5 Fun Icebreaker Games
The group that laughs together, stays together. Icebreakers are especially important over the first few weeks after a group starts. Games that help people get to know others in the group also help build connections in the group, which helps people feel like they belong. Here’s 5 games I like to use:
1. M&M Game
Supplies Needed: A bag of M&M’s
Pass around a bowl of M&M’s and ask everyone to take out 5. Each color of M&M represents something they need to share about themselves.
Red: Something you do well
Brown: Ways you relax
Green: Goals you have
Yellow: Favorites (favorite anything)
Orange: Something about you (anything)
Blue: Toys you played with growing up
2. Common Categories
Supplies needed: Pen and paper for everyone
Before the small group, pick 10 categories, like:
– Favorite food is Chinese
– Only children
– Born in Ohio
– Been to a Browns game.
– Started attending your church in last 6 months
– Likes to hunt
Pass out the pens and paper and have people number their papers from one to 10. One by one, announce the categories and have people write down how many people in the group they think the category will apply to (out of the people present). Then go through all of the categories a second time and have everyone raise there hand to get a count and check your papers.
SCORING:
If your guess misses by one = 1 point
If your guess was exactly right = 2 points
TIPS:
Make the categories creative and fun.
3. I have never…
Supplies Needed: Something to use as tokens (such as poker chips)
Each player one at a time states something they have never done. If someone else has done that then they give a token to that person. Play continues around the group until you run out of time or until someone runs out of tokens…Whoever has the most tokens is the winner (or the loser, whichever way you look at it).
4. Sentence Stories
Supplies Needed: 3-4 papers with a sentence on it and pens
Write down a different sentence on 3-4 sheets of paper. (This will be the start of the story) Give one sheet to different people in the group (spread them out). Each person adds to the story by adding a sentence. After they write down their sentence, they fold the paper over so the only sentence that now shows up, is the one they wrote. When the page has gone back to the original starter, the stories are read aloud. This is just fun for laughs.
5. What If
Pass out a small piece of paper to everyone and a pen.
2Ask everyone to write down a sentence that begins with “What if…”
For example:
- “What if Godzilla really existed?”
- “What if (person in group) was a ninja?”
- “What if monkeys could talk?”
- What if (person in group) had pizza for feet?”
- Any random question will do, it can be about a person in the group, or about anything
Then collect all the questions into a hat and then let everyone pick a question from the hat. (If you get your own, pick another.) Ask everyone to take their pen and write down an answer to that question.
Then, choose a person to start. Ask them to read their question. Ask the person to their right to read their answer, as if it was the answer to the question. Then that person reads his question and the person to his right reads his answer as if it was the answer to his question.
If you’re looking for more game ideas check out this post: