/job/employment
Overwhelming odds
Splitting headache
Mixed doubles tennis
KJUSTK
WRitING
LOV
T RN
24 Hours
B ILL ED
PETS A
Gettingitall
1 T 3 4 5 6
Answers: Just in case
No U Turn
A Step Backward
Put it in writing
Call it a day
Getting it all together
Endless love
Ill/Sick in bed
Tea for two
BRIGHT EYES
Equipment: Large drawing of a face, 2 buttons to each guest. The demonstrator
places a large drawing of a face on the floor and each guest in turn attempts
to drop a pair of bright buttons to form the eyes of the face. The most accurately
place eyes wins a prize.
CAMPUS LIFE WORD LIST GAME
Give everyone a piece of paper and ask them to write down as many words as possible
from the letters in the words "CAMPUS LIFE", (e.g. camp, camps, us,
came etc.) No proper names or slang words are allowed. You may use other longer
words and have the people work in pairs or small groups.
CAN YOU FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS A READ AND DO TESTS Time Limit: 3 min.
1. Read all that follows before doing anything.
2. Write your name in the upper right-hand corner of this page.
3. Circle the word "corner" in sentence two.
4. Draw five small squares in upper left hand corner of this page.
5. Put an "X" on each square.
6. Put a circle around each square.
7. Sign your name under line 5.
8. After your name, write "yes, yes, yes".
9. Put a circle around number 7.
10. Put an "X" in the lower-left-hand corner of this page.
11. Draw a triangle around the "X" you just made.
12. Call out your first name when you get to this point.
13. On the reverse side of this paper add 6950 and 9805.
14. Put a circle around your answer.
15. Now that you have finished reading carefully, do only number 1 and 2.
PLEASE BE QUIET AND WATCH THE OTHERS
FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS.
CHIT CHAT
Use any combination of these to break the ice .... * What was the happiest moment
of your life * Tell us about your first date * What is the greatest regret of
your life * The greatest compliment I ever received * Let me tell you about
my best earthly friend * The hardest thing I have ever done * Describe a typical
Tuesday in your life * My greatest disappointment * The gift I will never forget
(apart form my conversion) * The thing I most enjoy in my spare time * What
is your favourite time of day * What is one thing you would like your obituary
to say about you * Share one of your strengths and one of your weaknesses *
What is your favourite spot in your home or yard * My favourite comic strip
is * People might be surprised to find out that I ........... * Using weather
terminology, how would you describe your week - stormy, sunny, partly cloudy,
foggy, etc.
COORDINATED JUMP
Have the entire group get in a circle. Everyone put their arms over the shoulders
of the persons on their left and right. On the word GO, everyone must jump (feet
off the ground) at the same instant. The ones who do not (too fast or too slow),
go out of the group. Repeat until only a few are left. These are the winners.
CORE GROUP
Divide the group into teams of five or six. Have one person in each team begin
with an apple in his mouth (roast pig style). At the signal, he passes the apple
to the person on the right. As the second person takes the apple with his mouth
(no hands allowed), the first person takes a bite out of it. At the end of the
time limit, the team that has eaten most of their apple wins.
CROSSING THE RIVER
Equipment: Folded newspapers. Here is a blindfold game which is great fun. The
demonstrator places a number of folded newspapers on the floor with spaces between.
These represent rocks across a river and the guests have to try to cross without
getting their feet wet. Each guest, one by one, in turn is started on their
way with feet firmly on one "rock", carefully noting the position,
and if they get their feet wet more than 2 time, they are disqualified. The
position of the "rocks" may be changed from time to time. The guests
who safely "cross the river" win prizes.
DISCLOSURE
Procure a softball. Arrange the participants in a circle. Throw the ball to
one person and ask the individual to disclose something unusual about himself.
He can then throw the ball to anyone he choose and repeat the process.
DO THIS AND ADD SOMETHING
Get everyone in a circle. One person starts off by performing an action (e.g.
scratching his head). The person on his right must then repeat it and add another
action. The game goes on with each having to repeat all the previous actions
in order, then adding one. If a player misses an action or gets fouled up, he
is out. You can go as many rounds as you want.
DONUT WHOLE
Divide the group into teams and have each team choose a leader. The teams are
then split into halves and positioned on both sides of the room with the leader
in the middle. Each leader is given a donut, preferably the sticky one which
he places on one index finger. At the signal, he crosses back and forth with
the donut on the finger, giving team members bites. The winner is the team which
had everyone bit the donut, leaving the last donut at the end with the ring
intact.
DOTTY DRAWING
On the back of the Papers, ask each guest to draw six large dots in any position.
Collect the papers, shuffle them and hand them out. Be sure no one gets her
own. Then ask guests to make a drawing, using the dots as the main framework.
The Prize goes to the guest with the most original drawing. Note: They may not
add any extra dots
FARMYARD
The demonstrator whispers to each guest the name of an animal. At a given signal
they are to imitate the sound of that animal, whether it be a cow, pig, chicken,
cock, donkey, horse, etc. When they sound like a riotous farmyard, they are
told to stop. The guests are to write down the names of all the animals they
heard, the one with the longest list wins a prize.
FOR SALE
Ask each guest to write on the back of their papers an advertisement for their
local newspaper, offering and ancient article of furniture in the "For
sale" section. They write "For Sale" at the top, leaving a blank
space and then write the advertisement, which should not mention the name of
the article. When they have finished the laughter begins. You tell them that
they have just described their husbands and wives, or best friend, and they
should write his or her name in the blank space and read the advertisement out
aloud.
FRIENDSHIP QUESTIONS (QUAKER QUESTIONS)
Explain these questions have been used by hundreds of people to get acquainted
with each other. None of them require sharing about areas of our life we wish
to keep private. Unlike discussion questions, it is best for Friendship Questions
to be answered by progressing in order around the circle. As facilitator, state
the first question and then answer it yourself. Your answers will set the tone
for all the rest. If you are brief, others will be brief. If you are lengthy
in your answers, others will be lengthy. Spend no more than one minute per person
on each question: 1. Where did you live between the ages of 7 and 12 and how
many brothers and sisters did you have? 2. What kind of transportation did your
family use? 3. Who was the person you felt closest to? 4. When did God become
more than a word to you?
FUNNY FACES
Have the participants arrange themselves in a circle. An appointed player turns
to the person next to him and makes a funny face or assumes a funny posture.
That person mimics the gesture, passing it on quickly to the next person, and
so on around the circle. When the funny face has completed the circuit, another
person begins, until all or as many persons as possible have had a chance to
initiate the face-making.
GARBAGE PASS RELAY
Divide into teams. Each team tries to pass a paper garbage bag down to the end
of their line. It is placed over the head of the first person in line. When
the go signal is given, the second person in line goes under the bag with the
first person. As soon as the first person gets out, the third person goes under
the bag with the second. The process continues until the bag gets all the way
to the end of the line.
GRUMBLE, GRUMBLE
This game provides an opportunity for release of tensions. Pair up all participants.
Instruct participants to talk simultaneously, sharing any complaints, reservations,
resentments, grievances, irritations or concerns they have on their minds. When
one member runs out of issues to disclose, he is then to say, "grumble,
grumble" until all participants are done. Call a halt to the exercise when
it is apparent that the negative energy has dissipated and only superficial
"grumbling" is present.
HAT TRICK
Form a circle. Put a derby type hat on one person. The object is for him to
get it on the next person's head without using hands, arms teeth or legs. You
may divide the group into two and have a competition.
HOG TIED
Divide the group into two or three. Have them sit in a circle facing outward.
Give each group a ball of string or yarn of equal length. At the signal, the
groups are to wrap themselves up securely in the string. The group that finishes
first, wins.
HORSE RACING
Equipment: A Dice. In this racing game guests line up at one end of the room.
The farthest end is the winning post (marked by a chair, for instance) The guests
take turns to throw the dice. Each number turned up represents the amount of
shoe lengths they are entitled to step towards the winning post. First guest
to reach the winning post marker wins a prize.
HOW ARE YOU FEELING?
Give everybody a piece of blank paper (same size). Flash the following words,
written on a big piece of paper or on a transparency.
ANXIETY FORGIVENESS GUILT
SORROW HEALING REJECTED
PEACE PAIN COMFORT
LOVE ACCEPTANCE HOPE
Ask everyone to write down on his
paper the word that describes either how he is feeling or what he wants Jesus
to bring to him now. Place all the papers in the centre of the group and mix
them well. Pick up a piece of paper. Read the word on the paper and open up
the time for anyone in the group to share a phrase or verse which might encourage
the person whose paper has been picked. You may pick as many paper as you have
time for.
HUMAN SPIDER WEB
Divide the group into teams of 6-8 persons. Have each team move to a location
that allows them to stand in a small circle. Instruct members of each group
to extend their right hands across the circle and grasp the left hands of the
other members who are approximately opposite them. Then have them extend their
left hands across the circle and grasp the right hands of other individuals.
Inform them that their task is to unravel the spider web of interlocking arms
without letting go of anyone's hands. They will be competing with the other
groups to see who finishes the task first.
I PACKED MY TRUNK FOR CHINA
The first player says, "I packed my trunk for China and took an apple (or
any other object that begins with "A"). The next player repeats the
sentence, including the "A" word and adds a "B" word. Each
successive player recites the sentence with all the alphabetical items, adding
one of his own. (e.g. "I packed my trunk for China and took an apple and
a bread). The player continues as long as they can or until they have completed
the alphabet.
ICE BREAKING QUESTIONS
Where did you live between the ages of 9 & 12? * Who is the person closest
to you? * What was one of the happiest moments in your life? * Who was your
best friend when you were younger? * Describe the worst thing you ever had to
wear to school. * Who was your favourite music group in high school? * Who was
your favourite teacher in school, and for what subject? * What time period would
you have lived in, if you could have lived at any time? * What Biblical character
inspires you the most? (Besides Jesus) * What would you do if you had won a
million Rand? (can't be spiritual) * What historical (non-Biblical) figure interests
you the most? (Besides Jesus) * Describe your favourite cousin. * What is your
favourite style of music? (Christian isn't a style) * What is your favourite
piece of art? (it doesn't have to be famous) * Whose eyes are most like yours
in the room? * How are you like your mom? Your dad? * What is your favourite
worship song? * What is your favourite praise song? * If you were unlimited
by money, where would you spend a vacation? * What planet would you visit if
you could go to any one? * What is your favourite hobby? * What is the meaning
of your name? * What is your favourite book? * What is your favourite Bible
verse? * How did you end up at this cell? * How did you meet your best friend
or spouse? * What would you like to be known for? * Where were you born? * What
is your favourite family Christmas tradition? * Tell an unusual fact about yourself.
* Describe the favourite place you've lived in. * What kind of car did your
family have when you were growing up? * What is your dream car? * How many brothers
and sisters do you have? * If you could not fail, what would you do? * If you
were going to live on the moon and could take one thing with you, what would
you take? (Besides your Bible) * If your house were on fire, what is the one
thing you would grab (assuming all family and pets were safely out)? * What
is the hardest thing you ever had to do? * Do you have any phobias? * What do
you do when you have free time
I'M GLAD I'M HERE
Tell the group that you're glad to be there. Then say, "If I am not here
today, I will be ...................." (share something that you're glad
you don't have to do, e.g. wash your car). Then go around the room asking, "If
you weren't here today, what would you be doing that you're glad you don't have
to?" Try to keep the answers light and fast moving.
INNOVATIVE INTRODUCTION
You can do any of the following or all of them:
1. Instruct everyone to take two
items (e.g. Family picture, credit card) from their purses, wallets or pockets.
Then use the items to introduce or say something about themselves.
2. Ask each person to state his name and attach an adjective that not only describes
a dominant characteristic, but also starts with the first letter of his name.
(e.g. Martin - Marvellous Martin, Siew Ling - Lovely Ling)
3. Have everyone share a nickname that they now have, once had, or would like
to have and then explain the reason or story behind the name
INSTANT STUNT
As each person enters the room, he receives a slip of paper with a silly stunt
described on it. E.g. Stand on a char, bark like a dog, dance around. When the
signal is given, all participants perform their stunt simultaneously. Give them
a few minutes to look at one another and laugh.
KNOCKING OFF HATS
Put some hats or caps in the middle of the room. Ask everyone to choose one
and put it on. (You can also ask everyone to bring a hat or cap of their choice
to the meeting). Give everyone a rolled up newspaper. They must hit each other
hat off without losing their own. They are not allowed to hold their own hats
on.
LEADER OF THE BAND
Ask all participants to stand up and make sufficient room around themselves
so as not to interfere with free movement of their arms. Then tell them that
they are the conductor of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra. Have them close
their eyes. Play a selection of music and ask them all to simultaneously lead
the orchestra. (This works best if you have carefully selected the music. Try
as much as possible to make sure that the music is familiar to all and is relatively
fast-paced to stimulate energetic directing). After a while, when they have
began to conduct freely, ask them to do it with their eyes open. Help them relax
and enjoy themselves as they do so.
MAGIC CIRCLE
This icebreaker can be used to illustrate the multiplicity of meanings of words.
Divide the group into teams of 5-7 people. On a prepared set of 3" x 5"
cards, a series of words or phrases are written. (one on each card e.g. motivation;
put-down, I feel good when ...) The team leader pulls a card out and a few persons
are asked to state what the word means to them, or in the case of sentence completion,
continue the statement.
MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
Equipment: Record player, or piano. Group the guests in a circle, and give each
one the name of the musical instrument they should imitate playing. Start the
music. They all begin the action of playing their "instruments". When
the demonstrator shouts, "Left", they hand their "instruments"
to the guest on the left, and take over the "instrument" form the
right. A mistake and the guests fall out. Continue until one person remains
the winner.
MY FAVORITES
Give everybody a copy of "Exercise in self-disclosure" and give them
a few minutes to fill it in. Have everybody share what they have written. Then
suggest that their answers to question 1 provides clues to how other people
view them and their answers to question 2 provide clues to how they view themselves
and see how they react to your suggestions!
An Exercise in Self-Disclosure
1. Name your favourite colour: ___________________________
Describe it in three words:
a.
b.
c.
(E.g. Blue - it is cool, relaxing, distant)
2. If you could pose (safely) with
an animal of your choice in the Zoo, what animal would it be?
Describe three characteristics of the animal:
a.
b.
c.
(E.g. Tiger - strong, tense, dangerous)
NAME THE FACE
Equipment: Photographs of well-known personalities. Here is a quiz which will
keep many guessing. The demonstrator collects a number of cuttings form magazines
showing the faces of well-known personalities. Then he \ she pastes them on
light card and shows them one at a time to the guest, telling them to write
down their names. A prize is given to the guest with the most complete list.
NEWSPAPER TALK
Give everyone some newspaper. Ask everyone to express how they feel or how their
day has been through the newspaper. For example, crumble the newspaper to express
frustration etc.
OBJECT IN QUESTION
Two players privately select an object in the room. They then discuss it with
each other while the other players listen and try to guess what it is. When
the object is discovered, another two players select an object. Variation: For
an extra challenge, choose and object not in the room.
OLD AUNT AMY
The purpose of this game is to guess whether Old Aunt Amy died last night. The
leader will begin by saying the phrase "Old Aunt Amy, she died last night,
she died last night. Did she die?"" He then points to anybody in the
group The person then says either "yes" or "no". If the
leader says, "listen carefully", before he says the phrase, then the
answer is "Yes", if he omits, "listen carefully", then the
answer is, "NO". If he answers wrongly, he is out. The leader then
says the phrase again and points to another person.
PAIRS
Short, sweet and simple. The first guest to produce a pair of anything wins.
Most usual winners produce a pair of shoes. Yet, most original wins a prize.
PEG CLIPPING
Equipment: A dice and a big bag of clothes pegs. Arrange guests sitting in a
big circle with a bag of pegs in the middle. They pass the dice and the first
one to throw a six jumps into the middle of the circle and starts clipping pegs
to their clothes. They are not allowed to clip the pegs on any straight edges,
e.g. hems of dresses, cuffs, etc. The dice is passes on round the circle and
the next one to throw a six, changes places with the one in the middle - the
one who was in the middle returns to their seat. And so the dice is passed on
and the procedure continues. When there are no more pegs left, the game stops
and they all count how many pegs they have on their clothes. The one who has
the most pegs, wins the prize.
PEOPLE BINGO
Give everyone a piece of paper of either of the following:
Wears size 6 shoes
Likes pizza
Has 2 daughters
Has the no. 5 on his telephone no.
Is left-handed
Birthday is in Dec.
Favourite colour is yellow
Drives a blue car
Plays tennis
Went to the cinema last week
Has a pet dog
Name beginning with "J"
Born in April
Sings in shower
Talks in your sleep
Did not make bed today
Reads "Peanut"
Takes nap
Loves ice-cream
Watches cartoon
Snores when you sleep
Never change a diaper
Detective story fan
Give them a time limit and send them
loose to find someone with the relevant description. The one with the most squares
filled up wins.
PEOPLE TO PEOPLE
Each player finds a partner and joins the group in a circle except the leader
who stands in the centre. The leader snaps his fingers, chanting "people
to people", and the others join him. Whenever he desires, the leader changes
his chant to "hand to hand" or "toes to toes" etc. The players
must then touch their partner's hands with their hands, or toes with toes etc.
The leader goes through the various body parts, and then shouts, "people
to people". This is the signal for everyone to find a new partner, including
the leader. One player is left without a partner and becomes the new leader.
Players try to have a different partner and a different leader each time. The
leader is more challenging if the leader names two different body parts, for
example "hand to foot".
PICK AN ANIMAL
Ask the group: "If you have to pick an animal below to describe how this
group has reshaped your life, what would you pick?
Colourful peacock:
Because you have told me that I am beautiful and I have started to believe it
and it is changing my life.
Loveable hippopotamus: Because you have let me surface and bask in the warm
sunshine of God's love.
Black panther: Because you have helped me to look very closely at myself and
see some of the spots ... and you have told me it's OK to be this way.
Dancing bear: Because you have taught me to dance in the midst of pain, and
you have helped me to reach out and hug again.
Roaring lion: Because you have let me get down off my perch and roll in the
grass, and not even worry about my mane.
Wild eagle: Because you have helped to heal my wings, and taught me how to soar
again. Towering giraffe: Because you have helped me to hold my head up and stick
my neck out.
All-weather duck: Because you have taught me to enjoy the weather (even on rainy
days) and to celebrate the hard times like duck in a storm.
Ostrich in love: Because you have loved me so much that I have taken my head
out of the sand and found a whole new reason for living.
POINT GAME
Ask each guest to jot down on the back of a paper the points for each question
to which she can answer "yes". Ask the guests the following questions:
Are you wearing a wrist watch? 5 Are you wearing a ring? 5 Are you wearing glasses?
10 Did you go to Church last Sunday? 25 Did you kiss your husband or mom and
dad today? 25 Did you kiss all three? -100 For each year you have been out of
school. 1 Date or month you were born (2 for 2nd month, 3 for 3rd month, etc)
to 12 You can award a prize for the highest and lowest total number of points.
PORTRAIT OF MY JOB
Give everyone a sketch paper and ask them to draw a picture of their jobs or
organisations. Pictures can be of TV shows, sports or anything that describes
their perceptions. Have everyone or volunteers explain their sketch to the rest.
REVERSE POINTING
Pair up everybody. One person points to any part of his body and says the name
of another. E.g. he points to the ear and says, "eye". His partner
must then point to his eye, and says, "ear". Those who fail to respond
correctly will be out.
SAVE ME
Here is a riotous game. The demonstrator asks guests to imagine they are all
survivors at a shipwreck, swimming for their lives. There is only one life belt.
One survivor can claim it and be saved. Each guest must state their case: Why
they think they have the most right to live. The guest with the most convincing
or amusing case wins a prize.
SIBLINGS
Ask the group to divide themselves into four groups with these subsets:
1. If they were the eldest in the
family,
2. If they were the youngest in the family,
3. If they were any place in the middle,
4. If they were an only child.
Ask the participants seek out their
respective groups, ask them to recall what they liked and disliked about their
respective places in their growing up days. In retrospect, would they have preferred
a different place?
STAND UP
Sit on the ground with your
partner, backs together, feet in front of you, and arms linked. Then try to
stand up together. After you succeed add another twosome and try again. Keep
adding people until your whole group is trying to stand together.
STANDING OVATION
Invite everyone to stand up and spread out (approximately an arm's length apart).
Tell them that to make sure they are awake and receptive to the forthcoming
session, you will lead them in an exercise designed to help get their blood
moving rapidly, and stimulate the nerve endings in their hands.
Direct them to stretch their arms
out and their sides (horizontally from their bodies). When they have all done
so properly, then ask them to rapidly bring their hands together, then back
to their sides (repeating the two-step sequence about 10 times in rapid succession).
Conclude by telling the group that you aren't sure how much better they feel
now, but that you feel really good, because this is the first time that you
have begun a session to a standing ovation!
STRING TIES
Equipment: A ball of string. Divide the guests into two teams. Give each guest
a piece of string. At the give signal the first guest ties her string to the
next player's piece of string and on to the next, continuing until each member
of the team has added their piece of string. The winning team is not the first
to finish but the team with the longest piece of string.
TACTILE COPIER
The players arranged themselves in a line. A diagram is shown to the last person
in line. The person uses his finger to reconstruct the image on the back of
the person in front of him. Each player in turn passes the image on to the next
person in line by tracing it on his back. The person at the head of the line
draws the diagram on a piece of paper for the group to compare with the original
drawing. The game can be repeated after the players rotate their positions.
Variation: After passing on the image, each player draws the diagram as he perceives
it. The group then compares their drawings.
TALK ABOUT
Choose one or more topics and give everyone a few minutes to share.
1. The happiest moment of my life.
2. The last time I got mad was ...
3. Where I lived between the age of 7 to 12 years old.
4. The best thing that happened to me this past week.
TALL STORY
Hand out to each guest a folded slip of paper marked on the outside "BIG,
BIG SECRET" and inside write "Giraffe". Tell everyone that each
guest has the name of an animal, which they must keep a secret, and that when
you mention each animal's name the appropriate guest must run up to your display
and grab the prize. (Chocolate) Now tell a story about a visit to the Game Park
mentioning the names of the various animals you see as you and your family are
driving through. By the time you have mentioned the names of several animals
and no guess have got up, they will all be worried that they have been left
out, and then the next name you mentions is the "giraffe" and they
all rush to the table together to grab the prize.
TELEPHONE
As players sit in a circle, someone whispers a message to the person next to
him, who in turns repeat it to the next player, and so on around the circle.
Each player whispers the message only once. When the message has completed its
circuit the last person repeats it aloud for comparison with the original message.
The game can be repeated so that as many people as possible can start messages.
Variation: The leader whispers two messages, sending one to the right and one
to the left.
THE EXCHANGE
This game has a surprise element. The guests are asked to be "at the ready"
with pencils and paper. They are told they are to write down a list of capital
cities of each province or anything similar. In a time limit of three minutes.
When they are poised and ready they are told to put the pencil in the other
hand. Right-handers becomes left-hander, and vice versa. A prize is given to
the guest with the most correct and most legible list. Lots of amusement is
assured for all.
THE NEW MILLIONAIRE
Assemble the group in a circle. Inform them that they have now each been given
a gift of one million dollars. Ask a few persons to indicate how they would
use their newly-gained fortune.
Have other people share on the other
topics e.g.
1. If you could take a free two week trip to any place in the world, where would
it be?
2. If you could become the leader of any country in the world, what would it
be and why?
3. If you could travel on a time machine to any era in time, what would it be
and why?
4. If you could talk to any one person now living, who would it be?
THROW AWAY YOUR TROUBLES
Have each person think of a question, problem, or concern. Give everyone a piece
of paper and ask them to write their anonymous problem on it. Place a container
(a box or pail) in the centre of the room and ask them to crumple up their paper
and throw it in the container with whatever expression or sound they want.
THUMB FIGHT
Have everybody pair up and hold hands (fingers into finger hold). Their thumbs
should be down by the sides. When you say "ready", they hold their
thumbs up touching each other. At the signal, "go", they push each
other's thumb and try to knock down their partner's thumb. The one who get knocked
down is out. Play for as long as you want or until only one or a few "winner"
are left.
TREASURE HUNT
Hand out the following form to each attendee and ask that everyone find at least
one similar and one dissimilar trait with four persons. After everyone has finished,
invite those who find interesting traits to share.
NAME: ___________________________
TREASURE HUNT
Name Alike Difference
1.
2.
3.
4.
WHAT IF .... ?
(Can be used in parts over several sessions) * If you could not fail, what would
you like to do? * If you had to live your life over, what would your change?
* If you were to go to live on the moon and could carry only one thing, what
would it be? * If you could be doing anything you wanted at this time next year,
what would it be? * You have been granted one hour with the leader of your country.
What question will you ask? What advice will you offer? * If you had an all-expenses-paid
trip to anywhere in the world, where would you go? Why? * What would you do
if you were to see ... a person being robbed? ... a person drowning? ... a house
on fire? Get the idea? Now, make up your own!
WHO AM I? (1)
Prepare pieces of paper with a Bible character or Nursery Rhyme character or
an animal etc. written on them. Pin a piece of the papers on each participant.
The participant then has to discover who he is by asking questions to the group.
The questions must only be answered with "yes" or "no".
you may limit the number of questions he can ask.
WHO AM I? (2)
Give the group a few minutes to search the surrounding area to find something
that they feel represents some of their characteristics or expresses who they
are. Call on each participant to show what he has selected and explain why.
(E.g. I picked a rock because it is strong, smooth and old.)
WHO HAS THE LONGEST CHAIN
Divide the guests into two teams. Give each guest tow or more paper clips. At
the word "go" each player connects their paper clips with the one
in front of her. The longest chain in the shortest time wins.
Top of page
WOOLLY PROBLEM
Equipment: A ball of wool. The demonstrator passes a ball of wool to each guest
and asks him or her to break off as much as they think they will need. (Purpose
a secret) Then he \ she informs them that this is the circumference of their
waists. The guests with the best fitting wins. * For a variation, the guests
are told to make a circle on the floor, out of a piece of wool provided, to
measure the circumference of their waists. Most accurate attempt wins.
To introduce each other in a fun and unique way. What you need How it's done
Choose one of the introductions below.
Gather people around and give them the instructions and an example using your
own name as an example.
Tell the group that you will be passing to your (left or right) and then ask
if there are any questions.
People should have the right to pass if they can't think of an answer right
away, just make sure to get back to them at the end to see if they have an answer.
Variable Names
1. Everyone introduces him/herself as their favourite food. (I had to go around
saying, "Hello! I'm Sausage McMuffin with Egg!"
2. Dalke Nash at United Way of King County (Washington) has one where you introduce
yourself with your first name and an adjective that starts with the same letter.
(Hi! I'm Nan. I'm feeling nutty today.)
3. Similar, back in my MYF daus (a few centuries ago) we did one where we said
our name and something we were thankful for that started with both initials.
So Ernie Jones was thankful for eggs and jam. (Hi! I'm Nan Hawthorne. I'm thankful
for Netscape Help!)
4. One I used in my volunteer classes that I made up myself was to have each
person introduce the person next to them and describe an outlandish volunteer
job. I used to do this one a lot, "This is Jim. He is part of a program
that puts radio receivers on penguins in Antarctica. During their winter it's
Jim's job to send encouraging messages and play Hawaii music to help them handle
the cold."
5. The "Koko Glenhope" one was another icebreaker. People introduce
themselves with their first pet's (or doll's if they didn't have a pet) as their
first name and the street they lived on as their second. So my first cat's name
was Koko and I lived on Glenhope Drive. If people lived on a numbered street,
they could say "the 5th" --- if I lived on 3rd Ave., I would be Koko
the Third. The funniest one we had was "Sparkles Fontanelle".
Facets
Time: 10 minutes Why use it? To introduce each other in a fun and unique way.
What you need How it's done
Choose one of the introductions below.
Gather people around and give them the instructions and an example using your
own name as an example.
Tell the group that you will be passing to your (left or right) and then ask
if there are any questions.
People should have the right to pass if they can't think of an answer right
away, just make sure to get back to them at the end to see if they have an answer.
Introductions INTERVIEW 3 WORDS
Assign each person in the group to another person from the group. Then have
them find out as much of the following information about each other as they
possibly can in 2-3 minutes; Name, hobbies, family, state, school/job, favourite
colour, favourite food, favourite type of music, etc. They can interview back
and forth or each person could be assigned to interview one person while a completely
different person is interviewing them. Then have them use 3 words to describe
their assigned partner, but 3 words only. (example: Joe Bob was my partner,
funny, energetic, verbose)
FIRE
Ask participants to tell what one object they would want to save if there
was a fire in their home, assuming that their family and pets were out of the
blaze.
TRUTH OR PRETEND?
Have each person tell one thing about themselves that is true and one
thing that is false, without revealing which is which. Then have all
participants try and guess which one is the truth.
PURPLE PANDA BEAR
Have each person tell what animal best fits their personality as a description
and why.
DREAM VACATION
Have each person tell were they would most like to visit on a dream
vacation and why.
RAP INTRO
Have each person make an acronym out of their name using words that describe
them. Ex: F = Funny I = Intelligent R = Rambunctious E = Extroverted
SAME LETTER
Have each person describe themselves using only words that start with the first
letters in their first and last name or screen name.
MEMORABLE
Have each person tell the most memorable moment in their life so far (one they
care to share).
Source Becca Newton
Bingo & Team Building
Time: 20-40 minutes Why use it? To introduce each other in a fun and unique
way. What you need
Medium to large sized group
Minimal space
How it's done
Choose one of the introductions below.
Gather people around and give them the instructions and an example using your
own name as an example.
Tell the group that you will be passing to your (left or right) and then ask
if there are any questions.
People should have the right to pass if they can't think of an answer right
away, just make sure to get back to them at the end to see if they have an answer.
Introductions Interpersonal BINGO
Make up a BINGO style sheet with information in each square that may fit people
in your group. (if you know the people, you can actually tailor the info to
specifically fit your group). Use a diversity of information regarding hobbies,
background experiences, cultural references etc. (E.g.., travelled more than
60 miles to get here; is an only child; didn't see Titanic; . . . the possibilities
are endless). People then play BINGO by meeting other people in the room, introducing
themselves and getting prizes.
Build a Team
Give everyone a slip of paper when they come in that has a famous person, character,
or something that could be "grouped" on it. The goal is for people
to find other people that are a member of the same prearranged "group"
and get together. The ways to implement this are numerous - i'm happy to talk
over different ideas. Then once people find everyone in their group, they can
do something as a group if you wish (typical things are a human knot, making
up an introduction for their team and each member in it, etc.).
Team goal setting
You can also end a "find your team" or some sort of icebreaker with
a goal setting exercise where people set their own expectations/goals for the
training. Then small groups (mixed with folks from different offices) can present
their ideas to everyone.
Alternatively, you can split people into groups interactively and then have
them do some creative problem solving.
Source Jessica Young
INTRODUCE MYSELF
Participants introduce themselves and tell why they are there. Variations: Participants
tell where they first heard about the class, how they became interested in the
subject, their occupations, home towns, favorite television programs, or the
best books they have read in the last year.
INTRODUCE ANOTHER
Divide the class into pairs. Each person talks about him/herself to the other,
sometimes with specific instructions to share a certain piece of information.
For example, "The one thing I am particularly proud of is..." After
five minutes, the participants introduce the other person to the rest of the
class.
CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS
Have students write down one or two adjectives describing themselves. Put these
on a stick-on badge. Have class members find someone with similar or opposite
adjectives and talk for five minutes with the other person.
I'VE DONE SOMETHING YOU HAVEN'T
DONE
Have each person introduce themselves and then state something they have done
that they think no one else in the class has done. If someone else has also
done it, the student must state something else until he/she finds something
that no one else has done.
FIND SOMEONE
Each person writes on a blank index card one to three statements, such as favorite
color, interest, hobby, or vacations. Pass out cards so everyone gets someone
else's card. Have that person find the person with their card and introduce
themselves.
FAMOUS PERSON
People write a famous name on a piece of paper and pin it on someone else's
back. Person tries to guess what name is pinned on his/her by asking others
around the room yes or no questions. Variation: Use famous place instead of
famous person.
MY NAME
People introduce themselves and tell what they know about why they have their
name (their mother wanted to name me after her great aunt Helen who once climbed
Pike's Peak in high heels, etc.). It could be the first, middle or nick name.
HOW DO YOU FEEL?
Ask the students to write down words or phrases that describe their feelings
on the first day of class. List the responses on the blackboard. Then ask them
to write down what they think you as the teacher are feeling this first day
of class. List them on the blackboard in a second column and note the parallels.
Briefly comment on your feelings and then discuss the joint student/teacher
responsibilities for learning in the course.
Introduction of an unknown
This is for groups that don’t know each other well at all. Each person
introduces the person to his/her right. S/He should tell the others this person’s
name (just make it up), what s/he does for a living, what s/he does for fun,
etc. After the introductions, group members will compare reality to what was
said.
Sherades
Have the usual items (various movie titles, famous names, kinds of animals,
actions, etc.) printed on scraps of paper in a bowl. Each person picks one and
acts it out without speaking. The others have to guess what’s on the chosen
slip of paper.
How would you spend $1 million dollars?
Each small group receives this question and shares responses. If possible, each
group could vote on a favorite idea, presenting the idea to the other groups.
Musical Chairs
You know how this one works.
Who Am I?
When students enter the room, the teacher tapes the name of a famous person
to their heads. Students cannot look at what’s on their own heads. They
must discover who they are by asking yes/no question to others. Activity ends
when all students have discovered who they are.
Laugh temptation
This probably works better for a class of 7th or 8th graders. The person who
is "it" sits in the middle of a circle. The others can talk amongst
themselves until IT says "MUCK." Then no one can speak or laugh or
turn away from IT. IT tries to make the others laugh, but cannot touch anyone
or leave the circle. The first person to laugh becomes IT.
The personality of hats
Groups are given a series of different hats. Each person must put on a hat,
and talk like s/he is the original owner of the hat. This activity can be altered
to fit recently read literature: Pick a hat that best fits a character from
a story, act out a few lines, and have the others guess who you are.
Pyramid stack
Each team lines up to do a relay race. The first person runs to a table ahead,
stacks the plastic cups into a pyramid, unstacks them, runs back to the line,
and tags the next person. This continues until every in lines has gone. Teams
will race to see which finishes first.
Skill-Builders
Writing round
Each group is given the same opening sentence to a story. The first student
in a group writes the next sentence and passes it to the next person, who adds
another sentence, and so on. This continues until the teacher says its time
to write the last sentence. Each group shares its story with the rest of the
class.
Two-minute talk on random topic
Doing this in small groups is probably less intimidating that having the whole
class watch each student. For every talk, there are three positions: speaker,
topic maker, and timer. These positions rotate as different people do their
talks. For each talk, the topic maker picks a random topic, the speaker talks
about it, and the timer makes sure the talk lasts for two minutes.
Favorite item story
Each student in the group lists their favorite item: things, activities, people,
etc. They exchange lists and must generate a story that uses all the words on
the list.
Feeling Sculpture
This is a good introduction to students if they are reading a play and eventually
acting it out. In each group students playing the clay and the sculptors. Each
group is assigned an emotion and must come up with a sculpture that presents
that. Sculptors can move the arms, etc. of the clay or demonstrate to the clay
what they want it to do.
Character transplant
Each group is given a short story everyone in the class has read. Each group
must think of a known person or character, alive or dead, to transplant into
a scene. Each group will present to the rest who the transplanted character
is and what happens in the scene as a result.
Fun with states and other words
games.
The worksheets for these are attached. Each group gets a worksheet. The teacher
times them. When time is up, the group with the most correct answers wins. Creativity
is strongly encouraged. If a group can justify an answer, it is correct.
Collage
After having read a poem or short story, each group will create a collage of
their favorite lines. They will also add clippings from magazines, drawings,
and whatever else helps to illustrate those lines. The entire group’s work
is contained on one page.
Group Dynamics
Unity stand
Each group starts out with two people. They stand back to back and try to stand
up. Another person from the group can join in, and the three try to stand. This
continues until all members of the group can stand together.
Direct me
Each group has an "it." IT is blindfolded, sitting in the middle of
the group. For each group, the teacher places a color-coded item in the room.
The group members may not touch IT, but can tell him/her where to go, turn,
step, reach, etc. IT cannot speak. The group that successfully directs IT to
the goal first wins.
Silent Castle Building
Each group is given a bunch of paper and some tape. Without speaking, each group
has 20 minutes to build the highest tower. At the end, students may also judge
the castles according to beauty, creativity, durability, etc.
Scavenger hunt
Each group is given the same list of items to find. These items should not be
specific. They should be descriptions that can have a variety of possible results.
The teacher must decide ahead of time the parameters of the searching area:
classroom? entire school? museum? The group to collect all the items first wins.
Role play problem/solution
Each group comes up with a problem they can role play. Each group role-plays
the problem and picks another group the role-play a solution.
Empathetic listening
Each group has three positions: Speaker, listener, and referee. The teacher
may pick a topic for each speaker to talk about, or each speaker could pick
his/her own topic. The speaker shares his/her view, while the listener just
listens without comment, and the referee listens, taking notes. After the speaker
is done, the listener repeats back to the speaker what was said. The listener
and referee can correct as necessary. The positions switch, and the procedure
continues.
Acronym Co.
Each group is assigned a three-letter acronym at random. The group must figure
out what they want the acronym to stand for and decide what that company does.
Island/Cave dilemma
You are on a sinking ship with your group; the life boat you get is pretty small..
You have a list of items you have on a boat, each with its respective weight.
You will also be told the combined weight of your group. The items you take
with you cannot exceed the weight limitation of the raft (Remember to factor
in your group weight.) Which do you take? Discuss your rationale. The other
thought-provoking counterpart to this activity is the that you are trapped in
a cave with the same people (maybe you need to hang out with different people!)
You have a listing of the laws that govern the country where the cave is. You
know that you will be saved in three weeks because you have been able to communicate
with the surface. The trouble is, you have no food left. What to do you do to
stay alive? Is it okay to break some of the rules under the circumstances? There
are many situations that deal with ethical and logical decision making you can
gives groups to ponder.
Circle Introduction: Have the participants stand in a circle. They have two
minutes to find out who the person to their left is and some interesting facts
about them. Each person will introduce the person on their left to the whole
group.
Do You Love Your Neighbor?
All group members form a circle with one person left in the middle of the circle.
The caller (the person in the middle) says, "Hi, my name is...!" Everyone
else repeats the caller's name aloud, (Hi...). Then the caller goes up to another
member in the circle and asks the person their name. The person tells the caller
their name, then the caller asks the person if he/she loves his/her neighbors
(the two people on either side). If the person loves his/her neighbors, then
he/she says, "Yes, I love my neighbors, but I don't like people who are
wearing tennis shoes. (The person can name any type of characteristic they want
for example, people who have brown eyes, people who are freshman, people who
own their own cars, etc.) Then everyone whom the characteristic pertains to
must move to a different spot in the circle at least two places away from their
original spot. The caller's object is to get into someone else's spot so someone
else is left in the middle. If the person does not love his/her neighbor then
the person will say, "No, I don't love my neighbors" and then the
two people on either side of this person have to change places before the caller
gets in their spot. The person left in the middle in either situation is the
new caller and the game continues. This will need to be done in a large area
or outside. You need to keep your circle tight, shoulder to shoulder, so you
can see where your empty spaces are, some groups will use chairs. Have fun!!
Getting To Know You:
Divide a large group of people into smaller groups and have them answer the
following questions listed below and then have each group share their answers.
Personal:
- A moment in my childhood I'll never forget
- What I wanted to be when I grew up, what I want to be now
- The best time of my life was...
Organizational:
- My expectations of the group
- What I can give to the group
- Something that bothers me about the group
- I will strive to...
Favorite Songs:
The object of Favorite Songs is to collect all of the songs that your group
holds dear to them, for one reason or another, or that best represents them
or the organization. For a surprise, this should be done with no explanation
as to why. After all the music has been collected, put it all together on a
cassette tape. Play the music for the group and have them guess which music
belongs to which group member. Then have the group member explain why they chose
that particular piece of music. As an added bonus, you may choose to have copies
of the original tape made to give to your group after the fun is over. They
make great gifts.
Frisbee Anyone?
Have a frisbee at the meeting. Throw it around the room and have people that
catch it answer a question or tell about themselves to the others in the group.
Once that person is finished throw the frisbee to someone else in the group.
Human Lines:
Have the participants line up according to some criteria. It could be according
to the alphabet, length of membership, or height. Have each person introduce
the person on their left to the whole group. Allow two minutes for the participants
to gather information before starting the introductions.
Name Tag Game:
Introduce yourself to another person in the group and after conversing two minutes,
exchange name tags. Then share the information about your partner with another
member in the organization.
Name Whip:
Have the group sit in a circle. (Not recommended for groups over twenty.) Each
participant will introduce themselves by saying their name and a word using
the first initial of their first name. The topic from which the word is based
is flexible. The facilitator would start by asking the group to think of a favorite
food item, or some other topic, that begins with the first letter of their first
name. Each person will be responsible to remember the names and matching items
for every person that precedes him or her in the circle. The whip ends when
the last person in the circle names everyone in the room and the item they like.
The facilitator should then ask if anyone in the group can name everyone in
the circle and the item they liked.
People To People:
Everyone is directed to pair off and an odd number is needed so there is one
person left standing in the middle of the group. The person who does not have
a pair then calls out directions for the partners such as nose to nose, finger
to forehead, ankle to shoulder, etc. (body parts to body parts.) The partners
will do whatever the person in the middle calls out (like Simon Says). The person
in the middle gives between one to five directions and then calls out "People
to People" and everyone grabs a new partner including the person in the
middle, so you are left with a new person in the middle. The game continues.
This game needs to be played in a large area or outside.
Scavenger Hunt:
Have each participant write down their name and an obscure fact about themselves
that few people know about. These are then typed up on a sheet of paper, but
with the names left blank. Hand out the sheets to all the participants and tell
them that they are to match the obscure facts with everyone's name. This could
be done in two ways, one way is to have everyone just guess and see how many
they get right. Afterwards they could discuss first impressions and stereotyping.
The second method is to have everyone work on the sheet throughout the meeting,
week, or until next meeting and offer a prize to the person with the most correct
answers. If there is a tie, have a run off to see who can remember the most
without looking at his or her sheet.
Take As Much As You Think You'll
Need:
Props: M & M's, peanuts, a roll of toilet paper, Skittles or anything else
with lots of pieces (choose one) and small cups.
To begin, the leader passes around the bowl of M & M's or the roll of toilet
paper. Each person is given the instructions to "Take as much as you think
you will need." No further instructions are given until each person has
received their M & M's. Once everyone has some, the first person begins
by telling one thing about himself for each M & M or piece of toilet paper
they have taken. When the first person has finished, you move on to the next
person in the group. As an interesting twist, and to be sure that you find out
some different information on each person, you may give each color M&M a
different meaning or category. We suggest the following: (example using Skittles)
Red: personal information (name, major, school, age)
Yellow: family information (parents, brothers, sisters, pets)
Orange: free category- use it to say something fun about yourself or you don't
have to say anything
Green: dating experience (favorite date, worst date, significant others)
Purple: hobbies, other interests (sports, dancing, talents)
What's In There:
Have everyone pull out their wallet or purse and pick two items they store away
and explain why they keep them (pictures, tickets, receipts, etc.).
You will find that after you have accomplished a few of these ice breaker activities,
your group members will work cooperatively to successfully accomplish the group's
goals. Your members will feel connected to your organization because they know
others and feel comfortable around the group. Attendance should remain steady,
if not higher, because group members will enjoy going to your meetings, activities
and events and will most likely tell a friend about the fun they are having
with your organization. Lastly, your members will be happier because they are
having fun!
Part of this information was taken from "Resources for Leadership
and Organizational Development," Student Organization Development Center,
The University of Michigan
AUTOGRAPH SHEET:
Participants are given a sheet with various traits on it. The objective is to
find a person in the group who fits one of the descriptions and get that person’s
autograph next to the trait. When making up the list, be creative, but include
traits pertinent to the group. Each person may sign each sheet only once. Here
are some examples:
Likes broccoli _____________
Balances his/her checkbook ______________
Has been to a fortune teller ______________
Speaks another language _______________
BITE THE BAG:
The team is instructed to form a large circle. The facilitator then places a
brown grocery bag in the center of the circle. Each member must pick up the
bag with his/her teeth while standing on one foot with both hands held behind
his/her back. After the entire group has successfully completed this task, the
facilitator cuts one to two inches off the top of the bag. If a team member
touches the floor with his/her foot (or any other part of the body), the member
is disqualified. After each round, more of the bag is cut. The last team member
who successfully picks up the bag without falling, wins! This exercise, similar
to a reversed limbo contest, can be a lot of fun and a great icebreaker for
new team members.
CATCH ME IF YOU CAN:
Players should be paired up. All players divide into two lines (facing in) shoulder
to shoulder, with partners facing each other. Participants should be given approximately
30 seconds to look at their partners, taking in all details about the individual.
The leader then instructs the two lines to turn and face away from the center.
One or both lines has 15-20 seconds to change something about their appearance
(i.e. change a watch to different wrist, unbutton a button, remove a belt, etc.).
The change must be discrete, but visible to the partner. The players again turn
in to face each other and have 30 seconds to discover the physical changes that
have been made. Players get to interact with each other and have fun!
COMIC STRIP CHAOS:
Each participant takes a turn at picking a comic frame out of the large container.
After the entire group has each chosen one, the participants begin to search
for others with the same comic strip sequence. After the participants have found
everyone in their group, they must arrange themselves so that the sequence of
frames are in chronological order to form the comic strip correctly. Upon completion
of sequence, the newly formed group sits down together. Great game to break
large group into smaller groups.
CONFUSION:
Great high energy game to help participants begin to feel more comfortable in
new group. Give each participant a sheet with various tasks and ask them to
complete it when you say, "GO!" Here is a sample:
Get a male to do five push-ups and sign here
Stand on one foot with your arms outstreched for 20 seconds.
Have someone time you and sign here
Leap frog over someone 5 times
Get someone to whisper the pledge of allegiance and sign here
Play "Ring around the Rosy" with two other people and have them sign
here
Get a female to recite a nursery rhyme
Shake hands with someone you do not know and continue holding hands while debating
the merits of your favorite ice cream flavor
Have someone teach you a dance step (even if they make it up)
First person to complete the entire sheet, wins.
DO YOU LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR:
The group stands in a circle with room in the center. (Best if played with groups
of 20 or more.) One person begins in the circle and says to an individual in
the group, "_________, do you love your neighbor?" The individual
pointed out can either say, "Yes I love my neighbors _______ and _______,
but I REALLY love people ___________ (wearing green, from CO, etc.)" or
"No, I do not love my neighbors ________ and _________." If the individual
uses the first phrase, all members of the group with that characteristic must
find a new spot in the circle at least three spaces from they are standing.
The person with no space (last person remaining) becomes the caller. If the
individual uses the second phrase, his/her two "neighbors" must switch
places with one another. The group members move in quickly to "lose"
their spaces. The last of the two becomes the caller.
Fire Drill Icebreaker/Teambuilder
Bring everyone into one room. The leader needs to have a bell. Ring the bell
anytime during the meeting. Inform everyone that this is a fire drill and they
have 2 minutes to go back to their room, grab one thing to take with them and
report back to the meeting area or the safety zone. when everyone has returned
go around the room and have everyone say why they grabbed the item they did.
It is a good way to get to know the history of a person.
GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION:
Each group member is from a different geographic location, but together they
will form a map. Once a map has been established by the group, each group member
will stand where he/she thinks they belong to make the map as close to scale
as possible.
HOG CALL:
Break the group into pairs. Each pair must choose two things; a machine and
an animal. They then have to decide who is which. The pairs then divide up on
opposite sides of the room. Everyone must close their eyes (if they feel comfortable),
and by making only the noise that their character would make, they must find
their partner. When they find their partner, they can open their eyes and wait
until everyone else is done. Note: When conducting an activity with eyes closed,
have the group raise their hands in front of their chests as "bumpers,"
and have at least one person (facilitator) acting as a spotter.
HOMETOWN:
Post a large outline of of your state (or the country) on the wall. Leave border
space for those born outside of the USA. Have participants put their hometown
and first name on the map. Then ask them to share about their hometown and how
they decided to go to your university.
HUM THAT TUNE:
Each person in the group is given a small piece of paper with the name of a
nursery rhyme or other song written on the paper. (i.e. "Row, row, row
your boat," "Rock-a-bye baby," etc.) All of the people who are
given the song must hum that tune and fine everyone else singing the song. They
then form a group. You can also have each group then perform the song afterwards
using a skit.
HUMAN SCAVENGER HUNT:
The paper will have a series of questions on it (in a bingo format - in squares).
Participants are required to find another participant who can answer "yes"
to a question. They must have that person sign their name within the square.
The object is to meet as many people as you can, and fill a "BINGO!"
(A complete line either horizontally, vertically, or diagonally) You can only
use each participant once. Note: The center circle should be a freebie. Here
are some samples:
Knows their zodiac sign
From a northern state
Knows when Martin Luther King’s birthday is
Member of a sorority or fraternity
Has been a competitive athlete
Has traveled abroad
Knows how to polka
HUMAN TACO:
Stick labeled note card (with taco ingredient) on the back of everyone’s
shirt. (i.e. the word meat printed on a note card) Have each player mingle around
asking yes/no questions to find out the taco ingredient that is on their back.
Explain the correct order of ingredients in a Human Taco: shell, meat, cheese,
lettuce, tomato, salsa and then give the start command, "I’m hungry!
Let’s eat! Run for the Border!" Each individual must find out which
ingredient they are and then find enough to form a complete Human Taco.
IMPORTANT ITEM:
Have each person bring something to the meeting that means something special
to them or that they would not have left home without, and then ask them to
take turns sharing.
LOLLIPOP:
Pass out dum-dum lollipops to the group. For every letter that appears in the
flavor, the participant has to share something about him/her with the group.
M & M GAME:
This activity is very similar to the Toilet Paper Game, but instead of using
a roll of toilet paper, you may use a bag of M & M’s. Make sure the
group members do not eat their M & M’s until their turn has passed.
MAKE A DATE:
Give each participant a paper plate. Have them draw the face of a clock on their
plate with a line next to each number (no digitals!). Then have participants
walk around a find a "date" for each hour, writing their name by the
hour. The catch is, no one can make a "date" with more than one person
per hour. After everyone has made their dates, speed up time and allow 1-3 minutes
for each hour. The facilitator then asks a question for discussion on each date.
The pairs will have a chance to get to know one another.
MUMBLE JUMBLE:
Before the activity begins, the leader will cut up a few pictures into puzzle
pieces. Each group member will grab a piece of a puzzle from a bag. The group
members will keep their puzzle piece to themselves until the leader says, "GO!"
At this point, the group members will try to locate the other members of the
group with the pieces to form the appropriate pictures. Whichever group does
it first, wins. Good activity for breaking into retreat/activity groups.
SELF INTRODUCTION EXERCISE:
The objective of this exercise is for members of the team to become acquainted
with one another to work more effectively as a team. Each individual needs to
complete the paragraph below and then, if they feel comfortable disclosing,
may be asked to share answers with the rest of the group.
Hello, my name is __________. I am ____ years old and I am majoring in ________.
My hometown is ______________ and I really ________ it there because ______________.
I always dreamed that someday I would ________________, and that dream has ______
true. I feel __________ about it now! Some things I like to do include ______________.
There are many things I am good at and one of them is ______________. I did
a really interesting thing once and that was ____________. My family consists
of ______________. If I could change one thing about myself it would be _____________.
Still, I am really glad to be here right now because ______________. I would
really like to get together with anyone who be interested in _________________.
The one thing I want to be remembered for is _______________. As far as future
plans are concerned, I hope to be ________________ someday.
SENTENCE STEMS:
Form dyads (2) or triads (3) and have participants complete the rest of the
sentence. The leader can read the sentence to all of the participants or all
participants can have sheets of paper with these listed and take their own time
in covering them. (Excellent for roommates!) Here are some examples:
Before I came to (Institution), my main interests were...
The way I would describe my family is...
The thing I remember most about highschool...
My fondest memories of another person are...
My most unusual friend is...
The things I value most are...
My favorite pastimes are...
Some of the things that make me happy are...
Where I hope to be five years from now...
The thing I would most like to accomplish this year...
The thing that concerns me most about college is...
Good starters for roommates might be:
The first day we met, the things I noticed about you were...
Since then, some things that surprised me about you were...
Something I like about you is...
It appears to me that an important difference between us is...
I think we might have to compromise on...
What I think I will get out of having a roommate is...
I think the most important thing I have learned from this discussion is...
SHOE FACTORY:
Have the group stand in a large circle shoulder to shoulder. Then have everyone
remove their shoes and put them in the center. After the group has formed a
pile with their shoes, the leader has everyone choose two different shoes other
than their own. They should put them on their feet (halfway if they are too
small). The group then needs to successfully match the shoes and put them in
proper pairs by standing next to the individual wearing the other shoe. This
will probably result in a tangled mess - and lots of giggles!
SOLEMN AND SILENT:
The instructor explains that this exercise will take self control. Members pair
back to back. On the count of three, everyone must face their partner, look
each other in the eyes, and then try to remain solemn and serious. No speaking!
The first to smile or laugh must sit down. All who remain standing then take
a new partner and the activity continues until only one person has not smiled
or laughed. (Second round of playing can involve two teams competing to outlast
each other.) If you get a pair at the end who are both keeping a straight face,
the rest of the group can act ask hecklers to disrupt them.
STINGER:
Have the group form a circle and close their eyes. Facilitator circles the group
and selects a "stinger" by squeezing an individual’s shoulder.
The group then opens their eyes and spends time introducing themselves to others
while shaking hands (and trying to spot the stinger). The stinger tries to eliminate
everyone without getting caught. The stinger strikes by injecting poison with
their index finger, while shaking hands. A person stung may not die until at
least five seconds after they are stung. The more dramatic the death, the better!
When someone thinks they have discovered who the stinger is, they may announce
that they know. If they get a "second" from someone else in the group
within 10 seconds, the two of them may make an accusation. If the person does
not get a second, he/she must wait to challenge again, after another person
dies. If another person does step forward to second the challenge, both point
to who they think it is on a count to three. If they do not point to the same
person, or they both point to the wrong person, they both are automatically
dead. If they select the correct person, the stinger is dead and the game is
over.
STRING GAME:
Participants select pre-cut lengths of string from the group facilitator . Each
member holds the string between his/her thumb and forefinger. For each "wrap"
of the string around the finger, participants must share one thing about themselves.
SUPERLATIVES:
Participants are asked to study the composition of the group quietly and to
decide on a superlative adjective that describes themselves in reference to
the others (youngest, tallest, most uptight, etc.). They then tell their adjectives,
explain, and, if possible, test their accuracy.
TOILET PAPER GAME:
Get a roll of toilet paper and explain to your group that they are going camping
and need to take as much toilet paper as they think they may need for a three
day trip. Once everyone has an ample supply, explain to the group that for every
square in their possession, they must share something about themselves. NOTE:
If anyone knows the activity, ask them not to give away the secret under any
circumstances.
TRUTH, TRUTH, LIE:
Give the group some time to write down two things about themselves that are
true, and one thing that is a "lie." Each group member will then share
these facts about themselves and the rest of the group has to figure out which
"fact" is actually a "lie."
UNCLE FRED’S SUITCASE:
The group forms a circle. The first person states their name and the reason
they picked this college, group, etc. You continue going around the group, repeating
the names of the people preceding their name and why they chose to come to (Institution).
You also can substitute the "why you came here" with other things.
Another version of the game is to begin with, "I packed Uncle Fred’s
suitcase with........" and continue around like that. The real trick is
the last person in the group who has to name all the people and why they came,
what they like, etc.
WHERE ARE YOU?:
Pick a year or a date before the meeting and then give each person a chance
to tell what they were doing on that date (Jan ‘87, Summer ‘90).
WHO AM I...OR FAMOUS PAIRS:
In this exercise, group members will be asked to identify the names of famous
pairs or persons. The leader tapes the name of a famous person on the back of
each participant. (i.e. Fred Flinstone, Mary Lou Retton, Bill Clinton, etc.)
The group member is not to see who is taped to their back. Their task is to
find out who they are. The participants mill around the room asking others yes/no
questions. If the member receives a "yes" answer, they can continue
to ask that individual questions until they receive a "no" answer.
Then they must continue on to ask someone else. When a group member figures
out who they are, they take off the tag, put it on the front of their shirt,
and write their own name on it. The member then can help other members find
out who they are. The exercise concludes when all members have discovered who
they are.
Thanks to Laura Dicke, a '99 Colorado State Student Affairs in
Higher Education graduate for compiling most of these ice breakers from various
sources.
Record of Me.
"This helps students get acquainted and to start to feel at ease in the
class/group setting. Make copies of a blank record; A circle within a circle
divided into 6 segments. Start by talking to students about what a composer
thinks of when he/she writes a song. The person wants to share his /her feelings
or ideas with other people. Tell the students that they'll be doing a brief
activity to share some things about themselves. Hand out a blank record sheet
to each student. Ask students to choose six (6) categories from the following
list and create a Record of Me. One of the categories must be what I hope to
accomplish or get from this group/class.
My Favorite Song
My Favorite Place To Go With Friends
My Month of Birth
Favorite Restaurant
Class I Like Best
Favorite Movie
Favorite Musician
Where I was Born
Place I'd Like To Go To
What I Want To Accomplish or Get From This Group/Class
Give students about 5 minutes to work, then ask them to pair off with someone
they don't know. Ask them to begin to share the information they've chosen for
their record with their partner. Ask students to take turns introducing their
partner to the class/group, explaining what they've learned about their partners."
Defining Perception
George, Middle School Teacher: Birmingham, Alabama
"Ask for 2 student volunteers to come up and stand in front of the class. Explain to them that they are going to be part of an experiment about different perceptions. Ask the class to begin to describe the two classmates who are standing before them. Let the descriptions go on for a few minutes. Examples of descriptions might be: hobbies, music they like, etc. Ask the 2 students how accurate the descriptions of them were. Let the students point out things that were right on and things that were not true, at all. Point out to students how we all assume certain things to be true about people based on how they look. Additionally, our perceptions are based on our experiences and beliefs. Perceptions change from person to person and there is never an absolute truth in our perceptions. We need to be open to experiencing people for who they are and not how they look."
He said, She said.
Debra, 7th-8th Grade Teacher: Queens, NY
"This is an idea to help students
learn how rumors begin and spread and how the information changes from one person
to the next. Ask for three student volunteers. Ask the three volunteers to please
go outside in the hall. Ask for one more volunteer from the class. Ask the volunteer
to come up front. Read a detailed description of a person to the student. For
example: Susan is 12 years old. She is wearing blue jeans and an orange shirt.
She has sneakers on her feet. Her hair is brown and her eyes are blue.
She is wearing a NY Yankees baseball cap, turned around backwards. In her hands
are a lunch bag and 2 books. Ask the students who are seated to observe and
note what they are about to witness. Invite one of the students in from the
hall. Ask the student who just heard the description to repeat it to the student
from the hall. Repeat this process with the next 2 students. Conclude by asking
students to share their observations and ask them how they will handle the situation
the next time they hear a rumor. Rumors are not true and the more they are spread
around, the less truth they hold."
Networking
Donna, High School Teacher: Spokane, WA
Get your students use to collecting information about each other early on in the school year. Place students in groups and encourage them to exchange phone numbers, email addresses or any information that is useful to get in touch with each other. During this time, ask students to share with each other some of the classes they have taken and hints on how they have studied in the past to get good grades. During this time, you can also encourage them to form study groups and meet after class time or show them how to set up a chat room discussion that enables them to meet online. This is also a great way to get students to communicate with each other outside of class."
Fantasy Island
Ann, Guidance Counselor: Northport, NY
"To help students get in touch
with what's important to them and to introduce themselves to others in the class.
Students will need construction paper and markers or crayons. Students are told
to imagine that the piece of paper in an island. The island is theirs and they
can have anything on the island that they want. Encourage the students to draw
images of anything that they'd like to have on their "Fantasy Island"...
After drawings are finished, students are paired off with a buddy. They share
with each other about their island. After 5-10 minutes, the pairs are invited
to share with the class what they've discovered about their buddies' similarities
and differences."
Jokes and Punch Lines
Person with the joke, "Why did the chicken cross the road"… has
to match up with the person that has the answer, "To get to the other side".
Great fun because answers with the wrong jokes are often quite humorous.
Puzzle Pieces
Before the party, put a puzzle together. Then select pairs of two puzzle pieces
that fit/match each other from different parts of the puzzle. After all the
pairs have been selected, take them apart and put all the pieces into a bowl
for the guests to select one puzzle piece upon arrival. Leave the puzzle you’ve
put together on a table so that as guess match up, they can put those pieces
into the puzzle. Game is over when the puzzle is finished.
Colors
Before the party, cut two pieces of one color of felt or construction paper
for every two guests. If there are twelve guests, you’ll need six colors.
Shapes
Cut each shape in half, planning on one shape for every two guests. Shapes include
square, hexagon, circle, rectangle, pyramid, oval, thin strip, thick strip.
The same shape can be used if the colors are different, for instance, red square,
blue square, yellow square.
Song Lyrics
Select known songs, perhaps by age group. Teenage parties would require today
songs, while an age fifties group would go with the "oldies but the goodies".
Holiday parties can use appropriate songs. Select one song for every two guests.
Each guest receives several lines of the beginning of a song and has to match
the finishing lyrics another guest has.
Famous Movie Star Couples
These can be real life couples, such as Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart or
they can be movie couples, such as Samson and Delilah. Put one name of each
couple on a piece of paper and pin to the back of one guest. Guests must ask
questions to find out who they are, then go look for their "mate".
Guests can NOT ask, "Who am I?".
Cartoon Character Couples
Same as the Movie Star couples above, but only cartoon characters, such as Charlie
Brown and Snoopy, Garfield and Odie, Blondie and Dagwood, Dick Tracy and Tess.
Matching Fabric
Two pieces of each fabric pattern per two guests. Such patterns are plaids,
stripes, polkadots, solid colors, felt, netting, and printed fabrics.
Party Favors
Use of small inexpensive party favors, two of each item for every two guests.
Party favors include yoyo’s, party hats, whistles, bracelets, tops, blocks,
crayons, rubber insects, etc.
Christmas Ornaments
Use of colored ornament balls, two of each color per two guests. Or use tinsel,
bows, holly, ribbon, beads, bells, angels, etc. – things you hang on a
holiday tree.
Holidays
Use small items to match your holiday party, whether it is Fourth of July, Easter
or St. Patrick’s Day. For instance, if it is a Valentine’s Day party,
use hearts, chocolate, Hershey Kisses, cards, cupids, etc.
Games
Have participants say 3 things about themselves - 2 true and 1 lie, others guess
what the lie is Have everyone write on a piece of paper their answers to these
questions: What is your favorite food, animal, TV show, hobby, and color? Sign
your name. Don't let anyone else see the answers. The leader then reads the
answers to the whole group, and members try to guess whom each set of answers
belongs to. Award one point for each right guess. The person with the most points
wins a prize. Give each person is given a list of 5 to 10 traits that they must
find in common with the people around them. Sample items could be: "Find
someone that was born in the same month", "..someone who lives in
your state", or "..drives the same model of car". A prize is
awarded to the participants with the most in common.
Activities
Write the words "agree," "disagree," "strongly agree"
and "strongly disagree" on separate pieces of paper and post them
on four different walls of the room. Then make a statement such as "our
organization can change the world" and have everybody move to the part
of the room that matches their opinion. Have the group discuss why they chose
their response. With everyone in a circle, have someone come up with a short
story that they whisper to the person next to them, and so on. Have the last
person recount the story out loud.
Simple Lead-Ins
Ask participants to state one or two "burning questions" they hope
will be answered in this session. Have participants describe one strategy/resource
they have used successfully (relevant to the topic of the meeting/training).
Have them state their personal definition of the topic (eg., in a marketing
meeting, "Participation Marketing means...").
'LAY DOWN THE LAW' AND THEN...
Like many teachers, Suzanne Meyer feels compelled to use part of the first day
of classes to "lay down the law." She shares her plans for the year
ahead as well as class rules and expectations. A few years ago, however, Meyer,
the K-12 instructional technology coordinator in the Hilton (New York) Central
School District, decided to turn the tables.
"After doing my 'routine,' I asked students for their expectations of me,"
Meyer told Education World. "For three years in a row, I have found that
this approach builds powerful bridges to understanding between me and my students.
"Because adolescents are in 'take in' mode early in the school year, you
will have their undivided attention as they try to size you up," suggested
Meyer. "Tell them you're interested in their opinions and you're asking
them these questions as a way of finding out about their learning styles and
preferences. Ask them to write, using as much detail as possible, their responses
to questions, such as
Now that I've told you my expectations of a good student, what are your expectations
of a good teacher?
Tell me about the best teacher you've ever had. What made that person such a
good teacher?
Now that I've told you some of my ideas about how we will go about learning
this year's material, tell me about how you learn best. Give me an example of
a project or unit where you learned a lot. Describe the project in detail.
"I passed this idea on to other friends and have gotten very good feedback
about how it sets up a positive dynamic right from the beginning of the school
year," added Meyer. "The students' writing will also surprise and
amuse you, and you can use responses as a follow-up the next day when you launch
into the work and fun of learning with a new group of students."
TIME CAPSULES: A TIME-PROVEN YEAR
OPENER
Annette Bright teaches fourth grade at Our Lady of Unity School in Kansas City,
Kansas. Like many other teachers, she starts her year with a time capsule activity.
"I give each student a sheet with questions such as
What's your favorite TV show?
What's your favorite song?
What's your favorite book? on it.
There's a space for students to answer the questions at the beginning of the
year and another space for them to answer the same questions at the end of the
year.
"After students put their answers in the first blank, I tie all the sheets
together and put them in my file cabinet," Bright told Education World.
"It's always funny at the end of the year to hear them laughing and screeching
over their answers from the beginning of the year. They always change their
minds by the end of the year!"
Beginning-of-the-year time capsules can include many other items too. In addition
to students' question sheets, their individual time capsules might also include
a hand tracing, yarn cut to measure their heights, and writing samples. Seal
the items in envelopes, and open them at the end of the school year. Students
will surely be amazed at their growth -- physically and academically!
For that time capsule writing sample, you might use another of Bright's favorite
beginning-of-school activities. "I have students interview each other like
newspaper reporters sometime during the first week of school," Bright explained.
"They have to ask a partner five questions and use those answers to write
a paragraph about their partner. Then they introduce their partner to the class
by reading the interviews."
Those interviews also make a great Introducing the Fourth Grade bulletin board,
added Bright.
THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVORITE
THINGS
Inviting students to share a few of their favorite things is a great way to
break the ice!
Judith Bessenoff, a teacher at Benjamin Franklin Elementary School in Edison,
New Jersey, introduces an overhead transparency on which she has drawn all kinds
of pictures that "describe" herself. There's a plane, lots of books,
a hill, and more. She invites her students to guess from the drawings what her
favorite outside interests might be. (Did you guess traveling, reading, and
hiking?)
"Then I give students drawing paper and ask them to tell me about themselves
-- using only pictures," said Bessenoff. "We break into small cooperative
groups, and each group tries to tell about the people in the group. Of course,
I walk around and interact with each group, so I get to know them too."
Each September, Charilyn Damigo makes a large chart titled Getting to Know You.
She laminates the chart and hangs it on a wall in her classroom at Liberty Baptist
School in San Jose, California. "The chart has sections for students' name
and interesting facts, such as how many people are in their families, how many
pets they have, their favorite colors, favorite school subjects, favorite sports,
and so on," Damigo told Education World. "Everyone 'signs in' sometime
during the first day of school. "I leave the chart up for several weeks,"
added Damigo. "The kids love to wander over to it when they have free time.
They keep learning new things about one another."
Like many of her students, teacher Debra Adams will probably wear a nice new
outfit on the first day of the new school year. Unlike most of the other teachers
at Cordova (Alaska) Junior/Senior High School, Adams chooses to accessorize
with her favorite hiking boots!
She gets some odd looks -- as you can well imagine!
"I tell my students that my hiking boots -- which I call my 'happy shoes'
-- are one of my most sentimental objects," said Adams. "They tell
a lot about me, I say. Then I invite the students to ask questions and take
notes about my hiking boots in order to get to know me better. Usually students
come up with such questions as
Where have you been in your boots?
Why do you call them 'happy shoes'?
How long have you had them?
What I want the class to discover is that I am passionate about traveling and
that I have trekked all over the world in my 'happy shoes.'
"After the question session," Adams continued, "I ask the students
to write brief paragraphs that tell what they learned about me that they would
not have otherwise known. Then I give the assignment for the next day; each
student is to bring in a sentimental object of his or her own. No one has to
get up in front of the room to share it -- ninth graders are afraid of this
kind of exposure! -- but I will visit each person's desk and ask the student
to show me the object he or she brought. I admire and fuss over each object
and ask several questions about it. Then I ask each student to write a paragraph
that describes his or her object and explains what it tells me about the student
that I would not known if we'd simply gone over classroom rules the first day.
"Students have brought in beautiful objects -- a girl's baby quilt made
by her mother, fly tying equipment, keys to dirt bikes, stuffed animals, woven
scarves, rings, photo albums of friends, you name it!" said Adams. "Students
appreciate the personal, yet non-threatening, interest I take in their objects."
This activity could be easily adapted for use with younger students, added Adams.
"Sixth graders would probably be jazzed about introducing their objects
to the class!"
Trina Baxter works in the computer lab at Hampton (Georgia) Elementary School.
She works with many teachers at the school. One of her favorite activities is
the All About Me Bag.
"On the first day of school, a teacher fills a small brown lunch bag with
items that best 'describe' him or her," said Baxter. "She or he pulls
out each item and tells the children a short story about it. The bag might include
things such as baby pictures, pictures of pets, an object from a collection,
a food he or she does not like, and so on. Then students are given brown bags
to decorate. For homework that night, the students must fill their bags with
items that tell about themselves. Those bags are shared throughout the first
week of school in community circle."
This activity gives the teacher a great understanding of each student right
from the beginning of the new school year, added Baxter.
MORE GETTING TO KNOW YOU ACTIVITIES!
Avis Breding puts a little action into her opening-day activities at Jeannette
Myhre School in Bismarck, North Dakota. She's adapted an activity from Skills
for Adolescence for use with her fifth and sixth graders. "I use little
beanbags, and we go outside if the weather cooperates. Students stand in a circle
at tossing distance. For the first round, when someone tosses the beanbag to
a student, the person has to tell his or her name. The second round is favorite
food, the third round, their favorite sport."
"You can add whatever you want to the list of information they share,"
added Breding. "I quit the game when the tossing gets a little wild!"
If tossing action is part of your opening-day game plan, you might try another
activity that I saw posted recently to the .
The teacher who posted the idea says she's done this activity with all ages
-- including adults. She calls the activity the "snowball activity."
She wrote: "Students write on a piece of paper three things about themselves.
Then they crumple the paper up into a 'snowball' and have a one-minute snowball
fight. At the end of the minute, everyone grabs the closest snowball and has
to try to find the person who wrote it. They then introduce that person to the
rest of the group, sharing the three facts."
Another active getting to know you idea comes from Brigitte Dennett, a teacher
at Skyview High School in Vancouver, Washington. It's an idea that might be
used with success at any grade level.
"You begin by setting up chairs in a circle," Dennett told Education
World, "but set up one less chair than the number of participants."
Then it's time to explain the rules. The teacher can start the game by being
the person in the middle without a chair. "Each person in the circle starts
by introducing themselves to their two circle neighbors on either side,"
explained Dennett. "The teacher then introduces herself or himself to a
member of the circle and asks that person who his or her neighbors are. After
the student responds, the teacher invites the student to ask a yes or no question
of the whole group. That question must relate something true about the student.
For example, a student who surfs might ask the group if anyone has ever been
surfing. Members of the class who have surfed respond yes not by talking but
by getting out of their seats and finding a new seat at least two chairs away."
Then the cycle starts again. Students introduce themselves to their neighbors,
the person left standing introduces himself or herself to a new person, and
the game continues.
On the first day of school, teacher Sandra Doughman serves up a delicious little
activity that makes a great bulletin board too! Doughman starts by handing a
paper plate to each student in her class. "I ask each student to draw on
the plate something that he or she feels is special about himself or herself,"
Doughman told Education World. "That might be a special hobby, an interest,
an activity, anything!"
The students also draw or write their names on their plates in big letters,
added Doughman. "Then all the students sit around a table covered with
a red-and-white checkered tablecloth. They share with the group their picture
plates and explain to the group the significance of what they drew."
This is a nice way for students and the teacher to get to know one another,
but the activity also results in a fun bulletin board! "When the sharing
time is over, I put the cloth up as a background on a bulletin board and then
place the paper plates on the board!"
While we're talking about food, Linda Vaughn, a teacher at Muskingum Perry Career
Center in Zanesville, Ohio, starts the year with an appeal to the sweet tooth
in her students!
"I pass around a basket of candy, and I tell the students to take as much
of the candy as they want," said Vaughn. "They are usually pretty
shy and take only a few pieces. Then I explain that they must tell one thing
about themselves for each piece of candy they took!"
Pity the child who took a whopping handful!
Note: Before preparing or distributing any food in the classroom, make sure
you are aware of children's allergies or dietary restrictions and caution children
about choking hazards.
Brenda Buck, a grade three teacher at Kingston (Oklahoma) Elementary School,
invites her students to get to know each other with a quick, little game she
calls the "observation game."
"Line up your students in two lines facing each other," Buck explained,
adding, "If I have an odd number of students, then I play with the unmatched
student."
Buck gives the students exactly 30 seconds to look at the person with whom they're
paired and to study everything about that person. Then the students in one line
turn around and close their eyes while the students in the other line change
something about themselves. For example, says Buck, one person may take off
an earring, switch shoes, or put their hair behind an ear. Then the kids in
the other line turn around and try to name what has changed. Switch roles and
play the game again.
"The kids love this!" said Buck. "And some kids are very sneaky!"
I recently caught one more getting to know you idea that I really like liked
on the T2T Listserv <http://www.teachnet.com/t2t >! Teacher Shiela Fernandez
shared the idea she uses with the students in her class at Chula Vista (California)
Middle School. Fernandez hands each pair of students a blank Venn Diagram form.
The students work together to complete the activity.
"One student writes his or her name at the top of one of the circles, and
the other student writes his or her name at the top of the other one,"
explained Fernandez. "In the overlapping portion of the circles, the partners
must list five things that they have in common. In the parts of the circles
with their names, the students must each list five things that are unique about
themselves."
LANGUAGE FUN!
Some teachers start the year with introductory activities that combine getting
acquainted with language fun. One of those teachers is Kim Tupponce, who teaches
at Acquinton Elementary School in King William County, Virginia. On the first
day of school, Tupponce does a take-off on the popular Mad-Lib game. "I
write a generic story on an overhead transparency about 'The First Day of School
in Mrs. Tupponce's Class,'" she explained. "Of course, I include in
the story some strategically placed blanks. Without telling students what we
are doing, I ask for nouns, verbs, adjectives, and other missing words, which
I use to fill in the blanks as we go. I try to encourage students to use descriptive,
exciting words.
"The students wonder what's going on when I start giggling, as I invariably
do, because these are always funny," added Tupponce. "Then I turn
on the overhead to reveal our Mad-Lib, and I ask a volunteer to read it aloud.
"The kids will always beg to do it again, so it's a good idea to write
the story in permanent ink and fill in the blanks with water-based ink. You
can just wipe it off with a wet paper towel and start over," suggested
Tupponce.
She offered one more suggestion: Do the activity on the last day of school with
a story recapping the school year.
Students in Gloria Lenhart's class at Hamilton (New York) Central School form
a circle for introductions and a little fun with alliteration. "Students
introduce themselves with their names and something that they like that starts
with the same letter as their names," said Lenhart. "The person who
starts the game states the alliteration; then it's the next person's turn. That
person repeats what the first person said, then adds his or her name and alliteration
and so forth around the circle."
For example, Lenhart might start by saying, "My name is Gloria and I love
green grapes!" The next person in the circle says, "Her name is Gloria
and she loves green grapes. I am Susan and I love silly stories."
And so it goes. See how many of the alliterations the last person in the circle
can remember!
Ken Virgil uses a language activity on day one at Foster Village Elementary
School in Fort Worth, Texas. "This is not exactly a getting to know you
activity," said Virgil, "but it's fun and makes the kids think on
the first day."
Virgil writes on the board this simple direction: "List as many nouns as
you can that are white and food."
Students might remain engaged in this activity for as long as 30 minutes, said
Virgil. "We have come up with as many as 30 items in past years,"
he added. "The kids get really creative with it, listing things such as
the inside of an apple, parts of okra, and so on."
Karen Koester teaches middle-school-level students at St. Marguerite Catholic
School in Spruce Grove, Alberta, Canada. Before she began teaching, Koester
created an idea that she used in her youth ministry work; it's an idea that
might work in any middle school classroom. The teacher saves junk mail from
home as well as old magazines and newspapers. Cut out (or have students cut
out) all kinds of words, phrases, and advertising slogans that are catchy and
that your students might use to describe themselves. On the first day of school,
display those scraps on a long table. "Students choose the ones that best
describe themselves and glue those words or expressions onto their nametags,"
said Koester. "When they are called on to introduce themselves, they also
tell why they chose those particular scraps from the pile.
"This is a fun way to get to know all the students' names and a little
more," added Koester.
PLAN FOR NEXT YEAR!
Are you a planner? You might consider an activity for next year's opening day
that requires a little bit of pre-planning.
At the start of each summer, the grade-four teachers at Rye (New Hampshire)
Elementary School mail letters to the students who will enter their classes
in September. "That letter informs the students that they are now on a
scavenger hunt," said Melissa Bunton, one of the teachers. "They try
to collect the items on the scavenger hunt list and bring them with them on
the first day of school."
Among the items Bunton and her team members might ask students to collect are
something from nature that you found interesting
a picture of you doing anything
a brochure from someplace you went over the summer
a flower or vegetable from your garden
a list of books you read over the summer
a printed napkin
a postcard from somewhere you went over the summer
your favorite recipe
something from the beach
a symbol of New Hampshire (be creative!).
"I tell the students to find a box in which to store the items," explained
Bunton. "On the first day of school, each student shares his or her scavenger
hunt collection with a partner. Then two groups match up and each student shares
four items. Then two of those groups are matched and each of the eight students
shares three items. Eventually we'll be one big group, and each student will
share one item.
"The kids love searching for their scavenger hunt items and are excited
to share the items on the first day!" said Bunton, adding, "Everybody
gets to know one another and learn something about other people's interests."
One of the best parts is that the scavenger hunt collections can be used to
create activities that go beyond the first day of school. "We continue
to use them for the next two weeks," said Bunton. The items can be used
to prompt writing and for many other activities.
Have everyone bring an object that
best describes them or is important to them to the meeting and talk about it.
Tell residents when they arrive that it is a "fire drill" and they
have one minute to run to their apartments, grab one thing, and meet back at
the lobby. Have them talk about what they grabbed and why.
Have residents introduce their next door neighbors.
Name Whip- have participants introduce themselves positively with an adjective
beginning with the same letter as the initial of their first name.
Non-Verbal introduction- each person introduces themselves without using words.
Name Tags- Have everyone make name tags that represent themselves by drawing
pictures, making a collage, etc. Have them explain their name tag to the group.
These can be put on resident's doors or in a staff office.
Say your name and what community means to you
Human Scavenger Hunt- Ask each person to write down a fact about themselves.
Distribute blank bingo cards and have people write the facts down on the card
as you read them out loud. Allow participants to mingle and collect signatures.
Hum-Dinger- Write down well-known songs (Happy Birthday, Twinkle Twinkle Little
Star, etc) each on two pieces of paper. Every participant is given a paper and
walks around humming their song until they find someone else humming the same
song. This is a good way to pair people up for an activity.
Have each person take off one shoe and put it in a pile. Have everyone grab
a different shoe and look for the person with the matching shoe
Have each person share as much as they know about their name with the rest of
the group (origin, meaning, etc)
Discovery Questions- Write questions on papers and have pairs interview each
other (grades I would like to earn, things that annoy me most, etc)
Truth, Truth, Lie-
Give everyone a piece of paper and have them write down 2 things that are true
about them and one thing that is not. Have everyone read their paper and everyone
else guesses which one is the lie.
Open Questions- participants can ask anything they want to to the group or to
any individual in the group. Where did you get your hair done? Was anyone else
in band in high school? Was this your first choice college? and so forth.
Have everyone write a couple of questions on a piece of paper. The questions
are read out loud and everyone who answers "yes" takes a chip or prize
out of the center. Whoever has the most by the end wins. For those who answered
"yes", if they can tell an interesting story about why they answered
yes, they win 2 instead of 1.
Catalog Game-
"I Have Never" (10 Fingers)- Each person starts off with some candy.
Going around the circle, each person finishes the sentence "I have never..."
Everyone who HAS done what they have never done gives that person one of their
candies. A fun way to learn things you might otherwise not find out about people.
Or, you can have people hold up 10 fingers and put one finger down each time
they have done it.
Bring a ball of string or yarn to the group and pass it around with a pair of
scissors. Ask each one to cut a piece at any length they want. After each has
done so, tell them to wrap it around their finger and as they do talk about
themselves until it is completely wrapped.
Place a paper on each person's back with a characteristic on it (Valley Girl,
Smart, Happy, Rich). Don't let them see what you are putting on them. Let the
participants wander around and talk to each other, treating each other as they
might treat someone with that characteristic. Afterward have everyone guess
what characteristic they had and tell how they felt (good way to start a discussion
on stereotypes or a cultural program).
Catalog Game-
Get a catalog (Sears, JC Pennys, etc) and have everyone look through it and
pick one item that they would order for themselves if money was no object. The
first member of the group introduces says their name and what they picked form
the catalog. each person takes a turn, but each person must recall the previous
people's names/catalog items in order. You can also use food from a menu, animals
form a zoo that best describe them, song titles, hobbies, and so forth.
Amazing Body Tricks-
This is based on the idea that most people have something they can do with their
body that other people may not be able to do. Basically, you go around being
goofy and showing off your trick (rolling tongue, one armed handstand, etc).
Name and Number -
As people walk into the gathering, put their name on one side of an index card,
and a number on the other side. As everyone walks around with their name showing
(on the index card that is taped to their shirt), they have to try to introduce
themselves to as many people as they can. After a bit of mingling, tell everyone
to turn over his or her name tags, so that the number on each card is showing
rather than the name. Now give everyone a numbered piece of paper, and see who
can fill in the most names next to the corresponding number.
Sticker Stalker -
When residents arrive at your program, give each 10 stickers. The object of
this game is to get rid of all your stickers by sticking them on the other guests
(One sticker per guest). However, if the guest you are "stickering"
catches you, he/she gets to stick one of his/her stickers on you. If you are
"caught", you must temporarily take your sticker back, and you can
try to sticker that same person later (at your own risk). But if someone falsely
accuses you of "stickering" him/her, then you can automatically put
one of your stickers on that person. The first one to get rid of all 10 of their
original stickers is the winner!
This Is My Nose-
The group forms a circle. One person is "it" in the center and begins
the action by approaching someone else in the circle and pointing to a part
of their own body and calling it something else ("This is my nose"
while pointing at their elbow). The "victim" in the circle must do
the opposite (point to nose and say, "This is my elbow") before "it"
counts to three. If he fails to do so, then he bacomes it and it joins the circle.
Blanket Game-
Divide everyone up into two teams. Have two people hold a blanket up and have
the teams stand on each side of it so that they can't see the other team. Have
one person from each team stand right in front of the blanket. The two people
holding the blanket drop the blanket and the first of the two who can say the
other person's name wins and steps out to the side. The other has to try again.
The first team to get all their people out on the side wins. Be sure to introduce
anyone who's left on the other team in case people don't know their names.
Change 5 Things-
Pair everyone up into partners and have them face back to back. Have each person
change five things about their appearance then turn around and guess what the
other person changed (ex: took off necklace, switched watch to other arm, un-buttoned
jacket).
Mirrors-
Pair everyone up with a partner and have them take turns mirroring, or copying
the verbal and nonverbal behavior of the other. This can be varied to have them
copy only facial expressions, or to have them try to do it in groups, with groups
trying to copy each other- has a little more thought to it.
Make a Line-
While no one talks, have everyone line up by birth date. After everyone is done,
have everyone tell their birthday outloud and see if it was done correctly.
This can also be done alphabetically by first, middle, or last name, by the
city you were born in, by color of hair (lightest to darkest), by height, and
so forth.
Do You Know Your Neighbor?
(I Like People Who)- Have
everyone sit in a circle, except for one person who stands in the middle. Have
everyone find out the first name of the person sitting on either side of them.
The person in the center picks someone and asks, "Do you know your neighbors?"
The person responds, "Yes, I'd like you to meet ______ and ______. I'd
like to meet everyone who ________ (has blue socks, likes ice cream, etc). Everyone
who fits that description has to get up and find a new seat at least two seats
away. The game repeats.
Categories- Have members of the group arrange themselves into groups by their
favorite dessert, sport, color, movie, car, etc. This is a good activity to
get people up and moving and to find out common likes.
Zoo-
Have everyone stand shoulder to shoulder in a circle. Have one person inside
the circle point to someone and say alligator. The people on either side of
the person pointed at must take on the appearance of that animal (arms to look
like big teeth) before the person in the middle counts to five. If the person
in the middle counts to five first, the person they pointed at takes their place.
You can add in more animals as the game progresses (it is suggested to use just
4 animals, tops) and you can put more than one person in the middle as well.
Mum Ball-
Have everyone stand in
a circle. Without making any sounds, toss a tennis ball to each other in the
circle randomly. If someone makes a noise, misses a throw, or makes an unacceptable
throw, they must sit down.
Switch (Shuffle Your Buns)-
Everyone is seated in chairs with one empty chair and one person standing in
the middle. The object of the group is to prevent the person in the middle from
sitting down by "shuffling their buns" (to the right or to the left,
as directed by the person in the middle). After the group gets the general idea,
explain that the direction can be changed by a person slapping the empty chair.
When the group hears the slap they automatically switch directions. The person
in the middle seizes this opportunity to sit down and the person who failed
to move to the empty seat is now the person in the middle.
Sculptures-
Participants are seated on the floor. The leader asks for two volunteers. One
is a sculptor, and the other is the sculpture. The leader whispers a word to
the sculptor, who then begins to sculpt the other person into that word. The
rest of the group tries to guess the word. The activity can gradually increase
to where different teams are working together to sculpt other teams, and to
where the person being sculpted has to guess what they are becoming.
I'm Thinking of a Word That Rhymes
With...
The leader thinks of a one syllable word and tells the group that he is thinking
of a word that rhymes with it. The members must use a definition to guess what
the word is. (Example: I'm thinking of a word that rhymes with cat (rat). Is
it a word that means overweight? No, it isn't fat. Is it something you would
put in front of your front door? No, it isn't mat. Is it a rodent larger than
a mouse? Yes, it's rat.).
Thumb Buddy-
Have everyone pair up by the person who has the thumb most similar to their
own thumb in the group. Tell them to take their time in choosing a partner
GUMMY BEARS
Have 4-6 buckets filled with water. (A girl volunteer for each bucket
sitting in chairs with buckets in front of them with guys laying down with
heads beside buckets). The girls are to have shoes and socks off. Place
6-8 gummy bears (or life savers) in each bucket and have the girls, with
their toes, feed them to the guys. The girl and guy team who can eat the
most gummy bears in 2 minutes wins a bag of gummy bears.
INNERTUBE CHALLENGE
Props: One bicycle innertube (you can get one at Wal-Mart)
Get as many people inside the bicycle innertube as possible
SIGN THE FOOT GAME
Pick 2-3 volunteers. Have them take their shoes & socks off. Give them each
a ball point pen. In 2 min., see who can get the most signatures on their
feet in the time allotted. The audience's name can only be used once per
foot.
HULA HOOP GAME
Divide into even teams. (The # of teams is determined by the size of your
huddle and the # of hoops you can find.) Have each team join hands and
stand in a straight line. The whole team must pass through the hoop without
letting go of each others hands.
PAPER PLATES
Use a paper plate and a piece of string to form a "Paper Plate Necklace."
Wear it so that the paper plate is on your back. Then go around writing
encouraging notes on each other's plates. When your done, everyone removes
their paper plate necklaces simultaneously to read the messages.
Top
of page
The Magic Wand
You have just found a magic wand that allows you to change three work related
activities. You can change anything you want. How would you change yourself,
your job, your boss, coworkers, an important project, etc.? Have them discuss
why it is important to make the change. Another variation is to have them discuss
what they would change if they become the boss for a month. This activity helps
them to learn about others' desires and frustrations
Marooned
You are marooned on a island. What five (you can use a different number, such
as seven, depending upon the size of each team) items would you have brought
with you if you knew there was a chance that you might be stranded. Note that
they are only allowed five items per team, not per person. You can have them
write their items on a flip chart and discuss and defend their choices with
the whole group. This activity helps them to learn about other's values and
problem solving styles and promotes teamwork
The Interview
Break the group into two person teams (have them pick a partner that they know
the least about). Have them interview each other for about twenty minutes (You
can also prepare questions ahead of time or provide general guidelines for the
interview). They need to learn about what each other likes about their job,
past jobs, family life, hobbies, favorite sport, etc. After the interviews,
reassemble the group and have each team introduce their team member to the group.
This exercise helps them to learn about each other.
Who Done That?
Prior to the meeting, make a list of about 25 items relating to work and home
life. For example, a list for a group of trainers might have some of the following:
Developed a computer training course
Has delivered coaching classes
Is a mother
Knows what ADDIE means and can readily discuss it
Enjoys hiking
Has performed process improvement
Served in the Armed Forces
Is a task analysis expert
Ensure there is plenty of space below each item (3 or 4 lines) and then make
enough copies for each person.
Give each person a copy of the list and have them find someone who can sign
one of the lines. Also, have them put their job title and phone number next
to their names. Allow about 30 minutes for the activity. Give prizes for the
first one completed, most names (you can have more that one name next to an
item), last one completed, etc. This activity provides participants with a list
of special project coaches and helps them to learn about each other.
The ADDIE Game (Analysis, Design,
Development, Implement, Evaluate)
Make up a reasonable problem scenario for your organization where people need
to get introduced, e.g. "The manufacturing department is bringing in 20
temporaries to help with the peak season. They want us to build a short activity
that will allow the permanent employees to meet and introduce themselves to
the temporaries." Break the group into small teams. Have them to discuss
and create a solution:
Analyze the problem - Is it a training problem? If they decide that it is not
a training problem, then remind them that most problems can be solved by following
an ADDIE type approach. Perform a short task analysis - How do people get to
know each other?
Design the activity - Develop objectives, sequence.
Develop the activity - Outline how they will perform the activity and trial
it.
Implement - Have each small team in turn, introduce themselves in front of the
group using the activity they created.
Evaluate - Give prizes to the most original, funniest, etc. by having the group
vote.
This activity allows them to learn about each other's problem solving styles
and instructional development methods, it also introduces the members to each
other. This method can also be used to introduce the ADDIE method to new trainers.
Time - about 60 minutes.
Finish the Sentence
Go around the room and have each person complete one of these sentences (or
something similar):
The best job I ever had was...
The worst project I ever worked on was...
The riskiest thing I ever did was...
This is a good technique for moving on to a new topic or subject. For example,
when starting a class and you want everyone to introduce themselves, you can
have them complete "I am in this class because..."
You can also move on to a new subject by asking a leading question. For example
if you are instructing time management, "The one time I felt most stressed
because I did not have enough time was ..."
Frame Game
Give each learner four blank cards and instruct them to fill in four different
responses on the subject: "What were main topics or learning points of
the material we just covered?" Give them about five minutes to complete
the exercise, then collect the cards, shuffle them, and randomly deal three
cards to each learner. (Note: If desired, the trainer can make up four cards
of her own, but they should be philosophically unacceptable with the principles
presented.)
Ask everyone to read the cards they just received, and then to arrange them
in order of personal preference.
Place the extra cards on the table and allow them to replace the cards in their
hand that they do not like. Next, ask them to exchange cards with each other.
They must exchange at least one card.
After about three minutes, form them into teams and ask each team to select
the three cards they like the best. Give them time to choose, then have them
create a graphic poster to reflect the final three cards.
Select or vote on best poster that best represents the topic.
Note: Based on a game framework by Thiagi
Rearrange the Classroom (Change)
Prior to class, set the desks up in the old "traditional" classroom
row style. Except, that you should set your stage (podium, flip chart, etc.)
in the back of the class. Start your presentation (you will be behind them,
facing their backs). Explain to them that this is how a lot of change is implemented
in organizations. The leaders get behind their employees and attempt to "push"
them into change. And the attempt to change is about as successful as trying
to conduct a class this way. Note: for another change activity, see Push and
Pull Change <change.html>.
Also, point out that this is how a lot of traditional organizations are set
up, in nice even rows (departments), where it is hard to communicate and learn
from each other. But, real teams develop when we break out of our boxes and
design organizations that have cross functional teams working with each other.
Ask them to rearrange the room so that real learning, communication, and teamwork
can take place. Depending upon your learners, you might have to give them a
few pointers to get started, but then get out of the way.
During the next break or after lunch, have them rearrange the room again, using
some of the techniques that they learned. This can be repeated several more
times, depending upon the length of the presentation. But, each time they change
the setting, it needs to reinforce something that they previously learned.
WARNING: Do not attempt this activity in a theater-like-setting where the seats
are bolted to the floor! :-)
Toy Story
Using Legos, Tinker Toys, clay, log cabins, etc., have each person or small
group build a model of the main concept that they have just been presented.
After a given time period, have each person or team present their model to the
group. They should describe how their model relates to their work or the subject
being taught.
Encourage creativity!
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Ball Toss
This is a semi-review and wake-up exercise when covering material that requires
heavy concentration. Have everyone stand up and form a resemblance of a circle.
It does not have to be perfect, but they should all be facing in, looking at
each other. Toss a nerf ball or bean bag to a person and have tell what they
thought was the most important learning concept was. They then toss the ball
to someone and that person explains what they though was the most important
concept. Continue the exercise until everyone has caught the ball at least once
and explained an important concept of the material just covered.
Process Ball
This is similar to the above exercise, but each person tells one step of a process
or concept when the ball is tossed to them. The instructor or learner, in turn,
writes it on a chalkboard or flip chart. For example, after covering "Maslow's
Hierarchy of Needs," you would start the ball toss by having everyone give
one step in the pyramid of needs, e.g. Safety, Physiological, Esteem, etc.
Positive Reinforcement Cards
Whenever a learner arrives to class on time from breaks, lunch, etc. give them
one playing card. You can also hand out cards to people who volunteer for activities,
are helpful, answers a difficult question, etc. At the end of the day, play
one hand of poker. Give a small prize to the best hand (you can also pick the
top two or three hands if you want to give away more prizes). Note that the
more cards a person has, the better the chance of winning.
Calm Down!
Sometimes the problem is not warming up, but the need to calm or "come
down" to reality after some intensive material is presented. Also, to get
the full benefit of new material, some "introspective time" is needed.
Have the learners lay their heads on their desks, lay on the floor, or get in
a comfortable position. Then, have them reflect on what they have just learned.
After about five minutes, say a key word or short phase and have them reflect
on it for a couple of minutes. Repeat one or two more times then gather the
group into a circle and have them share what they believe is the most important
points of the concept and how they can best use it at their place of work.
Note: This may seem like slack time to many, but reflection is one of the most
powerful learning techniques available! Use it!
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Uncommon Commonalties and the Team Name
One ice breaker recommended by Kagan (1992) has team members list characteristics
shared by group members in columns: one for those shared by 1 group member,
another for items shared by 2 group members, 3 group members, etc. Once the
lists have been generated, a team name based on the commonalties of the group
members is chosen by consensus. Kagan also recommends the following guidelines
be followed:
Brainstorming the Team Name
Group members are given five minutes to brainstorm followed by five minutes
to reach consensus. Again, if tried, it is important that some guidelines be
given to students on how to reach consensus.
Three-Step Interview
The Three-Step Interview first pairs two group members, preferably two who don't
know each other. One student is assigned the role of interviewer while the other
student is interviewed. Besides the cursory information such as name and major,
the students are given a course-related open-ended question. After a specified
time, the student roles are switched. After the second interview, the two pairs
come together to form a group of four and each group member introduces the student
they interviewed. If the number of students isn't divisible by four, one or
two three-student half-groups can be formed. They can either work as a team
of three or join with a two-member group to form a five-member group (Millis
and Cottell, 1998; Robertson, et al., 1994).
Posing Questions
Finally, students can be give questions to discuss with their group. For example,
"What three positive outcomes do you expect to have working in collaborative
learning groups?" followed by "What three negative outcomes do you
expect to have working in collaborative learning groups?" This can be followed
by the instructor writing on the board the positive and negative experiences
or concerns the students have. This techniques opens the doors to explaining
why the instructor wishes to use collaborative learning groups and what concerns
he/she may also have.
A variation of the above technique is suggested by McKeachie (1994). He asks
student to write down their feelings on the first day of class. After soliciting
their responses, he then asks them to write down what they think their instructor
is feeling. Again, in a collaborative learning setting, this would open the
door to discuss the instructor's hopes and concerns using groups.
Kagan, S. (1992) Cooperative learning. San Juan Capistrano, CA: Resources for
Teachers, Inc.
McKeachie, W. J. (1994). Teaching Tips, 9th edition, D. C. Heath and Company.
Millis, B. J., and Cottell, P. G., Jr. (1998). Cooperative learning for higher
education faculty, American Council on Education, Series on Higher Education.
The Oryx Press, Phoenix, AZ.
Robertson, L., Davidson, N., and Dees, R. L. (1994). "Cooperative learning
to support thinking, reasoning, and communicating in mathematics". In Sharan,
S. (Ed.), Handbook of cooperative learning methods.
Leadership tubes.
Groups are given an assortment of 27 different lengths of 1/2 in pvc pipe and
different anounts of elbows, t's 90 's and 2 45's. I devide them into groups
of 4-5. I give them 30 minutes to think of a names of a company for their group.
Their business has to make some kind of outdoor equiptment. After they make
something I have them make an ad for the newspaper for their product. After
that I have the "companies" make a 30 sec TV ad for their product.
You will be amazed at how well they do.
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