Initiative Games & Icebreakers

Initiative Games & Icebreakers & Get to Know You

Signature Blackout

Supplies: pens/pencils, one copy of the signature sheet per person (like an oversized Bingo card with statements in each square).

Everyone gets a copy of the signature sheet. Everyone is to go around and find someone that they can ask a question. Each person introduces themselves to each other and then each get to ask the other person one of the questions that they have on their sheet.  If that person says yes to the question, have them sign your sheet on that item, then move on to a different person. They are only allowed to have a person sign their sheet once. If you have enough questions, that will force them to meet more people. A good idea with this task is to try and do some research beforehand and have things written down on the sheet that are specific to certain people. If you know that someone went somewhere exotic recently or owns something unique, etc., put it on the list.

Some examples of things to have on the list include:

Someone with green eyes, Someone with 2 sisters, Someone who lives out of town, Someone who was born in a different state, Someone who speaks more than one language, Someone left-handed, etc.

Helium Stick

Supplies: one long stick, such as a tent pole

Form two lines facing each other.  Lay a long, thin rod on group's index fingers.  Every person must have one index finger always touching the stick, but all fingers must be on the bottom. No holding it on top! Goal: Lower to ground.  Reality: It goes up! People really have to talk and coordinate it to not make it keep rising. Usually takes multiple attempts.

Behind the Blanket

Supplies: one large (an opaque) blanket

Break the group into two teams. The teams stand on either side of a blanket that is being held by two volunteers. Each team chooses one person on their team (by pointing) to go and sit or stand in front of the blanket without the other team knowing or seeing whom. When both people are ready, the blanket is dropped and the first person to recognize and say the other person’s name wins. The losing person then joins the other team. Continue until one team has everyone on the other team or everyone is getting bored.

VARIATION: Have the two chosen people sit with their backs to the blanket and when it is dropped, their own team will physically describe the other person. Without looking, the first person of the two sitting back to back to correctly name the other person wins.

Elimination

All players begin the game standing. The leader calls out a characteristic, and all players who possess that characteristic remain standing while the others sit down. For example: has an older sibling, has a dog, likes math, has toast for breakfast this morning. Get creative. The last person standing gets to run the next round. This game is a great way for people to learn about each other in a fun way.

Step Forward, Step Back

Players line up along the back of the room while the group leader stands in the front. The leader calls out a series of descriptors: if the statement is true, players take a step forward. If it’s not true, players take a step back. This is a low-threat way to get to know something about others without much direct interaction, and would be especially appropriate for a first activity with a group made up of people who don’t know each other at all. Make your descriptors general or content based, if you like. Also find a way to ensure that students “steps” are of relatively equal size to ensure fairness. When a student reaches the front of the room, they can become the leader for the next round.

Agree or Disagree

People: 10+

Create a list of statements to use (about 20). Use a large room with accessible corners, or a large area with four marked areas. Label the corners/areas as “Strongly Agree” “Somewhat Agree” “Somewhat Disagree” and “Strongly Agree”. Have all participants gather in the center of the room. As you read a list of statements, the players must move to the area or corner corresponding to whether they agree or disagree. There is no area that is neutral, so people must make decisions!

Statement topic examples: “I want to go to Europe”, “Breakfast is my favorite meal”, “I don’t like orange”, “If I had the change I’d skydive”, etc. You can get into more controversial things depending on the group, or you can use it as a get to know you game.

Do You Love Your Neighbor

Supplies: chairs for all or all but one person

Chairs in circle, one person in middle; asks one person if they love their neighbor, if they say yes neighbors switch sides, person in middle tries to sit down. If they say “no”, they must then say “but I love everyone ____(wearing a certain color, has a pet, wears glasses, etc.)____” and everybody who fits that category jumps up and find a new seat at least two chairs away. In the chaos, the middle person tries to find a seat and the person left without a chair is the next person in the middle.

Ice Age T-shirt

Supplies: t-shirt, possibly a cooler

For each team you'll need one T- shirt and one plastic storage bag. Place one nicely folded T-shirt in each bag then pour in about 2 cups of water and freeze all of them overnight. If this wasn't done where the event is taking place bring the T-shirt in a cooler filled with ice to keep them frozen. Instruct the teams that they'll be playing an Ice Breaker game. Then hand out the bagged T-shirts to each team. On "Go" the teams will have to get their T-shirts thawed out so that one person from their team can put the T-shirt on. Teams will get creative in their attempts to win. They could run the shirts underwater, put them in the microwave and even pounded the ice out of them. The first team to come back with one person in the T-shirt is the winner.

Roped in

Supplies: one 3’ skinny rope or twine/yarn for each player (such as a shoestring)

Each player ties (slip knot) one end of the rope/string to one wrist. Pair up. One person in the pair ties the other end to his or her wrist. The other player feeds their rope/string through the other person’s arm circle and ties the end to their other wrist. Each player should have their own rope/string tied to their own wrists but stuck on someone else’s rope. The object is to get free from the other person, but no untying the ropes and no removing them from the wrists. It’s possible!

Ante Up

Size of Group: 3-15

Supplies: a jar of pennies (about 25 per person and 100 more for the "pot"), questions written on index cards beforehand

Players sit around a table. Each has 25 pennies placed in front of him/her. The "pot" of pennies is placed in the middle. Each player takes turns reading a card and following the directions on it. Each card tells the reader to either give or take a penny. The player with the most pennies at the end "wins", but this is also just a fun socializing game and is good for icebreakers too.

Some sample cards would be:

If you have ever been to Hawaii take a penny from the pot, If you are wearing eyeglasses give a penny to the person on your right, If you like ice cream, give a penny to each person sitting at the table, If you know how to text T9 take a penny from the person across form you at the table, If your favorite color is blue, give a penny to the pot, You can say hello in another language, do so, then take a penny from the pot, Shake hands with the person on your right and give him a penny, If you have ever been on a boat take a penny from the pot, Whistle Mary Had a Little Lamb then give a penny to a person wearing red, etc. Etc. Etc.

The Orange Experience

Size: 20 to 30 (if larger you could split it into two sections)

Supplies: one fresh orange for each participant, large basket/bag to hold all the oranges

Invite each person to select an orange and return with it to their seat. Instruct each person to get to know their orange.

Ask the following questions- give them about one minute to study their own oranges after each questions.

1. How is your orange like every other orange in this room?

2. How is your orange different from some other oranges in this room?

3. How is your orange different from any other orange in this room?

After these questions are answered have the people deposit their oranges in the basket or box. Shake them up. Ask the group to come forward and reclaim their own oranges.  Ask the group to make analogies about the orange experience and human nature. Allow them to eat the oranges!

Group Juggle

Supplies: items/balls/toys, one for each player

Stand in a circle. Throw balls or other toys to others in a sequence, using each person's name.  Restart when one is dropped.  See how fast the group can throw balls through a set order to each group member.

Jenga Questions

Supplies: Jenga blocks or stackable wooden blocks like them

Before playing, write an opinion or get to know you question on each Jenga block. Or you can put a sticker on each block that indicates a corresponding question on a list. Create the Jenga tower and play the game normally, but when players pull out a block, have players answer the corresponding question for that block.

Go Gum

Supplies: 1-2 packs of gum, at least two sets of garden gloves

Set up teams of five. Each team will receive one pair of new garden gloves and one pack of gum (5 pieces per pack). On go, the first person in each team is to put on the garden gloves, open the package of gum, pull out a piece, unwrap it, chew it, and then pass the gloves to the next person. The first team to complete the task wins. You can choose to have two packs of gum per team so that they would have to go around twice.

Animal Chaos

Supplies: blindfolds for each player

Participants are blindfolded and assigned an animal.  The challenge is to use animal noises in order to meet up with other animals of same species.  Releases energy. Loud, fun, chaotic, then gradually order and unity emerge.

The Gauntlet

Group forms a gauntlet, arms out in front.  As a person walks down the gauntlet, people raise their arms.  Build up to people down running the gauntlet through a sea of chopping arms!

2 Truths & a Lie

Supplies: paper and pencils

People write down two truths about themselves and a lie.  Then introduce the three "facts" to the rest of the group who tries to guess which one is a lie.

The Silent Wall

Players must stand on a low wall, players number off, then have to reverse the order of the numbers by moving around-no falling off nor talking or restart. Can also have them line up then organize by birthday, still no talking

Evolution

All players begin as “eggs”, squatting on the ground and moving squatted down. Each player finds another “egg” and does “rock, paper, scissors” once. Whoever wins becomes a “chicken” and stands up a little bit and flaps their arms as wings. As a “chicken”, the player must find another chicken to do “rock, paper, scissors” with. Winner of that becomes a dinosaur and must walk almost standing with their arms pulled in but their hands like a T-rex (two fingers out, curved). They must find another t-rex and do “rock, paper, scissors”. Winner becomes a human and goes to the sidelines as a winner. The loser of each “rock, paper, scissors” steps back down to the next lowest animal form and must win a “rock, paper, scissors” battle at that level to advance again. The goal is to get everyone to human form.