WOW! I am impressed with all the responses to my query. I've cut/pasted
all that I got and you will see that some are duplicated. Thank you SO
much for all your input and ideas!!!!
Kathie
One ice breaker that I experienced was each person working off a list of
directions and finding at least one person to match each one (answers are
written down). This gets everyone around the room, meeting several people.
The questions could be....
Find someone born in the same month you were born in.
Find someone who is wearing the same color you are.
Find someone with the same first name as you or whose name shares the same
first initial.
Find someone who was born in a state adjacent to yours--what is it.
Find someone who went to the movies last weekend and find out what they saw.
Find someone who has more than three children and find out their ages.
Find someone who enjoys reading the same genre of books you do . Find out
what they have recently read and if they recommend it.
Etc.
If the group is small enough, at the end everyone shares what they have
found out (or at least some of it).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I often use People Bingo. Make up a bingo board (they can all be the
same) In the square write things like
- was born out of state
- is a librarian
- has read Harry Potter
or whatever works for your group. Everyone must collect signatures
of people who can fill out the box. Depending on the size of your
group you can make rules like each person can only fill out 2 boxes
per card or one box for card. This game works well with 15 or more
people.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Human bingo; thumb bingo
Human: Create a bingo card with different characteristics in each
space (with a free space in the middle, of course). Each person gets a
bingo card & has __ minutes to get signatures of one person in each
space for whom that characteristic applies. The person who gets the most
signatures in the time allowed "wins." Sample characteristics: Person
born in the same state (or year or month) as you; Person from another
country; person from another state; someone who has the same model of
car that you have; someone who has broken a limb; someone who is single
(divorced); someone who is older (younger) than you; (if you know the
group members, you can create a fairly comprehensive list). Items of
the "same...as you" variety tend to encourage more talking.
Thumb is the same, but getting thumb prints instead of names/signatures
(have ink pads & baby wipes); it gets people laughing & talking faster
than human bingo--something about getting your hands dirty <grin>.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Two truths and a lie-- tell 3 things about yourself one of which is a
lie. The rest of the group has to figure out which one is the lie. Very
funny, some of the truths are more wild than the lies.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Each person has the name of a cartoon character taped to their back, but
they don't know who it is. The way they find out what name they have is
by asking yes/no questions to others in the group.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Anything where people get up and move is a great icebreaker! Try a
people scavenger hunt- a grid of questions to find out about the others-
they have to have someone sign each square to win. Each person can only
sign for one question. An example question would be "Find someone who
has never broken a bone" or "Find someone who has no middle name" etc.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I've used the scavenger hunt where you have a piece of paper that has
little facts like "has lived overseas" on it and have people go around
the room trying to get people to sign it. It can be fun, but it does
get old if every meeting does it on the same day - been there!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You might try a process we call "voting with your feet". Have the total
group standing in one large area. Ask a question like are you a
Mercedes or a Subaru type person? The individuals move to one side or
the other and begin to talk to each other in their group. Ask another
question like Are you a cat or dog person? The individual form two new
groups and again mingle a bit. You can use generic questions or
topical. The idea is to keep regrouping individuals with a topic they
will talk to each other about. They are moving and mingling the whole time.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Try this:
Create a grid (9 squares or more) and put a different idea in
each...such as:
- someone who has a twin
- someone who is a natural brunette
- someone who is an only child
(determine criteria based on what your event or group is)
you get the picture...I hope you do anyway....
Everyone gets a grid and has to chat and find someone who meets the
criteria for each square on the grid...only one signature per square and
you can't have someone sign more than once on any sheet of paper....
I have done this several times and it is fun....people do mingle but in
a non-threatening or embarrassing way.
I have always hated those games where something is taped to my back and
I have to guess what is on the piece of paper. To me, that was
embarrassing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is the best ice breaker I have ever experienced.
Each person goes to the flip chart, writes their name, and tells a story
about their name--first, last, whatever. Sometimes you get family
genealogy, sometimes funny stories about nicknames, sometimes stories
about how names got changed when immigrating. I'm sure you could do this
without a flip chart.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I attended a meeting where each participant had a mystery person's name
(Amelia Earhart, Martin Luther King, George W. Bush, etc.) taped to
their back when they signed in. They had to ask questions of others to
guess the name on their back. Great exercise in the Who, What, Where,
When, Why and How for us librarians!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is probably more involved than you wanted, but when I was part of a
community service group in college, I put together the following book of
icebreakers and teambuilders http://www.michcirclek.org/docs/Icebreakers.pdf
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kathleen Epler
Librarian
Amanda E. Stout Elem.
Reading, PA
skoob@epix.net
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