Some people love them, some people help them, but ice breaker games are surprisingly effective at getting young people talking and working together. There are lots and lots of games out there, and there are several books which list many of them, but here are a few well-known games that have worked well in my group.
Up-front games
Some challenges involving a few volunteers – make sure everyone cheers for the competitors!
Big pants
Before the session, get some extra-large underwear, enough for one pair per competitor. Ask for some volunteers and bring them to the front of your space. Give each player a pair of pants and challenge them to put them on and take them off as many times as they can in a time limit (for example, 60 seconds). Make sure you have someone to count for each player. Whip up some excitement by getting people to cheer for each competitor, then start the game! Award a prize for the winner.
After-Eight game
An absolute classic. Get some volunteers up to the front and give each one an After-Eight mint (other minty after-dinner chocolates are available). Each player tips their head back and puts the mint in the middle of their forehead. Using only their facial muscles, they have to move the mint from their forehead into their mouth. If the mint falls off, they have to put it back on their forehead and try again. (If the mint falls on the floor, replace it with a fresh one!) The winner is the first one to successfully eat their mint.
Collaboration games
These game is good for promoting teamwork and discussion.
Build a tower
For this you need newspapers and sticky tape or marshmallows and uncooked spaghetti. What you choose depends on how difficult you want to make it. Divide the young people into groups and give each group the same amount of newspaper and a roll of sticky tape. Challenge them to make the biggest, freestanding tower he can using just the paper and tape. They are not allowed to tape the tower to the floor to make it stand up!
Use spaghetti and marshmallows for a more difficult challenge (making sure you give the same amount of pasta and marshmallows to each team). The young people have to poke the spaghetti into the marshmallows to create the structure. It’s trickier because the spaghetti will snap quite easily!
After a set time, measure the towers and see who has built the tallest one. Award a prize, if you have one!
Human knot
With a group of eight to ten young people, stand in a close circle and everyone puts both hands into the middle. Each player has to grab someone else’s hands, making sure that they are holding the hand of two different people. The challenge is to untangle yourselves without anyone letting go – you might have to duck under some hands or climb over others (make sure everyone is playing safely). For a trickier version, make everyone play silently!
Polo relay
Before the session, get some Polo mints and straws. Split the young people into teams and give each person a straw, which they should put in their mouths. Line the teams up and give the first person in each team a Polo. They have to thread the Polo into their straw and pass it to the next person in the line by tipping into onto the next person’s straw without using their hands. Other team members should give advice as they play. The first team to pass the Polo down the line is the winner.
What are your favourite ice breaker games? Let us know in the comments below!
Alex Taylor is part of the Diocese of London’s Children’s and Youth Teams and helps to lead a group of around 50 lively young people.