Icebreakers

Name: Anagram game
Number of Participants: 6+
Equipment: Post-it note, paper and pen
Time: 15- 20 mins

Steps:

1. Each participant will have a post-it note stuck to their back with a word between 6-8 letters on it. The trainer will have chosen the word and they can relate to words to do with the day. The participant will not know what word is stuck on their back.
2. The participants through conversation with one another will ask eg ‘Do I have an E?’ they can only ask each participant this question once. If there are two letters the same only one can be revealed at a time.
3. As letters are revealed to them the participants will jot them down on paper with a pen.
4. Once the participant has found out all of the letters they need to work out what the word is.

Name: Circle
Number of Participants: 6+
Equipment: None
Time: 15 mins

Steps:

1. Form a circle facing outwards with half of the group.
2. Form a circle around them with the rest of the participants facing
   inwards. Each participant should now have someone facing them.
3. Give a minute to each pair facing each other to shake hands and find out 3 memorable facts about each other.
4. The outward circle should then move clockwise and the same
   introductions take place with their new pair.
5. This cycle continues until the members in the outer circle reach their starting point.

Name: Dominoes
Number of Participants: 12+
Equipment: Dominoes
Time: 10 - 15 mins

Steps:

1. Each participant has one domino.
2. The participants need to work together to form a chain and try to create the longest one that is possible. They should be using this exercise to introduce themselves to one another.

Name: Food
Number of Participants: 6+ even numbers
Equipment: Card
Time: 10 – 15 mins

Steps:

1. Give each participant a card with a name of food on it (item of
   ingredients), like potato, minced beef, bacon, bread.
2. They should then introduce themselves to each other and what food they are. They should try and work together to create a (spoken) three-course meal using the ingredients they have been given.

Name: Snap
Number of Participants: 16+ even numbers
Equipment: Pairs of: cards or pictures or objects
Time: 10 - 20 mins

Steps:

1. Each participant has an identity i.e. a card, picture or object and
   someone else in that room is the same as them.
2. The participants need to introduce themselves to one another to try and find their pair. Once in a pair they ask each other some
   introductory questions as set by the trainer.
3. Once everyone has found their pair the game can start again until everyone has been paired up to each participant.

Name: Mime
Number of Participants: 10+ even numbers
Equipment: whistle or buzzer
Time: 15 - 20 mins

Steps:

1. Allow three minutes for the participants to think about a mime that best describes their role.
2. Participants then walk around the room exchanging names and
   shaking hands – this happens for a few exchanges before the whistle is blown.
3. Each pair on hearing the whistle will exchange names and mime their role – they can decide who will go first.
4. The participant not miming can take guesses at what the role is and can ask ‘yes or no’ questions.
5. After a minute and a half blow the whistle again and move them on to the next person to start the cycle again.
6. Continue until either everyone has had a chance to meet each other or the enthusiasm and energy dips.

Name: Self portrait
Number of Participants: 6+
Equipment: Plain A4 paper and pencils
Time: 10 – 15 mins

Steps:

1. Give 5 minutes for the participants to draw a self-portrait using the hand they don’t usually use to draw. The other participants should not be able to see each other's drawing.
2. Collect in all the portraits. Go through each one getting the group to guess who's the drawing is.
3. After each artist has been identified ask the artist to share up to 3
   memorable facts about themselves.

Name: Parachute games
Number of Participants: 10+ even numbers
Equipment: Parachute and ball
Time: 5 - 10 mins

Steps:

1. The participants form a circle around the parachute.
2. At the same time each participant picks up the parachute to about his or her waist height.
3. The participants start to move the parachute up and down. The trainer will call out things such as ‘people wearing trainers’ or ‘if you have a red car’. At that point the people who relate to this phrase will let go of the parachute and run under it swapping places with someone opposite.
4. You can also throw a ball on to the parachute and score goals by
   getting the ball down the hole in the middle.

Name: Odd or even
Number of Participants: 10+
Equipment: Paper
Time: 10 - 15 mins

Steps:

1. Roll up small pieces of paper to make them into little balls. Give each participant 10 paper balls each.
2. Each participant will need to place a number chosen by them of small balls into their right hand holding them in a clenched fist. This should be done discretely.
3. The participants then approach each other with the first person saying ‘I am (name), odd or even’. The other participant will guess whether the participant who asked has an odd or even number of balls in their clenched fist.
4. If they guess correctly they can take one of the small balls of paper from the other participant.
5. Roles are then reversed and the same procedure takes place. Once they have both taken their turn to ask, they move on to someone else.
6. The game continues until someone has no small paper balls left or you feel that enough time has been spent.

Name: Human knot
Number of Participants: 5+ even numbers
Equipment: None
Time: 5 - 10 mins

Steps:

1. The participants form a tight circle and puts both hands in the air
   towards the middle, so everyone’s hands are touching.
2. Each participant grabs a hand in each of his or her hand.
3. Ask the participants to spread out and they should be in a knot.
4. Without releasing their grip they have to untie the knot until they are back in one big circle.

Name: Spin (name remembering game)
Number of Participants: 10+ even numbers
Equipment: Plastic plate
Time: 5 - 10 mins

Steps:

1. The participants form a circle.
2. In the middle of the circle the trainer begins by spinning the plate on the floor. He/she then calls a participant’s name to come and takeover to keep the plate spinning. This participant then calls another participant’s name and this pattern is carried on until everyone has had a spin of the plate.
3. A participant is disqualified if they call out an invalid name or if they cannot remember the name.