Icebreaker games
Break the ice
An icebreaker game is ideal for a large party of 12 or more guests - whether it's a picnic or not. |
If the picnickers don’t know each other, then such a game helps to “break the ice”.
Here are a few icebreaker ideas:
First of all, one that needs no preparation at all - apart from some paper and pens:
Give everyone a piece of paper and a pencil or pen and ask them to write down something about themselves. This could be a hobby, their favourite celebrity, a descripton of their home, what pets they've owned, their most embarassing moment, etc.
Then each piece of paper is put into a hat or bowl or box. In turn each picnicker takes one of the pieces of paper, reads it out and has to guess to which person is refers.
This should start some conversation and is a fun way of introducing people to each other.
Another icebreaker game which needs a little preprep is this:
Make up a list of pairs of people – enough for everyone present:
– such as:
Robin Hood and Maid Marion
Micky Mouse and Minnie Mouse
David Beckham and Victoria Beckham
The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh
Fred Flintstone and Wilma Flintstone etc.
You can make the pairs easy or difficult to guess according to the ages and abilities you’re catering for.
Each single name is put on a sticky piece of paper and attached, without the person seeing it, to their forehead (or pin it to their back). Obviously they are not allowed to look at it!
The game is to find out who you are by asking questions of everyone else (a maximum of two questions and two answers to each person present will encourage mingling).
The questions can only be answered by a yes or no. For example, you have to ask questions such as:
- Am I an historical character?
- Am I a cartoon character?
- Am I female?
- Am I American?
- Do I appear in movies?
- Am I dead? etc.
When you have discovered who you are, then you have to find your partner in the crowd and the first pair to find each other wins the game.
There are similar icebreaker games available from Python Printable Games. I suggest their love match game or Music Mind Games (they happen to be in the Valentine games section but could be used at any time of the year) You can print them out now and be ready for your picnic in an instant. A game is only $6.95 and you can print out as many copies as you like. The company is run by a friend of mine so I guarantee you'll get good service. |
For a jigsaw icebreaker, mount large head and shoulder photographs onto card and then cut them up into three pieces. So for a party of 12 people you’d need 4 photographs.
Give each person one piece. This time they look at it!
Then they have to find the people with the other 3 pieces to make up the whole face correctly.
The winners are the first 3 people to do this.
For small children you could use pictures of animals instead of faces, or their favourite cartoon characters.
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