Friday, March 12, 2010

3 Classic Icebreaker Games

It seems to be retreat season once again in many Catholic schools and parish youth ministry programs. These activities will be nice reminders for most of you veteran teachers and youth ministers, but they are tried and true.

Human Knot

Physical, fun, and great for building communication skills. Have everyone stand in a circle. Have them lift their right hand and take the hand of a person across from them. Then, have them join hands with a different person across from them in the circle. Give the group 5-10 minutes to untangle the knot. With large groups or classes, incite a little competition between groups (ideal size is around 10 people). Afterward, discuss the challenges of communication and have them suggest strategies they might change for next time.

Two Truths and a Lie

Sit in a circle. Have each person introduce himself or herself and share three statements to describe themselves. Two statements should be true and one should be false. Have the rest of the group guess which statement is the lie. If applicable, have the person expand on their statements with explanations.

Never have I ever…

Sit in a circle. Each person says a statement beginning with the words “Never have I ever…” and everyone to whom the statement applies must stand up. For example, one person might state, “Never have I ever seen the Grand Canyon.” Everyone who has NOT seen the Grand Canyon stands up.