Human Bingo

*This activity was originally designed personally for use with adult groups; it has since been re-imagined many different ways for various age groups

Target Audience: Appropriate for students in grades 9 through 12

Purpose/Goal:  Another getting to know you ice-breaking activity allows participants to learn quirky facts about one another while forcing participants to be engaging and ask questions

Materials: Pre-designed, individual Bingo boards; enough copies for each participant

Duration: Depending on the eagerness of participants and the size of the group, this activity can range from 5 to 20 minutes

Description:  Participants are guided by a pre-designed “Bingo” board and are challenged to work the room in order to obtain others’ signatures.  The first participant to acquire enough signatures for an entire row or column wins.  To encourage optimal participation, several winners can be recognized within a game 

Who’s My Match?

Source: http://www.icebreakers.ws/talking-game/whos-my-match.html

Target Audience: Appropriate for students in grades 9 through 12

Purpose/Goal:  Used to get participants engaging one another, this activity requires that participants ask each other questions in order to uncover one another’s “hidden identities” to find their own famous/celebrity match 

Materials: Name-tags or sheets of paper for each participant with the names of famous figures from famous partnership on each name-tag/sheet of paper. Both halves of the partnership should be represented on a name-tag 

Duration: This activity can be adapted for any time frame

Description:  Hand a name tag/slip of paper out to each participant; this is their hidden identity.  Tell the participants to read the name tag, then to put it in their pocket and not to tell other participants what is written on it.  As a player, the aim of the game is to find the guest who owns the name tag that matches yours.  This is done by the participants talking to one another.  Players can only answer yes or no when answering questions about their hidden identity 

Speed Networking

*This activity was originally adapted for use in an academic setting for a group of 9th grade mentees and 11th/12th grade mentors to get to know one another in order for participants to rank their preferences for a mentor/mentee

Target Audience: Appropriate for students in grades 9 through 12

Purpose/Goal:  This icebreaker is designed to provide an opportunity for a group of individuals to get to know each other in a quick and fun manner.  Utilizing a timed-format, the activity requires individuals to interview one another to uncover information that is not otherwise obvious or evident  

Materials: A timer; pencils/pens & paper are optional depending on if participants will need to remember specific information

Duration: This activity typically takes about 1 hour to complete; it can be adapted to suit the number of participants

Description:  Depending on the number of participants, make an inner and outer circle with the two groups of participants.  Be sure both groups are facing each other.  Participants will have about 5 minutes to “interview” each other using pre-provided questions appropriate for the occasion.  Once the time expires, one of the two groups will remain in place and the other will rotate to the next individual in the circle.  The process will repeat until everyone has had an opportunity to speak with one another within the circle 

Communication-Building Icebreakers

Conversation Starting Icebreakers