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101 Icebreakers

By Gary Miller & Heather Horn

Content

In 101 Icebreakers you will find 0ver 100 activities that will make people feel connected and part of the group. They are very helpful when you want people to actively participate to accompish the goals of the group. The icebreakers can be used as a part of you business presentation but also on birthdayparties. No matter what age, gender, or level of experience, everybody can join. One of the best things in the book is that with almost every activity, there are variations and questions included. These can help to get a good picture of what the icebreaker has brought the group and the individuals in it.

Appearance

In 101 Icebreakers, the icebreakers are explained short and clear. And for most of the icebreakers you don’t need any materials or very few. Which is convenient especially when you use it at work. Group size, time limitations, purpose, and physical capabilities are all given, which makes it easy to find the right icebreaker very quickly. Above every new icebreaker there is a picture that is relevant to the icebreaker. This really adds up to the book as a whole and give it nice appearance.

If you want to order the book or read more about it, you can click here or on the picture.

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Mine field

You can use Mine field if you want to teach people how to adapt to the style of communication that others have. But it is also very entertaining.

This activity promotes:

• Teambuilding
• Acceptation & Understanding
• Making Agreements
• Teamwork
• Many more….

Instructions:

Time: 20 – 30 min

Participants: 2 or more

Inside and Outside

Active

Required materials:

Anything that can be used as a obstacle (mine). Think of  frisbees, pillars, plates, bags and more. You can use ropes to define the Mine field.

Arrangement

Give instructionds while the participants stand in a circle.

Frame

The participant work in couples.

How it works:

• One of the two is blindfolded( you can also close your eyes).
• The other stand on the other side of the mine field and will guide the person that is blindfolded through the field.
• Guided by the instruction of the other the blindfolded person walks through the mine field. If he/she touches one of the mines however they have to start again.
• If the blindfolded person makes it to the other side. He/she makes contact with the other persons hand and the mission has been accomplished.

Differentation

• Multiple people cross the mine field from different directions.

Evaluation

What happened?

What did the other person need?

What did you learn?

Security check

Give good intructions and pay attention to the game. Avoid people walking into walls if you play indoors.

 

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Playing Transformer tag

Here is another old-fashioned active game which was invented for children but is very fun to do with adults.

Required materials

None

Arrangement

Arrange the children in a group, standing or sitting.

Concept

Tell the group that it’s important to put differences and habits aside. There won’t be fixed teams and it can happen that you suddenly belong to the team of the ” opponent”.

How it works:

• Show the group the two possible positions which they can use
• Tell the participants that they have to choose between two positions but that they aren’t allowed to tell their position to others.
• If you say “transform” the participants start standing in their choosen position.
• The teams tap eachother. If you are tapped you transform to another position and belong to the other team.
• Keep on until 1 team is left.

It can be played multiple times if the group likes it. Make clear that with each new game a different position can be choosen.

Differentiation

Let the group think of two new positions/postures themselves. If those postures can be carried out well will turn out later.

Evaluation

Not needed

Points of interest

Fairplay is important, if you are tapped you belong to the other team.

Security check

Explain how people are supposed to tap, in order to prevent taps that look more like beating and pushing.

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Maze alive

A hilarious energizer. It’s playing tag with surprising twists.

Deze activiteit bevordert:

• Teambuilding
• Having fun
• cooperation
• and who knows what else

Here is the instruction:

Time: 5 – 10 min


Participants: 8 or more


Outside


Active

Required materials


nothing

How it works:

Arrange all the participants in such a manner that the explanation can be heard well. Tell them that we are going to do ‘Maze alive’ and that it involves playing tag. After that you ask the group to stand in rows behind one another. Everyone is faced to the same side.

Independently of the size of the group all participants are supposed to form a square with eachother in the same way as the example beneath shows.

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When the group is bigger there could be for example five rows of five people. The distance between the participants is about the length of their arms. If they put their arms to the side they can touch eachother’s hands. Make sure that the rows are arranged in sequence.

The people in the row keep standing and hold their arms up horizontally.

Two people won’t stand in the rows.

One of them is the tagger and the other person is the one who has to be tagged.

It works in this way.

 

Tell the participants that you (the trainer) will give them the command ‘turn’ constantly.

This means that a person has to turn a quarter clockwise. If you give the command again the people turn back.

It is a good idea to practice this before doing it.

Because the standing people keep their arms up horizontally a kind of wall is created which the tagger and the runner can’t pass. They can run though where there are no arms.

The tagger and the runner run through the standing people.

Now the one who gives the commands can say ‘turn’ unexpectedly. Everyone who stands turns a quarter to the right or back. A maze is being created for the tagger and the runner which constantly changes.

The tagger and runner swap roles when the runner is tagged.

Differentiation

• Differentiate with the rule: the runner can give the commands.
• It’s the same for the tagger.
• Let someone from the group give the command.
• There are two taggers…

Evaluation


Enjoy it! Look at it and if it is just fun;

why would you evaluate?

Security check


Geef instructie dat de mensen die hun armen omhoog houden opletten dat ze de loper of tikker niet slaan tijdens het draaien. Met nat gras is dit niet aan te raden omdat de tikker en de loper heel vaak moeten veranderen van richting.

Explain that the people which hold their arms up have to pay attention and that they don’t beat the runner or tagger while they are turning.

 

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Race against the clock

A very simple energizer which only takes 2 minutes, which will make everyone gasp (after it) and everyone feels alive again. What gorgeous after dinner!

How it works:

The group starts to stand in a circle. Everyone holds eachother’s hand. You, as the trainer give the go-ahead sign. When you have given the go-ahead sign, the group starts to turn around three times clockwise, stop, and turn around two times counter-clockwise.

It has no meaning or whatsoever…., but it is really fun to do! And… everyone is ready to ‘learn and discover’ again.

Differentation

With a large group you can also turn around only once.

Do this while you are recording the time. After the first time you encourage the group to do it faster the second time.