Ice Breakers

Ice Breakers are a great way to get people to learn each others names, find out interesting things about one another, and help people begin new relationships.

Aside from name games, ice breakers provide a way to establish common ground between participants, get everyone moving, and create a inviting environment.

These type of activities are especially important on the first day of camp - in fact, leading fun ice breakers helps counselors set ground rules, ease camper anxiety, and start the day off on the right foot.

Face to Face

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 …

Fifty Yard Scream

Everyone lines up on one side of a large playing area. When the leader calls go, everyone runs screaming and stops only when they’ve run out of breath. You can then have the group go back and try to beat their distance.

Four On The Couch

A large seating area, chairs for every person plus one more, a hat or container to put names into, paper & pen, a couch or a bench. Get four guys or four girls on the couch. Have everyone write their name down on a piece of paper. Put the pieces of paper into a hat and mix them up. Go …

Fruit Basket

Person in the center: get someone out by saying their fruit 3 times before they say it once People in the circle: say your fruit once before the person in the center finishes saying it 3 times Each person chooses a fruit or vegetable (with no repeats!). One person is in the center, without a fruit or vegetable name. The …

Group Knot

Have the campers stand in a tight circle, with their hands in the center. Then have them grab other hands at random. The puzzle is for the whole group to work together to get themselves untangled. Sometimes you’ll find that the group has actually formed several smaller circles.

Have You Ever? or Postman

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 …

High-Five Name Toss

Follow the traditional name toss rules: Here is the traditional way to lead a Name Toss: 1) Arrange the group in a circle. 2) One person starts off by saying the name of someone else in the circle, and tossing the ball to them. 3) That person then in turn says the name of a different person, and tosses the …

Honey if you love me

get the others to laugh when asked the question you get a group of people. you chose one or two or more people to go around the circle in any way they chose. the person or persons goes up to one person and says, “honey if you love me will you please please smile.” and if the person who got …

Hug Tag!

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 …

Human Treasure Hunt

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 …

I Have Never

Chairs and people Not to be the person left standing Everyone is sitting in a circle of chairs except for the person in the middle. The person in the middle calls out something they have never done. For Example “I have never been to New York.” or “I have never been Sky Diving.” T he people who are sitting in …

I Love My Neighbor

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 …

Jedi Numbers – Ice Breaker

This is more challenging than it sounds… Ask the group to stand in a circle. Set a numeric goal for the group to reach (start with 15 or so). Explain to the group that once the activity begins, participants can only say a number – no side conversations or strategies! Once the leader says, “Go,” someone (whoever decides to start) …

King Lizard or King Frog

Everyone sits in the circle and picks an animal, a motion and a noise for that animal. One person “sends” the action to another person by making their own noise/motion, and then someone else’s noise/motion. That person, in turn, makes their noise/motion, and then another person’s. For example, in a game with a cat, a dog, and a monkey, the …

Magic Wall

Blanket or tarp Get to know everybody’s name. Divide campers into two groups. Raise a tarp or blanket of some sort between the two groups (the point is that neither team can see each other). Each team sends one of its members up to the edge of the tarp or blanket. The people holding the tarp or blanket count to …

Mixed up Name Toss

Start the activity with the traditional name toss. Once the group has accomplished the task successfully, tell the group that they have until you count to five to move to a new spot in the circle. Once the group has rearranged itself, instruct them that they must pass the ball in the same name pattern as before. This is a …

Moon Trip

To learn the names of others and have fun! One camper anounces that he is going on a moon trip and is bringing two things, and names two examples. Camper then says that if you want to go then you have to bring two things, and as the “space commander” he will let you know if you can bring the …

Mr. and Mrs. Right

Round tables, or everyone sitting in a circle, works best. Break up long meetings or get people started for the day. Have everyone stand. Read the story. When you say “right” everyone takes a step to the right. When you say “left” everyone takes a step to the left. This is a story about Mr. and Mrs WRIGHT. One evening …

My Name is and I like to…

Everyone in the group stands in a circle. The first person says, “My name is and I like to ______ (insert hobby and act out a motion from that hobby.) The rest of group then says, “(Person’s Name) likes to (hobby) and acts out motion. Example, “My name is Dave and I like Fish (action out casting a reel). The …

Name Bop

You need something soft for this name game! This name game is a test after a group thinks they know the names of every other member. Start by helping the group to sit in a circle. Choose one person to sit in the middle. They will be the Bopper. The person in the middle has a soft object (like a …

Name Line

Get everyone to stand in a line or sit in a circle. The first person says their name and a favorite thing. The second person then says their name and a favorite thing, as well as the name and thing of the person before them. Each person after that adds the names and items of all of the people before …

Name Relation Games

Get the group into a circle. Then start out by saying your name and a food that begins with the same letter. Then the next person does theirs, plus yours. Then the third person does theirs, the second’s and the first’s name and food. It then moves on down the line, so that the last person has to do everyone …

Name Roullette

To play this game you need to form two equal circles, one inside the other. Set the circles up so one person from each circle is physically standing back to back to one member from the other circle. (I use a spot on the ground to mark the spot for each circle) These circles both start moving in clockwise motion, …

Name Toss

Here are the common rules: 1) Arrange the group in a circle. 2) One person starts off by saying the name of someone else in the circle, and tossing the ball to them. 3) That person then in turn says the name of a different person, and tosses the ball to someone else who has not yet received the ball. …

Nod-Wink Toss

You may want to start the activity with the traditional name toss. You can however, play this as a stand-alone activity. Once the group has successfully completed the task, instruct them to be completely silent. Tell them that they must now pass a wink or nod to someone, who in turn, passes the nod/wink to a different person. To pass …

Ice Breakers

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