ICEBREAKERS &

ENERGIZERS
a.k.a.
ACTIVITIES THAT ARE JUST
PLAIN FUN

The following activities can be used in a variety of ways. They

can be used for beginning of the year activities, energizers for
breaks during standardized tests, team building activities, etc.
They work for almost any age group--try some at the next
faculty meeting. Some of them will guarantee a good laugh!

Icebreakers and Energizers Menu:

People Bingo Murder

Data Processing Knots of People

Name Tag Match Maker Animal Scramble

Sites with Games,

Who am I?
Icebreakers, and Energizers

Sites with Icebreaker Items

Venn Diagram of Students
for Sale

Criminal Dealings
 People Bingo

Make a 5 x 5 grid, like a bingo grid. Write "FREE" in the center space. In
all the other spaces, write things such as "Born in another state," "Is the
youngest child in family," or "Elvis fan." Fill in all the grids with items of
interest to the students, which probably leaves Elvis out. If you do this
with adults, you can use the Elvis idea. (Sorry, can you tell I'm a fan?)
Run a copy for each person.

The students are to get the signature of a person who meets the criteria
for each section. You might want to implement a rule that a person can
only sign another person's paper in two spots. The first person with a
completed card wins.

Don't forget to include the teacher. Put in something to which only YOU
can answer yes. For example, for mine I put "married to a detective."
My teammate put "adopted two children from Kazikstan" for hers.

Student Search -- Here's a printable example of People Bingo found at

Teaching is a Work of Heart
Scavenger Hunt -- Here's another printable example, but its not in the
bingo format. This one is from Teacher's Closet.
Scavenger Match -- Here's another one from Teacher's Closet. This
time the students have to find matches for their own answers.

Venn Diagram of Students

Divide students into groups of three or four. Give each group a

large sheet of butcher paper and a different color marker for each
person. Have them draw a Venn diagram with an oval for each
student. The students in each group are to discuss what their
similarities and differences are. After the discussion, they are to fill
in the diagram showing their similarities and differences.

If a group has a hard time getting started, give them some

guidance by asking questions such as, "What is your favorite
music?", "When is your birthday?", "What sports do you like?, or
"Where were you born?"
 Data Processing

Divide the students into groups of 10 to 20, depending on the

difficulty level you want. The more students in a group, the higher
the level of difficulty. Give directions for the "data" groups are to
use to "process" themselves. The more creative the "data" the
more fun the "processing." Give prizes to the group who is the first
to correctly processes their data. Several rounds can be played in a
short amount of time, depending on the size of the groups.

Here's a list of my favorite "data" for this activity:

Alphabetical by best friend's first name

Alphabetical according to favorite food
Length of hair
Shoe size
Birthdays
Number of letters in last name
Length of thumb
For teachers, number of years taught

Criminal Dealings

Some of my 1996-1997 students taught me this one. At first, I was

reluctant to play because of the name (which I have changed.) However,
once I saw how harmless it was, and more importantly how much fun the
players were having, I couldn't resist. (I love teaching 8th grade!)

Design a system for secretly identifying the "criminal" and the "cop." We
used a deck of cards. You only need enough cards so each player may
have one card. One card needs to be a jack--the criminal, and one needs
to be an ace--the cop. All of the other cards should be below ten in rank.
Let each person draw and keep a card, without showing it to anyone.

The criminal needs to recruit other criminals by winking at them, but

without getting caught by the cop. Any person who sees a wink is to wait
a few seconds, so as not to be obvious, and then say, "I committed a
crime." That person then turns in his card and is out of the game. Play
continues until the criminal recruits all players without being caught by
the cop, or the cop identifies the criminal. If the cop misidentifies the
criminal, he loses the game.

Murder

This is a variation on the Criminal Dealings game. Same set up with

a deck of cards. Choose the number of cards needed according to
the number of players. Be certain that the Queen of Spades is in
the deck. All players draw cards. The player who chooses the
Queen of Spades is the murderer.

Throughout the other activities, the murderer kills victims by

winking at them. When someone catches the eye of the killer and is
winked at, they are killed and (here is the fun part) can die in any
manner they want. Some die quietly by dropping over; others die in
a dramatic finale.

The object of all other players is to a) not get killed and b) try to
identify the murderer.

I think you can make a case for using this in Writing - about the
experience, about fear and anticipation and how that clouds
activities, about processing fear, relaxing, then being alert again,
etc.

Submitted by GwenEllyn

Name Tag Match Maker

Each group member will need a 5" x 7" card for a name tag. Then
give the following directions:

1. Put your name in the center of your card.

2. In the upper left corner, write four things that you like to do.

3. In the upper right corner, write your four favorite singers or

groups.

4. In the lower left corner, write your four favorite movies.

5. In the lower right corner, write four adjectives that describe

you.

When everyone finishes, have them mingle with the group for a few
minutes. Without talking, they are to read the upper left corner of
the other group members' cards. When time is up, they are to find
one or two people who are most like them and visit for a few
minutes. When time is up, they are to mingle again reading the
upper right corner of the other group members' cards. They then
find the one or two people most like them and visit. Repeat with the
lower left corner and lower right corner information.

To make sure everyone visits with several people, you could

implement a rule that no two people can be in the same group
more than once.

Knots of People

Divide the group into teams of 8 to 12 members. Have each person

join right hands with another person in the group, but it has to be
someone who is NOT standing immediately to the left or right. Then
have each person join left hands with another person in the group,
but it has to be someone who is NOT standing immediately to the
left or right and someone other than before.

Now the groups have to untangle themselves without letting go of

hands. They may have to loosen their grips a little to allow for
twisting and turning. They may have to step over or under other
people. The first group to untangle their knot is the winner.

SPECIAL NOTE: There are four possible solutions to the knot.

1. One large circle with people facing either direction.

2. Two interlocking circles.

3. A figure eight.

4. A circle within a circle.

Who Am I?

For this activity you will need one sticky note per person. On each
note write the name of a celebrity, political figure, cartoon
character, book character, etc. You can choose one category or mix
them up. Use a different person for each note.

Place a sticky note on the back (or forehead) of each participant.

The participants are to figure out who they are, but can only do so
in the following manner. Find a partner and read each other's sticky
notes. You may ask the other person three questions to which there
are yes or no answers.

Once your questions have been asked and answered, make a guess
as to your identity. If you are correct, move the sticky note to your
chest and you become a "consultant" who gives clues to those still
trying to figure out their identities. If you are not correct, find a
new partner and repeat the process.

SPECIAL NOTE: Be sure to choose characters that are appropriate

to the age of the participants to avoid "generation gap frustration."

Animal Scramble
 There is some preparation for this activity. On a slip of paper, write
the name of an animal that makes an obvious noise. Create five to
ten slips for each animal.

Give each participant a slip of paper, but tell them to keep their
animal a secret. The participants are to find the rest of their kind,
but there is no talking. So how do they find the others? They have
to make the noise of the animal. Once two of the same kind have
found each other, they stay together to find more. Continue until all
of the like animals have created one big group.
Use Animal Scramble, but add a hint of danger by planting a couple
of danger animals who if incorrectly approached can take you out of
the game ( snake, lion, tiger, etc). The last survivor of non-
dangerous animals is winner (Non-dangerous animals need to
gather say 4 of a kind to be safe in a pack; they can even fake
being a dangerous animal but cannot take out anyone - someone
catches onto this and the fun begins!)

Submitted by Phil Mizzi

Sites with Other Games, Icebreakers, and Energizers

Warmups and Energizers

Warmups or energizers are activities the trainer uses throughout the course to encourage
participant involvement and interaction. These activities may be used at the beginning of
each day to bring the group together and begin work on a positive note. They may also be
used during the day to recharge the group (e.g., after lunch, after a long presentation).
Here are number of warmups and energizers you can use.

The trainer gives the participants slips of paper, and asks them to write down at least
three things they would like to learn during that day’s activities. The participants attach
their slips to a poster board or piece of flipchart paper, which is posted in the classroom.
The trainer can then review these expectations with the group and tell them which topics
will and will not be covered. This activity can also help the clinical trainer focus the
course on individual or group learning needs and interests.

Super Model Exercise

Objective - Ice breaker or energizer - Great for laughs and relaxation. Shedding of status
and roles.

Time required -5-10 minutes.

Space requirements - big enough for participants to form a circle.

How to do it:

1. Arrange participants in a circle.

2. Instruct participants that they have to act out your instructions. When pointed to
and given the following commands:

"Super Model" - Participant should immediately pose as a fashion model. The two
participants alongside the participant acting as a super model (the one on the left and the
right) take the role of photographers and mimic gestures of taking a photo.

"Elephant"- Participant poses as an elephant by immediately thrusting two hands held

together in front to represent the elephant's trunk. The two participants alongside form a
circle with their hands and place them on the side of the participant pointed to serve as
"ears" of the elephant.

"Jello" - Participant shakes his or her body like jello continuously. The two participants
alongside hold each other's hands and form a circle around the target participant. The idea
is to form a "glass" around the jello.

"Queen Bee" - Participant turns around and puts his or her hands together behind the
back (just above the buttocks) and flutters them back and forth to mimic a bee's tail. The
two participants alongside thrust their arms away from the bee and flutter them like
wings.

"Donkey" - participant and those alongside him or her should freeze and not move at all

Expect that people will be confused and make mistakes. Such mistakes generate laughter
and fun. To make the exercise competitive, participants who make a mistake (both the
one pointed to and the two participants alongside him or her) can be eliminated from the
game. The exercise can be used several times in a meeting or seminar.

Contributed by Ben Lozare, JHU/CCP

National Anthem - This warmup works best when you have participants from a number
of countries. To conduct this warmup, you will need a source of music (tape player or
radio) and a ball. The participants should stand in a circle. The trainer puts on the source
of music and participants dance and pass the ball around in the circle. Whenever the
music stops, whoever has the ball in his/her hand must step into the circle and sing the
first verse of his/her national anthem. If he/she cannot remember the national anthem
(which happens sometimes) he/she must sing a love song to pass. After this has been
done satisfactorily, the trainer turns on the music again and participants again pass the
ball in the circle. The game continues until many participants have had the opportunity to
sing or the trainer feels that everyone has been energized.

Tell A Story - The participants should stand in a circle. The purpose of this activity is to
build a story with each participant contributing one sentence that must:

• Make sense and at the same time add some fun to the activity,
• Build on to the last sentence, and
• Be grammatically correct.

For example:

#1: “I was walking to breakfast this morning.”

#2: “A dog came up to me.”

#3: “I said good morning to the dog.”

#4: “The dog asked me what I was going to have for breakfast.”

The activity continues until all of the participants have contributed or until the facilitator
feels that the group has been energized.

The Last Word - The participants should stand in a circle. One participant moves and
stands randomly in front of another. He/she makes a statement (e.g., “It is such a lovely
day”). The person spoken to will move to another person and make a statement starting
with the last word in the statement he/she received (e.g., “Day one of the course was very
tiring”). Each participant takes turns to ensure that everybody gets a chance to participate.

The Telephone - Participants should sit or stand in a circle. The facilitator quickly
whispers a message to one participant. This participant passes the message in a whisper
to the next person and so on. The last person shouts out the message. Chances are the
final message will be different from the original. Here is an example of an initial message
(note how two different activities are blended into the initial statement, a sure cause for
confusion when whispered quickly): “I had rice for dinner and then dressed in blue to go
dancing.”
What Do You Have? - Divide the participants into teams of 4-6 people. Each team
should make a list of 6-8 items that they would probably have with them. Make one or
two items less common things. The team gets points for each person who has these items.
Only one of each item per person can be counted and the team with the most points wins.
The list could include: a photograph, a calculator, a pencil, a photograph of a family
member, an unusual key chain, something red, etc.

Brainstorming - Divide the participants into teams of five people. Ask the teams to list:
things that are square, things associated with a holiday, things that are red, things they
can make out a coat hanger, etc. The teams are not allowed to discuss, just list items! The
team with the most items on their list wins.

Ball Toss Brainstorming - Announce a topic (things associated with a topic, a holiday,
the course content, etc.). Then, toss around a ball. When someone catches the ball, they
shout out something related to the topic and then toss the ball to someone else. Continue
the exercise until everyone has had a chance to speak.

Variations:

When they catch the ball, each person tells what they thought was the most important
learning concept was. Continue the exercise until everyone has caught the ball at least
once and explained an important concept of the material just covered.

Each person tells one step of a process or concept when the ball is tossed to them. The
instructor or learner, in turn, writes it on a chalkboard or flipchart. For example, after
covering "client assessment," the trainer would start the ball toss by having everyone give
one step in the client assessment process.

Calm Down! Sometimes the participants need to calm down or "come down" to reality
after some intensive material is presented. Also, to get the full benefit of new material,
some "introspective time" is needed.

Have the participants lay their heads on the table, lay on the floor, or get in a comfortable
position. Then, have them reflect on what they have just learned. After about 5 minutes,
say a key word or short phase and have them reflect on it for a couple of minutes. Repeat
one or two more times then gather the group into a circle and have them share what they
believe are the most important points of the concept and how they can best use it at their
place of work.

Note: This may seem like a waste of time to many, but reflection is one of the most
powerful learning techniques available! Use it!
Boom! - All participants should sit in a circle. They are instructed to count out loud
around the circle. Each person whose number is a multiple of 3 (3-6-9-12, etc.) or a
number that ends with 3 (13-23-33, etc.) must say BOOM! instead of the number. The
next person continues the normal sequence of numbers.

Example: The first person starts with 1, the next one says 2, and the person who should
say 3 says BOOM! instead, and the next person says 4.

Anyone who fails to say BOOM! or who makes a mistake with the number that follows
BOOM! is disqualified.

The numbers must be said rapidly (5 seconds maximum); if a participant takes too long to
say her/his number, s/he is disqualified.

The last two participants left are the winners.

Note: You can have the participants “clap” once instead of saying Boom.

Note: To make this energizer more interesting, when a specific number is reached (e.g.,
30) have the participants count backwards towards zero. The game can be made more
complex by using multiples of bigger numbers, or by combining multiples of three with
multiples of five.

Unique Sayings - At the beginning of the week, form groups of three or four
participants. Ask each group to record some of the sayings frequently used in their
countries or in their region of the country. After 5 to 7 minutes, ask the groups to report
their list of sayings. As each group reports their list, the trainer should check that the
entire group understands each saying. Keep this list of sayings for another warmup later
in the week. Write each saying on a piece of paper and place each in an envelope.

On the third or fourth day of the course or workshop, divide the participants into two
groups, one group at each end of the room. One representative from each group comes to
the center of the room to receive an envelope containing a saying. The representatives
read the saying silently and return to their groups. Without speaking to her/his group, the
representatives draw a picture on the flipchart to represent the saying s/he has received.
The drawings cannot contain any words or parts of words.

The members of each group guess the saying that their representative has drawn. The first
team to guess the correct saying receives one point. After one group has guessed the
saying, each group sends a new representative to the center to receive another envelope
with a saying and the activity proceeds as described above. The activity continues for 10
minutes or until all the sayings have been drawn and identified. The group with the
higher number of points wins.
Hot Pepper - Participants sit in a circle away from the tables and close their eyes. The
trainer gives a small ball to one participant who is instructed to pass the ball quickly to
the next person saying “Hot!” Participants continue to pass the ball around the group.
As the ball is passed from participant to participant, the trainer turns her/his back, closes
eyes and calls out “Pepper!” The person who is holding the ball when “Pepper!” is
called is removed from the circle. The ball continues to be passed until only one person is
left.

Words - Divide the participants into three or four small groups. Write the word
INTERACTIVE on the flipchart. The groups have 5 minutes to create as many three-
letter words as possible from the word INTERACTIVE.

For example, some of the words could be:

• It
• Rat
• Retain

After the their time is gone, the group with the most words wins. Note: Depending on
the topic, other words can be used in this way, such as “demonstration,” “counseling,”
etc.

Spider Web - The participants should stand in a circle. A ball of yarn is given to one
participant who tells the group something about her/himself, such as name, where s/he is
from, her/his type of work, why s/he is attending the course, etc. (The information to
include will depend on the size of the group and the time allotted for the activity.)

The participant with the ball of yarn holds onto the end of the yarn and throws the ball to
another participant in the circle, who in turn must introduce her/himself in the same way.
Participants continue introducing themselves by tossing the ball around the circle until all
participants form part of this spider web.

As soon as everyone has introduced her/himself, the person holding the ball returns it to
the person who threw it to her/him, as s/he repeats the information about that person.
That person then returns the ball to the person who threw it to her/him, repeating her/his
information. This continues around the circle, with the ball following its previous path in
reverse order until it reaches the participant who first introduced her/himself.

Note: Warn the participants beforehand of the importance of paying attention to each
introduction, since they will not know who will be throwing the ball at them.
The Post Office - The participants should sit in a circle, each having her/his own chair.
The facilitator takes one chair away and the participant who is left standing stands in the
center of the circle and begins the activity.

The participant in the center of the circle says something like:

“I bring a letter for all of my colleagues who have brown hair.”

All of the participants who have the characteristic stated (e.g., brown hair) and the person
in the center of the circle change places. Whoever ends up without a chair to sit on,
stands in the center of the circle and again states that s/he is bringing a letter, but for
people with a different characteristic, such as:

“I bring a letter for all of my colleagues who are wearing black shoes.”

“I bring a letter for all of my colleagues who have never inserted a Copper T 380A IUD.”

The activity can continue as long as the group is interested and enthusiastic, but no longer
than 10 minutes.

Energizers
11/18/03 8:56 PM

Energizers are used to get a group moving, give a break from long periods of sitting down,
and excite a group about the next portion of a program. Use them in small doses to
rejuvenate a group after lunch or first thing in the morning. Pick and choose from the
following:

Animal Circle: group in circle, one person in middle. Middle person points to anyone, who
must "make" animal with people on both sides (total of 3 people). If middle person counts
to five before animal is "made", then center person of animal comes into middle of circle to
replace middle person. Animal example: alligator, with middle person making jaws of two
arms, and 2 side people make tail by holding hips of middle person.

What are you doing?: group in circle. First person starts by miming action (ex: brushing
teeth). Person to left asks, "what are you doing?" and first person answers with another
action/activity (ex: climbing a ladder). Person to left must then act out climbing ladder,
while person to their left asks, "what are you doing?". No one stops miming activity until
everyone in circle is doing some activity/action.

People to People: human twister, with group in circle (paired up) and one person in
middle. Middle person calls commands, such as "hand to hand" or "elbow to shoulder" to
twist up pairs. After 2-3 twists, middle person calls "people to people", everyone raises
arms and yells, running across circle. All must find new partner, including sole middle
person, so one person will be left over and be new middle person. Repeat.

Clothespin Samurai: group in circle, one person middle with blindfold and "sword"
(inflatable or foam). Middle person has several clothespins attached to clothing (back,
arms, legs, shoes, etc.). Group members must remove pins without getting whacked by
sword. If whacked three times, you're out.

Eye Contact Samurai: group in circle, one person in middle who calls "heads down".
Everyone bows heads. When middle person says, "heads up", everyone looks up and at
anyone else in circle. If any pair makes direct eye contact, they must swap places, with
 middle person trying to get into one of the places. Leftover person becomes new middle
person.

Partner Tag: in twos, partners link arms. One pair starts as "it" and separates, with one of
the two chasing the other. Everyone else in pairs just walks around. Person being chased is
"safe" when he/she link arms with anyone, but whoever is on other side of newly linked
person is now solo and can be tagged by chaser. New person being chased becomes safe
by linking with anyone he/she chooses, forcing someone else to unlink and become chased.

Earthquake and Eviction: one person alone to start, rest of group in threesomes, with
two people making house of hands and one person standing underneath. Lone person calls
either "eviction", in which everyone in a house must leave and find new one, or
"earthquake", in which all houses collapse and everyone must form new threesomes of
house and resident. Either way, lone person tries to get into one of the threesomes, so
person left over becomes new "caller".

Assassin: group in circle. Rules: choose someone in circle to be your assassin without
informing them. Also choose a bodyguard without informing. To stay alive, must keep
bodyguard between you and your assassin. When leader yells "freeze", check if alive or
dead.

Pulse Race: in two lines, holding hands. Everyone has eyes closed except leader of each
line. A beach ball or other object is placed at opposite end of lines from leaders. Facilitator
stands by leaders and flips a coin. If tails, do nothing. If heads, leaders start pulse race by
squeezing hand of person next to them, which sets off chain reaction. When last person in
line feels hand squeezed, he/she may open eyes and grab for beach ball. Whichever team
gets ball first each round gets a point. After each round, leader goes to end of line.

The Top 10 Icebreakers for Meetings and Training Seminars

Category: Speaking, Writers, Presenters, Trainers (AU20)

Originally Submitted on 9/25/97.

Whether it is a small gathering at your home or a large training seminar, we all want to
feel that we have established some commonality with our fellow attendees. By creating a
warm, friendly, personal learning environment, the attendees will participate more and
learn more!

1. Favorite T-shirt -

Ask attendees to bring (not wear) their favorite T-shirt to the meeting. Once all
participants have arrived, ask each person to show the shirt to the group and explain how
the T-shirt best resembles their personality.

2. Personal Bingo -

The host will need to do a little homework before the meeting to find out a few tidbits
about each participant (favorite hobbies, books, vacation spots, number of children,
favorite foods, etc). Prepare a bingo card (duplicate the card for all attendees to have the
same one) with one tid-bit for each square, and instruct the participants to mingle with the
group to identify the person for each square. As the information is uncovered, they ask
the participant to sign their corresponding square. Keep moving among the guests until
all squares are filled. Rules: only open-ended questions may be used. First person who
fills card wins a prize.

3. Say cheese, please -

As each participant arrives, take their picture with a Polaroid type camera and hang their
photo on a piece of easel paper in the entrance area of the meeting room in groups of two
or three photos (depending on size of meeting - you may have only 2 per group or more if
the group is large). Use your creativity and decorate the easel paper to extend a Warm
Welcome and set the tone of the meeting. Once all participants have arrived, ask them to
find their partner(s) from the photo display on the easel and spend about 5 - 10 minutes
getting to know the person(s). Then have them introduce their partner(s) to the rest of the
group and share something they discovered they have in common.

4. Famous people/cities -

As each participant arrives, tape a 3 x 5 index card on their back with the name of a
famous person or city. They must circulate in the room and ask questions that can ONLY
be answered with a YES or NO to identify clues that will help them find out the name of
the person or city on their index card. EXAMPLES: Paris, Madonna, Santa Claus, John
Wayne, Casablanca

5. Sensuous Sam & Inquiring Ida -

Ask each participant to choose an adjective that begins with the first letter of their first
name and one that really matches their personality. Have them introduce themselves just
as they wrote it on the card and allow time for others to ask questions.

6. Dream Vacation -

Ask participants to introduce themselves and describe details of the ideal, perfect dream
vacation.

7. Favorite animal -

As the guests arrive, and before you write their names on a name card, ask them to tell
you their favorite animal and three adjectives to describe the animal. As they tell you,
write the three adjectives on a name tag BEFORE their name (omit the name of the
animal). Ask them to mingle with the crowd, sharing why these adjectives best describe
their own personality. EXAMPLES: Loyal, cuddly, playful Dan

8. Birthday Partner -

Have participants mingle in the group and identify the person whose birthdate (not year -
just month and date) is closest to their own. Find out two things they have in common.
9. Long lost relative -

As a group, 1) ask each person to turn to the person on their right and greet him/her as if
they really didn't want to be there. Yeah, you know what I mean - you can't wait to get
out of there! Then everyone (simultaneously to create lots of fun and excitement) turn to
the same person and greet him/her as if (s)he is a long lost, deeply loved relative who has
just returned home and you're about to see the person for the first time in years! In fact,
you thought you may never see this person again until this very moment. Okay, now ask
everyone (again simultaneously) to turn to the same person and greet him/her as if this
person just told you that you won the state lottery for 50 million dollars and you have the
ONLY winning ticket!~~

10. Circle of Friends -

This is a great greeting and departure for a large group who will be attending a seminar
for more than one day together and the chances of meeting everyone in the room is
almost impossible. Form two large circles (or simply form two lines side by side), one
inside the other and have the people in the inside circle face the people in the outside
circle. Ask the circles to take one step in the opposite directions, allowing them to meet
each new person as the circle continues to move very slowly. If lines are formed, they
simply keep the line moving very slowly, as they introduce themselves.

About the Submitter

This piece was originally submitted by Janice LaVore, Director of Customer Care for
Fortune 100 Company, who can be reached at [email protected]. Janice LaVore
wants you to know: I have over 15 years of experience in management, performance
coaching, training, leadership developement, and customer care. I enjoy coaching
individuals in these areas and also career transition and life mastery. My enthusiasm for
life and learning is contagious and I coach from "the heart". If you would like a free
introductory coaching session, please send an email and let's schedule 1/2 hour session.
The original source is: Personal experiences as a trainer and speaker.