Try these Icebreakers!
Here is a collection of activities which might prove useful for Tutors,
particularly during term 1.
Interviewing
o Ask the students to find a partner, who they have not yet met.
o Students are to interview each other on the topics of:
1. the 3 most exciting or unusual events of their lives.
2. the person they would most like to meet in the world
3. the 2 most important responsibilities they have had
4. a colour and an animal that best describes who they are and
how they feel.
o Students then present a brief summary (no more than 2 minutes)
of their partner’s information to the rest of the group.
Throwing the Ball
o Ask the students to form a circle. Using a soft ball, throw it to
one person and ask them to mention something (unusual?) about
themselves.
o Throw the ball to another person and repeat the process.
o Ask the students to say their name on their second catch and NOT
the first.
Name mix up (15-20 minutes)
o Tick off each student’s name (from the roll) as they enter the
room, and present them with another person’s name tag.
o Students should then find the person with their name tag and
introduce themselves.
o Continue until the group have all met.
Impulse (a lightning fast hand-holding game!)
Ask your group to form a hand-in-hand circle around you.
Using a stopwatch, time how long it takes to send a hand squeezed impulse
around the circle. As an individual in the circle to start and stop the
impulse, saying GO and, eventually, STOP when the impulse returns to the
opposite hand.
Repeat the attempt a number of times to see how much the group can
improve their speed.
1
Vary the activity by trying the same thing with everyone’s eyes closed,
and compare times with the eyes open attempts.
Additionally, ask the initiator to start the impulse going in both directions
at once by squeezing his/her right and left hands simultaneously. See if
the head on impulses can pass through one another, or if they get lost at
a hand-held juncture; usually a pair of confused and twitching
participants.
Sources:
Rohnke, Karl, Silver Bullets: a guide to initiative problems, adventure games, stunts and
trust activities.
Rohnke, Karl, The Bottomless Bag.
“Hello Circle”
Students form a circle. One person crosses the circle to his/her opposite
number and introduces him/herself verbally and by physical contact.
That person then crosses the circle to the person to the first hello’s left.
However, this introduction must be in a different verbal and physical way.
No repetition of introductions to occur.
Adjective naming
“Hi, I’m paranoid Pam”. Next person repeats that person’s name and
introduces him/herself and so on around the circle. At the end of this
the first person repeats all the names.
Body words
Divide into groups of 4, 5, or 6. Each person is a letter. The members of
the group have to make a work out of their letters. Upright position.
Give them a theme (war, love, etc). Other class members guess.
Obviously they introduce themselves to each other before they begin!
Body numbers
One person calls out a number between 0-9. Students form that shape
using their whole body. In pairs – two digit numbers called out.
Numbers in your head
Students must move heads only, numbers called out. In pairs, one person
makes a number, using his/her head. The other person has to guess.
Start with one digit numbers and then move to double digits.
2
Introductions
Sit in a circle. Nominate A’s and B’s. Face the person next to you. A’s
tell B’s why they are wearing the clothes they have on. B’s tell A’s.
Reform the circle. A’s pretend to be B’s and say the reason they were
given by the B’s – e.g. “I’m wearing xyz because …” Same for B’s. All
participants get a chance to add anything that their partner may have
missed, or to correct any misinterpretations. Discuss.
Extension activity
Each person thinks of 2 words which best sum up what this exercise has
told them about themselves. Share this and comment/discuss.
Interaction Activities
Persuasion and Resisting it! (45 minutes)
Setting: Sit in a horseshoe. One person to sit on a chair in the middle.
One person to stand beside the chair.
Object: The person standing has to persuade the person sitting to give
up the chair. Can use any means other than violence.
Method: After 2-3 attempts, if the seated person will not give up chair
the person standing swaps with someone from the horseshoe and so on.
The person in the chair can give up the seat when tricked or when he/she
feels that the method used was worthy.
Aim: To illustrate different persuasive skills and to develop
assertiveness.
Instant Replay (15 mins.)
All join in circle. One person takes step into circle and introduces
him/herself (name and action). Step back again and the instant this
happens, whole circle takes one step in and imitates action (and name).
Then circle steps back and immediately next person on right steps in and
repeats above, etc.
Sausage game (10-15 minutes)
Participants form one circle. One person is given (or makes up) a key
word (e.g. sausage). Questions are then directed to the person and
she/he must respond with the key word only. The circle must make the
key person laugh. The person who directs the successful attack (question
or statement) becomes the key person and makes up his/her own new key
word. This activity is most successful if the questions and/or statements
are fired in quick succession.
3
Pass it on (5 minutes)
Everyone stands in a circle, each holding one article. At the call, everyone
passes his/her article to the person on the right. If a person drops the
article he/ she is either passing or receiving he/she must leave the circle.
All articles, however, are left in the circulation (NB: no books).
Lateral Thinking (15 minutes)
Select five of the following listed items:
o Eight ways to use a rubber band
o Nine things that make you happy
o Six people to whom you’d lend money
o Three ways to ride a bicycle
o Two ways to pat a dog
o Four ways to start an argument
o Five ways to put off doing things
o Seven ways to learn things
o Five ways to relax
o Three ways to make people laugh
People work alone listing as many as they can. Share responses in groups
of four. Option: each group chooses its most unusual response for
sharing with whole class.
When a group of people are meeting fir the first time –
The facilitators goal is to divide the group into half, so that people can
introduce themselves. You do this by asking a series of questions. E.g.
Those people wearing jeans move to the left side of the room (people
move and introduce themselves). Those who watched Neighbours last
night move here. Those who have a dog. People wearing boxer shorts/g-
strings etc. Can also do this with props. – piece of toilet paper given to
each students. Those who scrunch the paper, move to one side of the
room. Those who fold the paper move to the other side of the room.
