A great way to get to know an unknown crowd and have some fun is by having ice breaker activities. Read on to know some great ones, which can be used by anyone and everyone.
If you are teaching a class, hosting a group, attending a casual party, or even facilitating a meeting, you need to know who are the people sitting around you. The best way to communicate to a large crowd collectively is to carry out some activities that will make the atmosphere comfortable. This practice of breaking the ice or communicating with people is called ice breaking, and the activities carried out to do the same are called icebreaker activities. If you want to know some more of these activities, take a look below.
For Students
The initial days at school can be scary and nerve-wracking, as kids can find it tough to gel with their fellow students. Teachers can use some of these activities to break the ice between the kids in their class.
Find Someone Who
This is a great game for teachers of elementary and middle school. Kids are quite shy on their first few days at school, so you can play a game called the ‘find someone who …’ as an ice breaker activity. You can give the students paper sheets with this sentence and ask them to complete the phrase. These phrases could be ‘plays the piano’ or ‘has a pet’ and other such phrases. The kids can walk around the class trying to complete their sentences and hence begin talking to each other.
Balloon Games
In this game, students are asked to form a big circle and are given a balloon to pass. The balloon should not be passed with the hands, but with the balloon held between their chin and chest. If any kid touches the balloon, he/she is disqualified. There is another balloon game in which the balloon is supposed to be kept above the floor. If it touches the ground the player is disqualified. Balloon games are fun to play and are considered as ice breakers for team building, as they involve a lot of team work.
The M&M Game
In this game, you need to pass a bag of M&Ms around the circle of students, ask any student to pick one M&M. Add a question to each color of the M&Ms. Who ever gets that particular color has to answer that question. For example; Green: a question on school, Red: a family related question, Blue: personal question, etc. This is also a great ice breaker game for parties. If you think the party’s not going all that great and want people to get up from their seats, try this game.
For Adults
When you are new at work, the management keeps some socializing activities. Fun games and group activities are very helpful in such cases, as they are a good way of introducing people who don’t know each other. As you work together, these ice breaker activities create a team spirit and make working fun.
Marooned
At work, you need to divide people in groups of 30. The time for each group can be 30 minutes, and you have to ask them to complete the phrase, ‘If you were marooned on a deserted island, which 3 people would you want with you? They can be alive, dead or imaginary.’ Ask them to share their choices with the group. This can be a great ice breaker for the new joined people, as you can create a comfortable and friendly work environment for them.
Punch Line Game
Write some jokes and their punchlines on pieces of paper and shuffle them in a bowl. Make everyone pick a chit from the bowl at the entrance of the venue. Then ask them to find the corresponding jokes and punch lines, and after they are all matched, read them out loud. This can also be one of the fun party ice breaker games for adults.
Photo scavenger Hunt
This is a game all of you should try at your work place at least once. Everybody has at least one picture of their loved ones in their wallets. The game is about hunting a particular picture with a title. All you need to do is make a list of phrases like, ‘family portrait, graduate in cap and gown, child on bike, baby’s first photo, family pet, blond toddler, bride and groom, and girlfriends.’ Make all the contestants go around filling this sheet and hunting for pictures. This will make them talk and interact with each other. After the game is over, ask the person about the picture.
These activities are a fun team building exercises to introduce people in a group and socialize. The best ice breaker you can use to get along with anyone is 100% you and 0% pretense, as people will like you only when you are honest and natural.
