Good name game ice breakers

Deb Peterson. Deb Peterson is a writer and a learning and development consultant who has created corporate training programs for firms of all sizes. Learn about our Editorial Process. Featured Video. Cite this Article Format. Peterson, Deb. Icebreaker Games: Teamwork Icebreaker. Theater and Improv Games for the Classroom and Beyond.

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For example, Jenn-i-fer, Jenn shake hips -i clap hands -fer stomp feet. Once the player completes their motion the entire circle says the name while completing the motion. The next player does the same thing with their name using different motions.

When they are finished the entire circle says the name while doing the motions of the first player than the second player. Repeat until everyone in the circle has a turn. Have all the players stand in a circle. Teach the group a beat. For example slap thighs twice, stomp feet twice, clap hands twice. The beat will be repeated throughout the entire game. Have the group practice the beat. Once they all have it down you can start the game.

To play, have the group start the beat. The first player says their name at the start of the beat. Then the second player goes when the beat starts again.

Go around until everyone in the group has a turn. Go around the circle again. See how many times the kids can go around the circle without messing up. A great game that can be played in the classroom, community room, or outside. All you need is a tennis ball, enough space to place the game, and some eager kids. You are told you may take three things you want, apart from the essentials.

What would you take and why? Tips: This icebreaker is fun when people think of quirky answers. Encourage your group to think outside the box. This icebreaker should not take longer than 10 minutes, and the answers should be relatively short.

Description: Ask each group member to name three people, past or present, he or she admires. What one or two questions would you ask? Tips: People will have interesting answers for these questions. It would be best to utilize this icebreaker for a small group that is focussed on bonding.

Members of your group will most likely talk about people who have impacted their lives personally, so it may take longer than other icebreakers. Tips: This icebreaker can become as creative as you want it to be.

Come up with any question that works well with your group. If your group needs to bond more, come up with a few questions that bring deeper answers to the surface. If your group needs to laugh together, come up with funny questions.

Games are a fantastic tool to help the members of your small group bond with one another. Never underestimate the power of laughing with people. Games will quickly create a sense of community within your group.

Jump to an icebreaker Personal scavenger hunt My life in pictures You write the question Starburst exchange Chart your life Telephone pictionary Human knot Line up I have never Charades Did you know? Jenga questions. Description: Have group members take five minutes to find the following items in their wallets or purses: Something that Have each person share the first item. Encourage people to expand on their item and why it fits the topic prompt. For example, if they have an item that reminds them of a fun time, have them share the memory.

Go around again sharing the second item and so on until you have gone through each prompt. Tips: It can be hard to tell how long this icebreaker will take. Some people will expand on their answers, others will not. If people do not have purses or wallets to look through, ask them to find pictures on their phones that might fit the prompts.

Or ask them to recall what is in their wallets or purses if they do not have them physically. Description: Bring a newspaper or magazine and have the group members tear out pictures, articles or anything they think communicates something about themselves. Each person should share his or her choice and the reason for it with the group. You could use this activity as the basis for a journal collage that people bring to the small group each week.

Tips: This activity works particularly well with girls, but use your judgment as to whether it would work well with your group. This is an icebreaker where people often underestimate the amount of time required. Description: Give each person a 3x5 card. Pick a topic and ask them to write down questions about that topic that anyone in the group could answer. Pile all the cards face down in the middle of the group and let people draw one.

Some topic ideas include jobs, life goals, funny stories, hobbies, family, fears, dating issues, significant relationships and relationship with God. Go around the room until everyone has had a chance to draw and answer a question. Tips: If there are similar questions written on more than one of the 3x5 cards, have the group come up with a new question on the spot for the person drawing the second one or third, etc.

This will keep people engaged in the game and give everyone something to do. Description: Buy a large bag of Starburst or some other candy and give each person the same amount try Then everyone who has had a birthday party pays you one Starburst. You pay everyone who has not had a party. Keep playing until everyone has a turn or until someone runs out of Starburst. Obviously, the idea is to end up with the most.

Bring more for people to eat during the study too. Plan on this icebreaker taking minutes, depending on your group size. You can shorten it by not waiting until someone runs out of candy to stop. Feel free to mix up the candy, but since pieces are passing back and forth, people will probably prefer something wrapped. Description: Give your group members pens and paper. Ask them to draw a line representing the movement of their lives between high times and low ones. Invite people to think back as far as they can and mark significant moments along the line they have drawn.

Ask them to consider the high points and low points, moments of inspiration, moments of despair, leveling-off times, and where they are now. The charts will probably be a mixture of straight, slanted, jagged and curved lines. At the different points of their lines, have people either draw something or write a phrase to represent that season of their life. Ask people to make at least five different points on their chart to represent significant moments in their lives. Tips: This one may take longer than many other activities.

It might be good to have people draw their charts beforehand to bring with them. If people are willing to share honestly, this can be a great activity to help your group bond. Ask your group to share only one to three points on their graphs to save time, or have people share their whole graphs in smaller groups.

Description: Each person in the small group receives a piece of computer paper and a pen. Everyone writes a funny or unusual sentence at the top of their paper. Then, each person hands their piece of paper to the person on their left. Now everyone will have a new piece of paper. Each person draws out a picture of the sentence. They fold the paper so only the picture is seen. The paper gets passed to the left again.

This next person will write out a sentence that describes the picture and fold the paper so only the sentence is seen. The game alternates between people drawing and writing out what they see as they continue passing each paper to the left.

The icebreaker ends when each person receives their original paper. Let everyone share their original sentence and the final sentence or picture. Tips: This is a popular icebreaker. It usually produces lots of laughs as everyone shares their papers at the end of the activity.

Plan on this game taking minutes. Description: Have everyone in your group stand in a circle. This creates a human knot. From here, let the group untangle the knot into a circle again. The icebreaker ends when there is no longer a knot.

Tips: Younger people will most likely enjoy this icebreaker more than adults. The game is fun and challenging and will get the group laughing. This icebreaker is fun with a bigger group of people. Plan on the icebreaker taking minutes. Description: This game requires your group to line up in any type of determined order without speaking to one another. For example, ask your group to line up in order of their birthdays, starting with the earliest in the year.

Or have them line up in descending birth order, from oldest to youngest. The prompt could be anything, as long as there is something they can order themselves by.

The game is engaging because they have to figure out how to line up correctly without talking. Tips: This game gives insight into how people operate.

You will learn how the people in your group solve problems, who takes a leadership role and who does not, and how different personalities respond to the game. This icebreaker can be used to launch a study about leadership or how to respond to obstacles— or topics like that. It can also be used to help your group discover how they behave as a group and how they can grow as a group.

Description: Set up chairs in a wide circle. Count the number of people at your study and ensure you have one chair less than the total of people. The game is played by having one person stand in the middle of the circle of chairs. This person states something true about themselves. The person who ends up without a seat must then go in the middle. Tips: Try this icebreaker during warm weather and place chairs outside so there is more room to run.

This icebreaker works best in a large, open space. This game is great for helping people get to know one another. Encourage group members to share their names before sharing their statements. Description: Break up your small group into two teams.