Common Ground Icebreakers

Object: learn something about others… it is fun! Ask each person in the group to think of two true facts about themselves, and one lie. Each person in the group takes a turn telling the group their three items. The group then has to agree on which fact they think is a lie. Once the group announces their decision, the …

A blow up beach ball or soccer ball of some sort that has more than 5 sections on it. Kids should be able to read as well. To get to know a little bit about your campers or for campers to get to know peers. Buy a beach ball or soccer ball with more than 5 sections on it. Take …

Enough candy for each camper to at least have 5 pieces. Good first day activity… Gets each camper to get to know each other. Put about enough candy in a bowl for each person in the room to take at least 5 pieces, (for larger groups take 3). After that is done tell everybody they can grab 1-5 pieces of …

Have everyone sit in a circle with you in the center. You can either sit in chairs, or have place markers (bookbags, etc) behind each person. Name off something you have, have done, or can do (ie ‰ÛÏCross if you have ever jumped out of a plane, if you own a dog, have blue eyes). Those people that can give …

The leader has the group randomly pair up. Once introductions between partners are made, the leader gives the group a topic to discuss with their partner for 30 seconds or so. At the end of the time, the leader will call for the group to switch partners and call out a new topic. Try to choose topics that are both …

A chair or place marker for every person in the group except one To find things that a group has in common. Everyone stands or sits in a circle in front of a place marker, such as a bookbag, chair, or other objects. The one person without a chair or a place marker is “it”. The “it” will say something …

Hug Tag All the players get up and walk around (nowhere specifically) and one of the leaders is the caller. It is the callers job to create categories. They’ll say “Get in a group of (any #) with people that have _________! Example: “Get in a group if 3 people that were born in the same month!” The kids then …

Paper with statements printed in easy to read type, pens To get people to get to know strangers in a competitive yet fun environment Create a list of 15-30 statements to distribute to your group. Give the the group a period of time to find people who meet different the criteria of different statements on the list. When participants find …

Arrange the group in a a circle with one person in the middle. Everyone should place some sort of marker behind them, such as a book bag, t-shirt, etc. The person in the middle says, “I Love my Neighbor because they are wearing blue [insert any description you like].” Then everybody in the circle who is wearing blue gets up …

Have the kids sit down. Pick two or three kids that have something in common, such as stripes on their shirts, no shoelaces, or the same first letter in their name. Have them stand up. The rest of the kids try to figure out what makes them a “set.”

To learn something about another person without talking. Divide the group into pairs – try to make mix the group into pairs of folks who don’t know each other well. Ask the participants to introduce themselves to their partner. Instruct the group that from this point forward, speaking is not allowed. This includes whispering, mouthing words, and making sounds, too! …

Prepare a long piece of yarn with knots tied throughout it. Ask the group to sit on the ground in a circle and close their eyes. The leader begins to pass the yarn to the person to their right. The group passes the strand of yarn around. Whenever a person feels a knot, they say something about themselves.

This activity is great for the first day or just when ever your group has free time. It works best with more people, and everyone should be honest when playing. Have everyone sit in a circle or close enough to be able to hear everyone. Tell them to hold up all 10 fingers. A counselor can start off by stating …

Everyone stands in a circle with one person in the middle. Something marks the spot of each person in the circle (a shoe works well!) The person in the middle says “The Big Wind Blows for anyone ______ ” they fill in the blank with something like “wearing socks”, “who has a birthday in September”… etc. Everyone who fits that …

2-3 Rolls of Toilet Paper Campers and staff learn about each other in a fun way! You will need 2-3 rolls of toilet paper depending on the size of the group 1. Have the group sit in a circle 2. The leader tells the group to pretend that they are going on a camping trip overnight. 3. The group leader …

Present the group with a value statement related to the theme of the event. Ask them to arrange themselves in a line from Strongly Agree to Strongly Disagree. Encourage discussion so each person is in the right place in line. Count off by 2’s for diverse groups or divide in half for more homogeneous groups.

Have campers sort themselves into groups based on their opinions on simple topics. For instance, ask campers to split into ‘favorite toothpaste’ groups. Campers might sort themselves into ‘Crest’, ‘Colgate’ and ‘Don’t care’ groups. Try asking about house pets, (cats, dogs, fish, none,) pizza toppings, favorite colours, etc. This can also be used to split campers into groups for a …