Fun and Engaging Icebreakers for Groups

Here are some “getting-to-know-you” icebreakers you can try:

• Just one lie: Participants ask each other questions and write their answers on post-its. However, everybody includes one lie.
• Diversity bingo: Participants walk around with bingo cards that have squares on them which contain different statements apply to some members of the group. They introduce themselves to others until everyone finds people to sign off on enough squares to make bingo.
• Group map: Participants place themselves on an imaginary world map to represent the place or nation where they grew up. They will then share one internal value they acquired from that place and explain why it’s important to them.
• Two truths and one lie: One participant shares three statements (two true and one false) about themselves. Then, everyone tries to identify the lie by asking questions.
• Unique and shared: Participants form groups and discover what they have in common, along with interesting qualities that are unique to an individual in the group.
• Passions Tic-Tac-Toe: Participants are provided with tic-tac-toe grids. They will then walk around the venue, pair up with each other, and compare their hobbies or passions. If they find the same passion or interest listed in both grids, they sign for each other in the appropriate square.
• Draw your coat of arms: Participants will draw something in each of the five sections of a “coat of arms” handout in response to related questions. They will then pair up, exchange drawings, and explain them to each other so that they can introduce their partner to the group.
• Jenga questions: Participants answer questions written on each brick of the Jenga set. The game continues until the Jenga tower falls down.
• Line up: Participants will form an ordered line without any verbal cues or discussion. The line is formed by predetermined criteria, such as the height or color of each participant’s eyes.
• Quotes: Each participant picks up one quote, then chooses a partner and explain what the quote says to them, if it’s meaningful, and how.

Here are some icebreakers to help ensure your next team meeting is successful:

• One-word exercise: This icebreaker requires participants to describe events in one word.
• Lego metaphors: Each participant builds something related to the topic using a set of a few Lego bricks. They will then explain what their building means and how it relates to the topic of the meeting.
• Mindfulness icebreaker: Participants take a few moments to self-reflect and then write down their worries.
• Celebrate the wins in your team: Participants go around in a circle and highlight a story—a decision, a result, or an action—that should be praised or recognized from each team member.
• Purpose mingle: Participants walk around and share with others what they can contribute to that particular session.
• Lost on a desert island: Given the scenario that everybody is lost and stranded on a deserted island, each participant describes one item that they would bring to the island and why.
• Never have I ever: Everybody sits in a circle and takes turns telling other participants about an experience they have never done.
• Speed dating: The goal of this icebreaker is to have a succession of very quick conversations in a short period of time with as many participants as possible.
• The starburst game: Each participant draws one Starburst out of a bowl. Each color must correlate with a question, which the participant will then have to answer.
• Would you rather?: Participants pick a strip of paper with “would you rather” questions. They take turns asking and answering the questions to each other.

Here’s a look at some of the best icebreakers for team building:

• The four quadrants game: Participants will be asked four questions. They then draw their answers in each quadrant of a 2×2 grid and explain them to the group.
• Back-to-back drawing: This requires two participants to sit facing away from each other. One participant is given an image of a word or object. Without saying what it is, the they should describe the picture to the other participant so they can try to draw it.
• Team jigsaw puzzle: Each group must work together to complete a puzzle as fast as possible.
• Electric fence icebreaker: Participants try to cross an imaginary electric fence without touching it and getting “electrocuted.”
• Scavenger hunt: Participants seek to gather or complete all items on the list, typically without buying them.
• Low-tech social networking: The goal of this ice breaker is to introduce participants to each other by working together to create a mural-sized, visual network of their connections.
• Around the world: One participant begins by saying the name of any mountain, ocean, river, city, or country that can be found in an atlas. The other participant then says another name that begins with the last letter of the word just given.
• Supermarket: The first player starts the game by saying that they purchased something from the store that starts with “A.” The next player then names one feature about the item, but starts the next piece by saying that he or she bought something from the store that begins with the letter “B.” This activity goes on until the alphabet is complete.
• Tall stories: One participant begins a story with a sentence that ends with the word “suddenly.” The next participant then adds to the story with his or her own sentence that ends with the word “suddenly.” The game goes on until everybody has contributed.
• Once upon a time: One participant begins by mentioning a place, thing, or person they have thought of. After 10 seconds, the next participant continues the story by mentioning their place, person, or thing within 10 seconds.

Here are some icebreaker ideas to help improve collaboration and teamwork across the board:

• The marshmallow challenge: Participants must build the tallest structure out of one yard of string, one yard of tape, 20 sticks of spaghetti, and one marshmallow.
• Egg drop: The goal is to build a structure that supports a free-falling egg, which is dropped from a predetermined height, without the egg breaking.
• Helium stick: The goal of this icebreaker is to lower a long rod, like a broom handle, to the ground using only the participants’ fingers and without taking any fingers off of the stick.
• Blind square (the perfect square): All participants will be blindfolded and a rope will be placed on their hands. They will then form a square and lay the rope on the floor.
• Whistle and burp: One participant eats crackers as quickly as possible. They then whistles a pre-selected tune. Then, they hand it over to their partner, who must drink the soft drink and then burp audibly. The first pair to finish wins the game.
• Egg escape rocket: Each team must throw an egg onto a landing area using an improvised rocket. The egg should reach the landing area without breaking.
• Licorice line-up: Each pair places one end of a piece of licorice in their mouth. They then start to chew as quickly as possible until they reach the middle.
• Pass the orange: Participants must pass an orange around in a circle using only their neck and chin.
• Who am I?: Participants ask questions to guess the word written on a Post-it note stuck on their forehead.
• Balloon hugging: Participants are partnered up. Each team must burst three balloons as fast as possible by hugging each other.

Here are some icebreakers suitable for breaking the monotony in large groups:

• 10 things in common: Participants are partnered up. Each team must identify 10 things they have in common with each other.
• Pass the buck: Everyone holds up a small-denomination bill, like a dollar. Then, each person finds someone near themselves who’s holding the same amount of money. They pair up and each person gives the other information that they think is valuable. If the other person agrees, they hand over their bill.
• Repeat performance: This works when you are giving a speech. Plan your speech ahead of time, keeping in mind two words the audience can shout out at different times. Then, tell your audience to shout one of the words if you raise your right hand and the other if you raise your left hand. This keeps your audience engaged in your speech
• Simon Sez: This is a common game people play with children but is still fun with adults, as well. One person tells the participants things to do, but they must only follow the command when it is preceded by “Simon Sez.”
• Air balloons: Participants work in teams to keep a balloon floating in the air for as long as possible.
• Blanket game: Divide the team into groups of five to ten people. Then, hold up a blanket and have members of one team hide behind it. Drop the blanket over one member and have another team guess who is covered.
• Frozen T-shirt race: Freeze t-shirts overnight, then soak them in water and wring them out. Fold these t-shirts flat, place each in a freezer bag, squeeze out any excess water, and return them to the freezer. Then, split the group into teams of at most five people. The first team to thaws their t-shirt enough for a member to wear it wins.
• Line-up game: The goal of this icebreaker is to encourage participants to work together as a team to organize themselves in a line based on a quality that’s not apparently obvious.
• Marshmallow toss: Participants have to catch as many marshmallows as possible using their mouth.
• Baby, baby: Participants name as many songs as possible with the word “baby” in the lyrics or title.

Team-building icebreakers are great at bringing team members together and speeding up the socialization process. Try these icebreakers for groups to better connect with your team members and improve productivity.