Icebreakers Communication Activities · THE CHALLENGE NETWORK // THE IDEAS BIBLE // 2011 // PAGE 2 Icebreakers ... about gets a chance to guess and so build up their empire. 4. If

THE CHALLENGE NETWORK // THE IDEAS BIBLE // 2011 // PAGE 2

Icebreakers

Teamwork Activities

Communication Activities

Large Games (outdoors)

Energizers

Calmers

Review Techniques

Communicating in Print

Table of Contents


Two Truths and a Lie (used in Evening Session 2)

How Long it Takes:

10 minutes.

What You’ll Need:

12 pens; 12 scrap pieces of

paper.

Instructions:

1. Ask everyone to sit in a circle and give every person a pen

and a piece of paper to write on. Ask each person to write

down three things about themselves: two that are true

statements and one that is a lie. Allow approximately 5

minutes for this.

2. Select a person to go first and read his or her three

statements. Then ask him or her to read them again, and

ask the rest of the team to vote on which statement they

believe to be the lie.

3. Ask the selected person to reveal which statement was the

lie. Each team member who guessed correctly gets one

point (they can keep a tally on the scrap piece of paper

where they wrote their three statements).

4. Repeat this process until you have gone around the entire

circle

5. Have everyone count how many points they received and

announce the winner!


The Stinger (a name game)

How Long it Takes:

10 to 15 minutes

What You’ll Need:

Nothing!

Instructions:

1. Ask the group to form a circle and close their eyes.

2. The facilitator chooses the Stinger by tapping or squeezing

this person on their shoulder.

3. The group is then asked to get to know each other better

by introducing themselves and shaking hands.

4. The Stinger kills his or her victims by injecting poison with

their index finger while shaking hands

5. The person stung must wait 5 seconds before “dying”

dramatically for the whole group to see

6. When someone thinks that they know who the Stinger is,

they can make an accusation. If someone seconds that

accusation within 10 seconds, they can formally accuse the

person they believe to be the Stinger by pointing to who

they think the Stinger is by the count of 3 and shouting their

name.

7. If they both point to the same person, and are correct, the

team wins and the game is over

8. On the other hand, if they: a) both point to different people

or b) both point to the same person but are wrong, then the

game continues until the Stinger strikes again and

someone else makes an accusation.


Empires (a name game)

How Long it Takes:

15 to 30 minutes

What You’ll Need:

Pens and paper

Instructions:

1. With everyone sat in a circle hand out pens and paper to

everyone and ask them, without letting anyone see, to

write the name of a famous person that they would most

like to be.

2. Once this is done take in all the names and read them out

for the group to hear.

3. Once the list has been read out get one person to guess

which one person in the group chose which famous person

(i.e. Sally- Lady Gaga). If the guesser is correct then the

person comes and sits at their feet (they are now part of

their empire) and they are allowed another go. However, if

they are wrong the person that they incorrectly guessed

about gets a chance to guess and so build up their empire.

4. If someone correctly guesses the identity of a player who is

the head of an empire then the guesser not only gets that

individual, but they also gain their whole empire too!

5. The game continues until there are just two empires left.


Hovering Bunnies (a name game)

How Long it Takes:

5 to 10 minutes

What You’ll Need:

Nothing

Instructions:

1. Instruct the group to sit in a circle with their chairs. Tell

them the cover their teeth with their lips, and that no one is

to show their teeth for the duration of the game.

2. The game works by everyone in the circle (with teeth

covered) rhythmically patting their knees twice before

bringing their hands up to their ears (to look like rabbit

ears) while chanting “hovering bunnies, hovering bunnies”.

Once this cycle has been completed twice one person

(while still patting their knees etc to the rhythm) must say

“their name” to “another name in the group” (i.e. “Andrew

to Colin, Andrew to Colin”). Following this there will be

another round of “hovering bunnies, hovering bunnies”

before Colin then passes the name on (i.e. “Colin to Helen,

Colin to Helen”). All this with everyone’s teeth covered.

3. Should anyone show their teeth at any stage in the game

everyone should stop chanting, put their hands to their

ears and point with their elbows at the perpetrator while

shouting “teeth, teeth” at them (all while their teeth are still

covered).

4. Following this, that person is now out and the game will

start up again and continue in the same fashion until there

is just one person left.


Directions, Directions

How Long it Takes:

10 to 15 minutes

What You’ll Need:

Nothing

Instructions:

1. Break the group up into groups of 4 or groups of 6.

2. One person starts, identifying and performing a small task,

such as clapping hands.

3. The next person in the circle must repeat this task, while

also adding one of their own that is different from the

previous action (e.g. sticking out their tongue)

4. This continues as you move around the circle. Anyone who

cannot remember the sequence is out until the next round.

5. Keep going around the circle until the actions keep

increasing and a winner is declared.


Name Scrabble (a name game)

How Long it Takes:

5 to 10 minutes

What You’ll Need:

12 pens. 12 scrap pieces of

paper

Instructions:

1. Split the team into groups of 3.

2. Get each group to write down each of their first names on

their piece of paper

3. Groups then have 5 minutes to try and make as many

different words as possible (or the longest word possible)

out of those letters. Letters cannot be used twice. The

team with the most words or the longest word wins.


Idol

How Long it Takes:

10 minutes

What You’ll Need:

Nothing!

Instructions:

1. Instruct the team to sit in a circle.

2. Ask everyone to think of someone they look up to or

admire.

3. Go around the circle once and get each member to

describe the person they are thinking of without saying

their name. The group needs to guess who it is.

4. Once someone has guessed the name ask the original

person to explain: Why did they choose this person? What

is it about this person that they respect? Which of these

qualities would they like to see in themselves?

5. Emphasize the importance of listening and paying attention

to the speaker.


Champion

How Long it Takes:

5 to 10 minutes

What You’ll Need:

Nothing!

Instructions:

1. Ask every member of the team to find a partner to play

rock, paper, scissors with.

2. The person who loses becomes a member of the winner’s

team (of two people!) by placing their hands on the

winner’s shoulders.

3. This team finds another team (of 2 or more) and the

leaders both challenge one another. Before they play,

however, the team must form a circle to cheer itself on by

roaring, yelling, etc.

4. The losing team joins the winner’s team by linking up

(placing hands on shoulders) to the end of the winner’s

chain.

5. This process continues until at the end there are only two

teams left. As the teams grow, the energy of the room

increases as each team becomes louder and more

energetic by cheering itself on before each rock, paper,

scissors battle.

6. The team that wins the final battle is the winner!


The Human Knot

How Long it Takes:

5 to 10 minutes

What You’ll Need:

Nothing

Instructions:

4. (at least 4) Team members move together in a close circle

and join hands with any two people in the circle

5. Instruct team members that they must untangle

themselves, without letting go of any hands, so that they

are standing in a perfect circle at the end.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Backward Clumps

How Long it Takes:

5 to 10 minutes

What You’ll Need:

Nothing

Instructions:

1. Divide the group into pairs. Ask each pair to sit on the floor

with their partner, backs together, feet out in front and

arms linked. Their task is to stand up together. Once

everyone has done this, two pairs join together and the

group of four try to repeat the task. After they succeed,

add another two and try again. Keep adding people until

your whole group is trying to stand together.


Chairs

How Long it Takes:

5-10 minutes

What You’ll Need:

Nothing!

Instructions:

1. Instruct the group to take a chair and spread out so that

everyone is dispersed around the room.

2. Once this is done ask one person to stand up and walk to

the opposite side of the room to their chair. Once they

have done that inform that person that their aim in the

game is to now to sit back down on an empty chair.

However, they cannot move faster than walking pace and

the rest of the team will be working together to stop them

doing this by moving to fill the empty chair (but leaving

another empty chair behind as a result)

3. Once contestants stand up they cannot sit down on the

same chair. If the individual manages to sit down on a

chair then the last person to sit down then takes their

place.


Who is it?

How Long it Takes:

5 minutes

What You’ll Need:

Nothing!

Instructions:

1. A chosen Guesser goes out of the room

2. The facilitator then picks a leader

3. Whatever the leader does, the group must copy

4. When the Guesser enters, they must try and figure out who

the leader is by trying to find out who is initiating the

movements (Hint: instruct the group not to look at the

leader, as this makes it harder for the Guesser).

5. Once the Guesser correctly guesses the leader, he or she

can pick another Guesser and the process can be

repeated.


Wielded Ankles

How Long it Takes:

5 to 10 minutes

What You’ll Need:

Nothing!

Instructions:

1. Instruct the team to line up and move their legs apart

slightly so that their ankles are touching

2. Like a giant three-legged race, the team must move as a

whole to the other side of the room, or some other target

destination, while keeping all of their ankles together.

3. If some people lose contact with each other’s ankles, the

whole team must start again from the beginning.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Circle Time

How Long it Takes:

5 to 10 minutes

What You’ll Need:

Nothing!

1. Instruct the team to make a circle, holding hands

2. They then have to way to effectively turn the circle inside

out, so that every person is facing outside.

3. The trick is that they must find a way to do this without

letting go of each other’s hands.


Alternate Lean

How Long it Takes:

5 minutes

What You’ll Need:

Nothing!

Instructions:

1. Instruct the entire group to stand in a circle, holding hands

2. Every second person must lean in, and every other person

in between must lean out. Stress that they must do this

simultaneously.

3. Discuss why it worked so easily, or whether difficulties

were encountered. What might this mean?

4. Can use this as a starting point for a quick discussion on

the importance of teamwork, and what needs to happen for

a team to function effectively.


Trapped on a Desert Island

How Long it Takes:

15 minutes

What You’ll Need:

A couple of sheets of paper

and a few pens and pencils

Instructions:

1. Split the team up into three groups of 4

2. Tell the groups that they are all trapped on a different

desert island

3. Because they are trapped, they must choose which 5 items

they would need and rank them in terms of priority

4. This will allow them to work as a team and compromise

when strategizing about what items should be on the list

and in what order

5. If there is time, the teams could compare their lists. Which

things did they choose? Where did they place them on the

list? Why?


Scattergories

How Long it Takes:

Approximately 10 minutes.

Could be made longer if you

play more than one round.

What You’ll Need:

Pens and paper

Instructions:

1. Split the group up into groups of 4

2. Tell each group to create 8 categories on a piece of paper

3. The categories are: Movie, TV show, Place, Food, Animal,

Famous Person, Thing, and Book or Song Title

4. The facilitator then gives everyone a letter

5. Each group must come up with a word beginning with this

letter that fits each category. They are given 60 to 75

seconds to do so

6. The goal is to guess things that the other teams won’t

because each team receives: 0 points for a blank, 5 points

if they share an answer with another team, and 10 points if

they have an answer that no other team has.

7. This can be repeated as many times as is useful for the

team. Points will be tallied at the end to determine the

winning team.


The Hog Call

How Long it Takes:

10 to 15 minutes

What You’ll Need:

12 blindfolds (use clothing)

Instructions:

1. Have the team pair up

2. Each pair decides on a two word phrase, such as “hot

dog”, or a celebrity couple such as Posh and Becks

3. They then move to different parts of the room and put on

blind folds

4. The pair must find each other again using these two words.

For example, one person can only say “hot” and the other

can only say “dog”.

5. Once everyone has found each other, each person

introduces their partner to the group.


Directions, Directions

How Long it Takes:

10 to 15 minutes

What You’ll Need:

Nothing!

Instructions:

1. Break the group up into groups of 4 or groups of 6.

2. One person starts, identifying and performing a small task,

such as clapping hands.

3. The next person in the circle must repeat this task, while

also adding one of their own that is different from the

previous action (e.g. sticking out their tongue)

4. This continues as you move around the circle. Anyone who

cannot remember the sequence is out until the next round.

5. Keep going around the circle until the actions keep

increasing and a winner is declared.


Picture This

How Long it Takes:

10 to 15 minutes

What You’ll Need:

Some paper, pens or pencils

Instructions:

1. Ask the group to split up into pairs

2. One person in the pair will be the drawer, one will be the

instructor. The activity will be repeated so each person will

have a chance to take on each role.

3. The facilitator then gathers the instructors together and

whispers to them what they will instruct their partner to

draw. It should be something relatively simple, like a cat or

a house.

4. The instructor must then instruct their partner, using only

commands like, “line”, “small circle”, etc. The instructor can

also say things such as “line…line…line... stop” to indicate

how long the line should be.

5. After 5 minutes or so, the group is told to stop and each

team reveals their drawing, see how close each team got

to what the picture was intended to be.

6. Have the partners switch roles and repeat the process.

7. If there is time, the team can discuss what techniques the

instructors used that worked well for them and which ones

didn’t. For example, people might find that direct, concise

instructions worked better than vague ones.

8. Twist: This game can be done with the instructor not being

able to speak and having to sign instead


Hear No Evil See No Evil

How Long it Takes:

10 to 15 minutes

What You’ll Need:

One blindfold; any object that

can act as the “treasure” to

be found

Instructions:

1. Choose one person as the seeker, and one as the

instructor. Put a blindfold on the seeker.

2. Have the rest of the team line up. The instructor faces the

line and cannot turn around.

3. At this point, the facilitator places the treasure object

somewhere in the area. Only the team that is standing in the

line can see where it is located.

4. The key to the game is that the instructor can speak, but

cannot gesture or see where the treasure is placed. The

team that is lined up can see where the treasure is, but they

cannot speak, they can only use gestures. The seeker can

neither talk nor see.

6. Using these gestures, the team that is lined up must point to

the direction where the seeker must go to find the treasure.

7. Using these gestures as a guide, the instructor must tell the

seeker to go left, right, back, forward, etc.

8. The whole point of the exercise is that they must

communicate and work as a team in order for the seeker to

find the treasure. Note: it is important that the facilitator

follow the seeker to make sure he or she does not walk into

anything or get hurt.


The Listening Triad

How Long it Takes:

10 to 15 minutes

What You’ll Need:

Nothing!

Instructions:

1. Break the group up into groups of three

2. Assign the role of speaker, listener, and observer to each

member

3. The speaker talks about a certain issue that he or she feels

strongly about. This can be as serious or as crazy as the

speaker wants.

4. When the speaker is finished, the listener reflects, as

accurately as possible, the content of what the speaker

discussed

5. The observer then determines how accurate the listener’s

portrayal of the speaker’s monologue was.

6. Switch roles, so that each person has the chance to play

the role of speaker, listener, and observer.


Back-2-Back

How Long it Takes:

15 minutes

What You’ll Need:

Nothing!

Instructions:

1. Have the group split up into groups of two.

2. Each pair sits back to back, each person asks the other

five questions.

3. Afterwards, have them discuss what it felt like to actively

talk and listen without looking at the other person directly.

What does this say about the various aspects of

communication and what it takes to communicate

effectively?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Blindly sorted

How Long it Takes:

10 minutes

What You’ll Need:

blindfolds

Instructions:

1. All members of the group are blindfolded. They have the

challenge of standing in a row according to size, age etc.

Talking is not allowed. How quickly can the groups solve

the different tasks?


( ( ))

Dodgeball

How Long it Takes:

20 minutes

What You’ll Need:

A long rope/piece of string;

approximately 5 balls to

throw

Instructions:

2. Mark off a square area using the string

3. Select a group of people to be inside the square area. This

group could be organized as boys or girls only, teams, age

etc.

4. Everyone else stands outside the sectioned off area and

throws balls (below the knees) at the people playing

5. When hit, the player is out and must stand outside the

playing area

6. The last person playing is the winner!


Danish Rounders

How Long it Takes:

25 minutes

What You’ll Need:

A volleyball (or a similar type

of ball); three objects to

indicate where the bases are

Instructions:

1. Split the group up into two groups

2. One team lines up behind the home plate, the other stands

in the field by each of the three bases, just like in baseball

3. The batter at the home plate kicks the ball out into the

playing area

4. The batter then runs around the bases

5. Someone from the other team must catch the ball after it is

kicked and throw it to another team member. Their goal is

to try to get it to the base before the batter reaches it

6. If the ball beats the player home, he or she is out

7. If the batter beats the ball home, he or she scores a point

for his or her team

8. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins


Ultimate Frisbee

How Long it Takes:

20 – 30 minutes

What You’ll Need:

1 Frisbee; 4 objects to use as

markers for two sets of goal

posts at each end of the field

Instructions:

1. Set out two goal lines at either end of the playing area.

Divide the group up into two teams

2. The game starts with each team standing behind their goal

line facing the other team at the other end. One team

throws the Frisbee to the other team to start the game.

3. The goal of the game is for each team to pass the Frisbee

to another member of their team that is behind the goal

line, marked by the two objects acting as posts. If they can

do this, they get one point

4. Everytime a team scores, they change ends. To restart the

game the teams stand in their new goal areas and the

team with the Frisbee throws to the other team.

5. The only major rules are that players only pass the Frisbee

to other members of their team, and there is no tackling or

other forms of physical contact.

6. Players gain control of the Frisbee by either catching it or

knocking it down to the ground while in the air. They then

gain control of the Frisbee and throw it to their team

member.


Capture the Flag

How Long it Takes:

30 minutes

What You’ll Need:

Some string or rope to

outline each team’s territory

(if necessary); two items to

use as flags

Instructions:

1. Divide the group up into two teams

2. Mark out the territories for each team. Natural boundaries

such as a creek or hill could work. String or rope can also

be used for this purpose

3. Each team will receive their flags and hide them

4. Decide what will happen to people who are captured. They

can: a) be out, b) become a member of the other team, or

c) go to the jail, where they can only be released if a

member of their team successfully rescues them by

tagging them and running back together without being

caught by the other team

5. Each team now splits up into “attacker” or “defender”

groups. Attackers attempt to sneak across the enemy

border and bring the flag back without being caught.

Defenders work to protect their own flag

6. The first team to capture the flag and bring it back to their

side of the border without being tagged by a member of the

opposing team wins


“Killer”

How Long it Takes:

20 – 25 minutes

What You’ll Need:

1 ball; a few feet of string or

rope

Instructions:

1. If there is enough string or rope available, use it to mark

out the shape of two connected squares

2. Divide the group up into two teams, with each team in one

square. If there is not enough string to do this, simply

indicate the territories for each team and place a dividing

line in the middle

3. Like in dodge ball, each team tries to hit members of the

other team below the knee with the ball

4. If someone is hit by the ball, they are out; if they catch it

(without the ball bouncing), the person who threw it is out

5. When a person is out, they move behind the other team’s

square. While standing there, if they successfully receive

the ball from a member of their team on the other side,

they can use it to hit members of the opposing team. If

they get someone then they are no longer out and can

return to their team’s side

6. The winning team is the team who gets everyone “out” at

the same time.


Kick the Can

How Long it Takes:

20 minutes

What You’ll Need:

A can! (or something to

defend)

Instructions:

1. Ask for five volunteers to be “it” (this number can change

depending on the exact size of the group). The people who

are “it” must protect their can from being kicked or knocked

over, otherwise they lose the game

2. Everyone else tries to knock over or kick the can

3. If someone tries to kick the can and they are tagged, then

they’re out

4. If someone does manage to kick the can, then everyone

else wins the game

5. If the people who are it tag every person, they win. They

can also win if they manage to successfully protect the can

for 20 minutes


Sardines

How Long it Takes:

10 - 20 minutes

What You’ll Need:

Nothing

Instructions:

A classic game which works well with large groups.

Set a few ground rules before playing i.e.

No hiding in dangerous places

No damaging rooms or furniture etc.

1. Designate someone as the ‘hider’ for the first round.

2. Tell them to hide while the rest of the group close their

eyes

3. When they are hidden the rest of the groups split up and

look for the hider.

4. The aim of the game is to find the hider and then hide with

them without the rest of the group seeing you.

5. Gradually there will be more and more people squashed in

with the hider (hence the name of the game)

6. The game finishes when there is only one person left

looking for the hider

7. A second round can be played with the last person looking

from the previous round becoming the hider.


Tadpole to Superman

How Long it Takes:

5 to 10 minutes

What You’ll Need:

Nothing!

Instructions:

1. Every member of the team starts out as a tadpole (and

moving around as a tadpole). Each tadpole challenges

another tadpole to a game of rock, paper, scissors.

2. The winner moves up, becoming a chicken (they must walk

around, flapping their wings and clucking like a chicken,

too!). The loser remains a tadpole and can only challenge

other tadpoles.

3. Chickens challenge other chickens. Whoever wins

becomes a monkey. Whoever loses becomes a tadpole.

4. Monkeys challenge other monkeys. The loser moves down

to a chicken and the winner becomes superman.

5. The first person to become superman is the winner! Note:

tadpoles can only challenge other tadpoles; chickens can

only challenge other chickens, etc.


1-Clap-Three!

How Long it Takes:

5 to 10 minutes

What You’ll Need:

Nothing!

Instructions:

1. Ask everyone to sit in a circle and pair up. Alternatively, the

facilitator can simply ask the group to break into pairs.

2. Each pair must count to three. For example, partner 1 says

“1”, partner two says “2”, and then partner three says “3”.

Ask them to count to three in this way a few times, getting

faster and faster.

3. Next, replace saying “2” with a clap. If one or both of the

partners make a mistake, start the counting again, with

each person clapping when they come to the number 2.

4. Replace “1” with a snap, keeping “2” replaced with the

clap. Now the partners are counting with two replacements

and only saying “3”.

5. Finally, replace “3” with a stomp! See how long each pair

can keep this up without making a mistake


The Countdown!

How Long it Takes:

5 minutes

What You’ll Need:

Nothing!

Instructions:

1. Ask the team to form a circle

2. Tell them they will be counting down from 10 using their

arms and legs! The facilitator can demonstrate how it

works first and the rest of the team will quickly catch on

3. The countdown starts by shaking your right arm ten times,

counting out loud

4. Do the same with your left arm, then lift your leg and shake

it 10 times, counting down from 10, and do the same with

your right (by now you have shaken both arms and both

legs, counting down from 10 each time)

5. Repeat this process, now shaking each arm and leg nine

times. Next do this eight times, and so on until you get to 1!

6. You can repeat the whole activity if necessary and try to

increase the speed to raise the energy of the group!


Dog and Bone

How Long it Takes:

10 to 15 minutes

What You’ll Need:

One object that team

members can grab that will

act as the “bone”

Instructions:

1. Divide the team up into two equal teams and have them line

up facing one another with about a 3 metre space in

between them

2. Place the object that is the “bone” in the centre between the

two lines

3. Give each player a number that corresponds with another

member of the other team. For example, there will be two

#1s, two #2s, two #3s, etc.

4. The facilitator then calls a number and both players with that

number must race to try and grab the bone first. Whoever

grabs the bone first wins a point for his or her team

5. The facilitator can run the game like this for a while and then

add the twist

6. Twist: The facilitator calls out a number and the two players

compete, as they did previously, but this time you can also

get a point if you tag the person who grabbed the bone

7. Now you can get a point in two ways: 1) you grab the bone

first and bring it back to your team’s side without being

tagged, or: 2) you don’t grab the bone first, but tag the

person who does before they reach their side.


Time bomb

How Long it Takes:

5 minutes

What You’ll Need:

Nothing!

Instructions:

1. Instruct everyone to stand up. Ask them to look around the

group and, without telling anyone else, to choose one

person in their group who is their bomb (who will explode if

they get close to them).

2. Once they have done this ask them, again without telling

anyone, to choose someone who is their shield (who will

protect them from their bomb)

3. Once everyone has done this instruct them that for the

next 5-10 minutes they need to do everything ensure that

their shield is always between them and their bomb. If that

isn’t the case at the end of the time then they will die.

4. Everyone should then run around trying to do this for the 5

minutes. Once the time is up shout “Bang” and get

everyone to own up to who was their bomb and who was

their shield.


Earth, Air, Water

How Long it Takes:

10 to 15 minutes

What You’ll Need:

One ball

Instructions:

1. Have the team form a circle with the facilitator standing in

the middle

2. The facilitator throws the ball to a person in the circle,

saying: “earth”, “air,” or “water”

3. The person receiving the ball must think of one animal that

lives in one of these three places as he or she throws it

back to the facilitator

4. If the player hesitates or says an incorrect answer, he or

she is out and must sit down

5. The facilitator speeds the game up by throwing the ball

faster and faster as the circle gets smaller and smaller.


Knights, Castles, Dragons

How Long it Takes:

10 to 15 minutes

What You’ll Need:

Nothing

Instructions:

1. Ask the group to stand in a circle. Explain to them that the

aim of the game is to form groups based on the

instructions you call. If you call “Knights” everyone must

pair up with one other person, if you call “dragon” everyone

must try to get into a group of three, and if you call “castle”

everyone must try to get into a group of 5.

2. If anyone does not manage to get into a group of the

correct number then they are out.

3. Vary your calls until there are just 3 people left and then

call “knights”, which will then leave you with the two

winners!


I Love You, Honey

How Long it Takes:

10 minutes

What You’ll Need:

Nothing!

Instructions:

1. Have the group form a circle, with one person standing in

the middle.

2. The person in the middle walks over to one person in the

circle and tells him or her, ‘I love you, honey.”

3. The chosen “victim” must respond by saying, “I love you

too, but I just can’t smile” without smiling.

4. If the victim does smile, he or she must either replace the

person in the centre of the circle and repeat the process,

trying to make their chosen “victims” smile, or they can join

the person in the middle and they can both choose victims

who they can tempt to smile


Screamer

How Long it Takes:

5-10 minutes

What You’ll Need:

Nothing!

Instructions:

1. Get everyone standing in a circle. When you say “Heads

down”, everyone has to look down and think of someone in

the group.

2. When you say “Heads up”, everyone has to look up and

immediately stare at that person.

3. If that person is not staring back at them, then they’re still

in. However, if they are staring back at them, then they

both have to scream loudly. They are both out.

4. Last one in wins.


Would You Rather…

How Long it Takes:

10 to 15 minutes

What You’ll Need:

Some pens or pencils, a few

scrap sheets or pieces of

paper (one per person). A

hat, cup, or small container

Instructions:

1. Ask everyone to sit in a circle and hand out one pen/pencil,

and one piece of paper to each person.

2. Instruct everyone that they will have five minutes to write

down a question: ‘Would you rather……’

3. Give the group an example, such as: “would you rather live

without a TV or a computer?” or “would you rather have a

lot of money and no true friends, or true friends but little to

no money?”

4. Once they are done writing the questions, collect them in

the hat, bowl, or whatever is being used as a container

5. Each person will then pick one question from the hat and

ask the person to their right, who in turn will do the same,

until everyone has had a chance to both ask and answer.


Chain Storytelling

How Long it Takes:

10 to 15 minutes

What You’ll Need:

Nothing!

Instructions:

1. Have the group sit in a circle

2. One person is chosen to start the story by saying one

sentence.

3. The person to their right continues by adding another

sentence, and so on until the person at the end has to

recite the entire story

4. Team members can help each other remember the story

as it goes on (if necessary) as this will facilitate co-

operation and a quieter form of team building at the end of

the day

5. Could repeat the process with a new story if time permits


Zen Counting

How Long it Takes

10 to 15 minutes

What You’ll Need:

Nothing!

Instructions:

1. Sit the whole group down and instruct them that they, as a

team, must count from 1 to 50

2. The trick is that the team must count out loud together, but

only one person can say one number at a time. If two

people shout out the same number at the same time,

everyone must start from 1 all over again

Requires everyone to be aware of one another and work

together as a team


20 Questions

How Long it Takes:

10 to 15 minutes

What You’ll Need:

Nothing!

Instructions:

1. Divide the team up into groups of 4

2. Ask one person in each group to be the leader, or the

facilitator can choose this person.

3. The leader must think of an object, and tell his or her team

that it is classified as: animal, vegetable, or mineral.

4. Each team member must take a turn asking a question that

can be answered with a yes or no question.

5. Each team only gets 20 questions to figure out what the

object is.

6. Could also have the teams compete by seeing which team

deduced what the object was in the least number of

questions


Poetry Consequences

How Long it Takes:

Approximately 15 minutes

What You’ll Need:

12 sheets of paper and 12

pens/pencils

Instructions:

1. Give each team member one piece of paper and one pen

or pencil

2. Each person writes down three rhyming lines on his or her

piece of paper.

3. They then fold each sheet of paper so that the first two

lines of the poem are covered.

4. Then they pass this sheet to the person to their left. This

next person can only see the third line that the other

person had written.

5. They then write a second and third line before folding the

paper so the first two lines are not visible to the person

next to them, and the process repeats itself

6. This continues until each person receives their original

poem.

7. Once the circle is complete, each person can read their

original poem to the team – it should be interesting and

funny!


The Chair Game

How Long it Takes:

10 to 20 minutes. Can be

as long or as short as

needed depending on

how many rounds the

facilitator decides to do.

What You’ll Need:

Chairs (one for every person)

Instructions:

1. Instruct the group to sit in a circle with their chairs, with one

person in the middle. The facilitator can volunteer to sit in

the middle for the first round, or one of the team members

can volunteer. The aim of the speaker in the middle is to be

able to sit down.

2. The speaker makes a statement that he or she believes

may team members will be able to relate to, such as:

“anyone who likes Pepsi, move.”

3. The last person to find a chair must sit in the middle.

4. Repeat this process as many times as needed.

5. For the first round the questions can be anything, but after a

few tell the team ask questions about the day i.e. ‘anyone

who was scared climbing the wall today, move’, or ‘anyone

who liked my cooking’ move’


Playing Card Roulette

How Long it Takes:

10 to 15 minutes

What You’ll Need:

Blank Playing cards from the

Team Leader

Instructions:

1. In advance write a number of sentence starters on blank

playing cards. Minimum of 15 cards – but the more the

better.

2. Shuffle the cards and have each team member (and

yourself) draw out a card. In whatever order you choose

have everyone complete the sentences on their card.

Examples of sentences that could be used include:

Something I feel I

contributed to the group…

My thoughts are…

I feel frustrated when…

The hardest thing for me

was…

The easiest thing for me

was…

What surprised me was…

Something I knew would

happen was…

Nobody listened when…

I’m really pleased that I…

I wish I had…

I felt like going home when…

If I had a camera…

If I could do it again I would…

I wish I had been asked…

I was annoyed when…

My motivation went down

when…

I was helped by…

I helped…

I appreciated…

I’d like to complain about…

I’d like to tell the group…


The Question Hat

How Long it Takes:

15 to 20 minutes

What You’ll Need:

Some pieces of paper and

pens/pencils; a hat

Instructions:

1. Give each team member

a small piece of paper

and a pen or pencil.

2. Ask them to write down a

question they have. The

question could be related

to what they have learned

today, or to a question

about something that

came up that day, an idea

they have for reflection, or

various other categories.

The team leader may

choose one theme

specifically, or can leave it

open to individuals to

pose any questions that

they feel are relevant.

3. After approximately 5

minutes, the team leader

will collect each of the

questions in a hat.

4. The leader will then give

the hat to one person,

who will pick a question

randomly from the hat.

5. The person will then

provide an answer to the

question. If time permits,

the team leader can also

ask others for their

opinion

6. Pass the hat around the

circle until everyone in the

group has picked a

question and answered it.


Telephone Calls

How Long it Takes:

15 to 20 minutes

What You’ll Need:

Nothing!

Instructions:

1. Sit the team down in a group and ask them, “if you had

only one minute of credit left to tell someone about today

who would you call and what would you say?”

2. Depending on the mood of the group, and the level of trust

established between them, the team leader could probe

deeper by asking someone else to role play with this

person and they could actually “have” the telephone call.

3. If step number 2 seems too deep, the team leader can

simply ask the person why they choose this person? Why

is making this call important? What does that say about

themselves, their lives, and their priorities?


Pilot, Participant, Passenger, Protestor,

Prisoner

How Long it Takes:


What You’ll Need:

5 pieces of paper or five signs

saying “participant”,

“passenger”, “protestor”,

“prisoner” and “pilot”.

Instructions:

1. Team leaders can discuss with the group that a team is

typically (and very generally speaking), comprised of five

different roles:

Participant: Someone who gets involved and participates

Passenger: Someone who is happy just along for the ride

Protestor: Someone who tries to go a different way

Prisoner: Someone who feels trapped and wants to escape

Pilot: Someone who guides and leads

2. Place the five pieces of paper, or signs, around the room.

3. Walk the team members through the day, asking them to place

themselves in one of the corners depending on the role they

played in the team during that particular time or activity.

4. Each time they are in their respective corners, discuss what

them playing that role at that time meant for the team dynamic.

Was this helpful and beneficial or did it detract from team

spirit? Why or why not? What does it mean to be passenger,

versus a prisoner, when the team is about to embark on a

particularly difficult challenge, for example?


The 1 Minute Soap Box

How Long it Takes:


What You’ll Need:

Nothing!

Instructions:

1. Tell the group that they will each have one minute (that will

be timed) to speak about something that happened to them

today

2. Give each member one minute to decide on what they

would like to speak about. Do not allow them to discuss this

with other members of the team

3. Ask one participant to come up to the “soap box” and start

speaking for a minute. If they can make it for a minute they

win a point.

4. The only rules are that they have to stay on the same topic,

and they can’t hesitate for more than a second.

5. If another team member thinks that they have hesitated or

moved off the original topic then they can ‘challenge’. If the

Project Managers think the challenge is correct then the

challenger can take over the remaining time with their own

topic to try to win the point.

6. Whoever is speaking at the end of the minute wins.

7. Team leaders can use this activity for general issues, or it

can be used to solicit discussion on a particular topic (e.g.

sharing, communication, safety, risk, etc.)


1-2-All

How Long it Takes: What You’ll Need:

15 to 20 minutes Nothing

Instructions:

1. The Project Managers think of a question about the

activities the team has done in the day i.e. ‘How difficult did

you find meeting the Elderly People today?’

2. Each person places themselves on a point on a curved

spectrum to show where the stand on an issue (chosen by

the group leaders) (1!)

3. Give everyone a couple of minutes to talk with their

neighbour about why they chose this particular position (2!)

4. Everyone is asked to look at the overall pattern and

individual positions that other team members have chosen.

5. The Project Managers then asks one of the people to

explain why they have chosen to stand. People are then

able to change their position based on what that person

said. Project Managers can then ask another person. (All!)

6. This encourages the more outspoken people to ask

questions to the more shy members of the group. More

effective than the facilitator simply directing questions to the

quieter members of the group so that everyone is engaged.


Moment of TRU’th


10 minutes Nothing

Instructions:

7. Ask everyone to take two minutes to think of an example of

Trust, Responsibility, or Understanding & Empathy that they

have seen or been part of in the day. (i.e. Today I

experienced Trust when I had to abseil down a cliff)

8. Once everyone has thought of at least one thing ask each

person to share and discuss what was good about it and

what they can learn from it.


Metaphor map


15 minutes Pens and Paper for everybody

Instructions:

1. Split the team into groups of three and give each group

pens and a sheet of paper.

2. Ask them to draw a metaphorical map of what the day

looked like (i.e. confusion could be represented by a dense

forest, good morale could be a beach, or they could have

been up the creek without a paddle) and the route they

thought the team took through that terrain.

3. Once they have done this get the groups to present their

metaphor maps and discuss what route they would take if

they were to do the day again.


The next 10 pages consist of helpful words and phrases and

their respective symbols. These are to be used to aid

communication with young people who have communication

difficulties. We have tried to organise the vocabulary according

to what is most relevant to each phase of the summer

programme. Take the time to look through these phrases. While

they were made primarily with young people with

communication and learning difficulties in mind they can also

serve as a good communication tool for the whole team.


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Communicating in Print: the Team Challenge (afternoon)


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Use the following pages to add any extra

games/activities/reviews etc.



Documents

Icebreakers Communication Activities · THE CHALLENGE NETWORK // THE IDEAS BIBLE // 2011 // PAGE 2 Icebreakers ... about gets a chance to guess and so build up their empire. 4. If