Games, Games,

Games Galore
For use in general or during workshops
(handout for Facilitation 202)
Bonner Curriculum

Overview:
This is a resource handbook of games suitable for use as icebreakers and other interactive
learning activities during trainings, meetings, and workshops. Many of the games can be
modified for various purposes or topics. Many are great for introductions, getting people
focused, or facilitating the sharing of ideas and information. For each game, you’ll find the title,
short description of what size group the activity is best for, and fuller description of how to do
the activity.

1. Guess Who?
[This icebreaker is good for small groups of less than 20]

At the beginning of the training, have all the members write three important facts about
themselves on one side of a blank sheet of paper, and their name in pencil on the back.
Have them turn in the sheets. Then have a trainer number each sheet, make a list of what
number corresponds to what name, and erase the names from the sheets. Post the sheets
around the main training room or some other room that members will spend a lot of time
in during the next day. Tell the members they have until after lunch (or some other
convenient time) to read all the sheets and try to figure out who is described on each
sheet. Give all members a sheet of paper that lists all the numbers so they can record their
guesses. Whoever gets the most right wins a prize.

2. Human Sculptures
[This icebreaker is best with groups of about 10-20; if there are more than 20 members,
split them into two subgroups]

In this non-competitive activity, members serve as the human "clay" to be formed by the
member serving as sculptor. The sculptors should be asked to provide an interpretation or
depiction of some category of events or other focus topics, to be chosen by the trainers.
For example, you might ask for interpretations in "human clay" of any of the following:

• An important event in the life of a member

• An anticipated AmeriCorps experience
• An important "public" event
• A movie scene
• An event from a book
• A scene or line from a song

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 The trainer or another staff member may want to serve as the sculptor first, to
demonstrate the process and reduce member inhibitions. Then ask for volunteers. The
sculptor should move members around without speaking, until the human sculpture is
complete, then explain it to the group while they maintain their poses.

If public events or anticipated service events are used, it is easy to have two sculptors
simultaneously interpret the event and then compare their sculptures. The human
sculptures can also be done with several individuals or the whole group serving as a team
of sculptors, in which case talking is permitted.

Be sure the room is big and open enough for the groups to move around. You may want to
provide some furniture or other items such as chairs, tables, or books to be incorporated
into the sculptures. Allow time for 3-4 human sculptures.

3. We Are Alike
[This icebreaker is good for large groups]

Have everyone stand in the center of the room. Explain that this exercise will show that
we all belong to many groups. Tell the members that you will start by saying, "We are alike
-- we all ______" and you will list a characteristic. All the people who share that
characteristic are to stay in the center of the room, and those who don't share that
characteristic should go to the edges of the room. Then you will call a member's name and
it will be that person's turn to list a characteristic s/he has. The member you select will
state a characteristic, people will move, and then that member will call another member's
name to take over. Do this for approximately 10 minutes. Characteristics should include
family, personal background, interests, and values. Some suggestions: ...have volunteered
for a community-based organization, ...were born in this city, ...have Italian ancestry, ...have
successfully cooked a quiche, ...have eaten beef tongue, ...have more than five brothers and
sisters. Encourage creativity.

4. People Scavenger Hunt Find Someone Who...

[This icebreaker is especially good for groups of 20+]

Develop a list of statements that are likely to be true for at least several of the members in
your group. Then give members 10 minutes to find someone, other than themselves, for
whom that statement is true and have that person initial the sheet. Whoever completes all
the statements first wins a prize. There is an example in the handout section.

Your statements can be general -- for example, find someone who:

____________Has an abuela
____________Lives in a co-op building
____________Read today’s newspaper
____________Has a daughter under two years old
____________Owns a Michael Jackson album (not a CD)
____________Has eaten grits

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 Your statements can be program focused -- for example, find someone who:
____________Expects to work for a nonprofit organization
____________Will be the only program member at the host site
____________Hopes to join AmeriCorps
____________Will be assigned to a town of less than 10,000 people

5. Art Charades
[This icebreaker can be done with any group above 10]

Develop lists of popular movie titles, song titles, proverbs, service terms, or any other
categories of phrases that seem interesting. Divide the members into at least two groups;
add more groups if needed to keep group size to about 5-8 people. The purpose of the
game is for each team to try to guess the title or proverb first. The method used is similar
to charades, except instead of using pantomime, a representative of each group must use
drawings to represent the words in the title or proverb. This icebreaker needs a large
room, so groups can work with some privacy. Each team gets newsprint and a set of
markers of several different colors.

A representative from the team goes to the facilitator in the center of the room. The
facilitator announces to the entire group the category of the phrase (movie title, proverb,
etc.), and then tells the representatives the phrase to be used. The representative goes
back to the group and draws sketches on newsprint depicting the entire phrase or title or
each word separately. (For example, for the song Blue Moon, the representative might draw
a moon in blue marker. For the movie Breakfast at Tiffany's, the representative might draw a
picture of a plate of bacon and eggs and a picture of jewelry store window.) The
representative may not speak, and the drawing must not include any words or letters that
appear in the title or proverb. The team that identifies the phrase first receives one point.
Each team then sends a different representative to the center of the room for the next
phrase. The game continues until one team gets a pre-determined number of points or a
specified amount of time (10-15 minutes) has passed. The team with the largest number of
points wins.

6. Name and.... Game

[This icebreaker can be done with any group up to 15 people]

Everyone sits in a circle. Each person introduces him/herself one after another, saying their
name and then one word that describes a reason they have become involved in community
service. (You can have the topic for the training - name a children’s book that is important
to you, what you would be doing if you were not here, what you liked about the
orientation...). The second person repeats the first person’s name and the word/adjective
and adds his/her own. The third person repeats the previous two, adding his/her own. And
so on. The last person has the hardest job because they must remember all of the names
and words/adjectives. After you go around the circle, you can go around the circle again and
ask each person to explain why he/she chose their word/adjective.

24. Shake All Hands:

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 [This is good for groups over 25 people.]

Explain the game. At the count of three, everyone in the room has to try to shake
everyone else’s hand within a strict limit of one minute. Start the game. A variation is to
have everyone sit in a circle and each person says their name fast right after each other.
Keep the time to see how long it takes the group to go around the circle. Challenge the
group to beat their time. Both of these games gets energy up, and obliges each participant
to acknowledge everyone else.

25. Mime the Lie:

[This is good for any size group.]

Have participants stand in a circle. One by one everyone goes into the middle of the circle
and mimics an action, such as pouring a drink of water. The person who was standing next
to them asks them what they are doing. They lie, and say for example, “I am running a race.”
The person who asked now goes into the circle and mimes whatever the previous person
said that they were doing. When asked what they are doing, they lie and the game
continues.

26. Hold Your Breath:

[This is good for any size group.]

Have participants sit in a circle. Everyone looks at the person directly across from him/her.
At the same moment, everyone holds their breath and sees who can hold it longer,
without taking their eyes off their partner’s face. By the time everyone runs out of breath,
people are laughing at the absurdity of the situation. This activity is good for diffusing
tension.

27. Word Tag:

[This is good for groups under 25.]
Word tag is an improvisation game. Ask the group to form partners. Each duo must find
another duo to form a group of four. Tell them they must become one person, they can do
this by linking hands, pressing their heads together, or other means of showing they are
one person. As one person, the object is to complete a sentence, one word at a time. The
facilitator gives the topic of the sentence, making the topic relevant to the workshop
content. For example, if you were about to prepare the group for an Into the Streets
service project, you might choose the topic for one group as “painting.” The group of four
must create a coherent sentence, one person and one word at a time. The hardest part is
saying only word at a time and trying to make sense as a single person.

28. Word Toss:

[This is good for small groups of five in each circle.]
Ask each group of five people to form a circle. You give them an imaginary ball to throw
back and forth to each other. Practice with throwing and catching the imaginary ball first.
When this is mastered, ask the groups to know throw words, like they were doing with e
ball, at each other. They must throw a word to a group member, the group member then

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 catches and repeats the word thrown to them as the catch the word. Then they throw a
word to another group member and the process repeats. The facilitator gives a topic for
the words (e.g. words pertaining to a service project or things I like to do on the
weekend).

29. Boop:
[This is good for smaller groups, if you have a large group break them into smaller groups.
Break the group into teams of 3-4 people.]

Have the small groups join hands to form a circle. Give each group an inflated balloon.
Make sure the groups have space in between them so they can safely move around. The
object is to keep your balloon up in the air and off the ground. The groups must keep their
hands jointed throughout the game- if they break their hands they are out of the game. Give
the groups about 3 minutes to practice keeping the balloon up in the air. Now it’s time to
play the game. As the facilitator, you call out certain body parts the group must use to keep
the balloon in the air. For example, start off by calling “hands”, then move onto “elbows”
or “knees.” You can then use combinations, “head-elbow.” What this means is that a head
shot must follow an elbow shot, or the group is out of the game. Have fun with making up
your own body combinations. This is an excellent game to do after a meal. You keep doing
this until one group is left. A fun way to end the game is to say “fire in the hole.” This
means all the groups must use their body to pop the balloon.

30. Hot Seat:

[This is good for small groups.]

Have one person sit in a chair in front of the room. The other participants ask the person
one question at a time. No discussion is allowed. No yes or no questions are allowed. You
can find questions in a book called If, information on the book is found in the resource
section of the workshop. Some example questions are, “If you could have dinner with
anyone living or deceased, who would it be?” “What do you want to be doing 5 years from
now?”

31. Show and Tell:

[This is good for any size group, in a large group you might want to do 5 at a time spread
throughout the workshop.]

Before the training ask each participant to bring an item form home and to be prepared to
speak about the object in front of the group. OR, you can ask them to take something out
of their pockets, bags, etc. and explain the object to the group. They must share the
significance and any other tidbits about the object to the group.

32. Koosh Ball Introductions:

[This is good for any size group.]

Explain to the group that when a fellow participant throws them the koosh ball they must
say their name and answer a question. You can tailor the question to the workshop topic

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 (e.g. for a workshop on Children’s Literacy, a question could be “say your name and tell us
your favorite children’s book”).

33. Snapshot of ME!/Personal Homepage/Coat of Arms:

[This can be used with any size group. If you have a large group you may want to post the
homepages or service shields around the training rooms so people can look at them during
breaks.]

You can create a template or have people use their creativity and create their format. Give
people topics they must answer. You can have art supplies out and the participants can
create their homepage or service shield as they are registering or during another down
time of the training. You can suggest they place their shield/homepage on a file folder so it
is protected and can travel easy without being damaged.

We attached an example of a Snapshot of Me!, Personal Homepage, and a Coat of Arms in

the handout section. Some possible topics you may want to include are:
• Draw a banner on your service shield for our group motto (this is something that is
left blank until the group is together- then they ask each other what they want to
stand for as a team- what phrase/quite best describes this?)
• What I need from this team to be personally effective is...
• My biggest challenge for the year is...
• One thing I am going to commit to this year is...

34. Goal Squares:

[This is good for any size group.]

Give each person a piece of paper. Instruct them to fold the paper in half, then in half again,
and once more. They should have eight squares on their paper. Ask the group to think back
at a time in their life when they said to themselves, “I wish I could do that.” Tell them it is
time to start doing something about it. On one side of the paper they are to write one
thing they want to learn, try, create, (e.g. climb a mountain, eat sushi) in each square. They
should have eight items written down, one in each of the 8 squares. After they are finished,
instruct the team to then flip their paper over and for each square on the other side that
has something they want to do, have them think about why they want to do that. What is
the motivation? What is the draw? Tell them to write one word describing that charge, the
reason they want to do what they wrote. For example, I want to run a marathon is in one
of my 8 squares, on the back of that same square I write the word “adventure” because that
best describes why I want to run the marathon. Using flip chart paper or a blackboard, ask
people to shout out those words they wrote that describe why they want to accomplish a
certain task. Write about 10-15 words down. They do not need to tell you the action at
this pint, just the descriptive word. Discuss with the group any similarities and differences
in the words. Typically, the words we write down are things that are missing in our lives
and we find concrete ways to bring that feeling to our lives. The problems we run into are
that we do not follow-up with the dreams and desires and often get bogged down with
daily tasks that we forget to take care of our desires. Challenge the group to choose at
least two of the 8 items to accomplish within the next six months.

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35. Grandparent’s Lessons:
[This is best used for groups under 15 people.]

If you have a larger group you may choose to have a few people do their lesson throughout
the training or break the group into smaller groups. As k each person to say their name,
the campus they are from, major, and one lesson they learned from a grandparent or
someone from their grandparents generation.

36. I Like Someone Who:

[This activity is best for groups over 25 people.]

Have participants sit down in chairs that form a circle, while you begin the activity by
standing in the middle. As facilitator, begin by introducing an “I like someone who...”
statement that draws connections among participants based on preferences, interests, or
experiences. Some examples include: “I like someone who is a night person,” “I like
someone who likes sushi,” “I like someone who makes pottery,” “I like someone who has
listened to the Dead Kennedy’s.” Direct all participants who can relate to the statement to
move from their spaces and find a new seat in the circle. Those who can not relate simply
stay where they are seated. The only rule is that participants cannot take a new position
that is directly left or right of their current place. As participants are scrambling for new
seats, you will also be searching for a seat, thus leaving one person without a seat. This
participant becomes the person who comes to the middle and provides another “I like
someone who...” statement.

37. Fun Game:

[This can be used in any size group.]
Ask the participants to take out a piece of paper and pen. Tell them you will ask a series of
questions and they should write down their first instinct for the answers.

First write the number 1-11 down the left side of your paper.
Besides numbers 1 and 2 write down any two numbers.
By numbers 3 and 7 write down the names of people of the opposite or same gender
depending on your sexual orientation.
Next to 4, 5, and 6 write down any person you know names.
Write down four song titles in lines 8, 9, 10, and 11.
Now make a wish.

Next read what each line means:

You must tell the number of people you placed in space 2 about this game in order for
it to come true.
Your lucky number is in space number 1.
The person in space 3 is the one you love.
The person in space 7 is the one you want, but can never work it out with.
You care most about the person in space 4.
The person in space 5 knows you very well.

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 The person you name in space 6 is your lucky star.
The song in space 8 marches with the person in space 3.
The song in space 9 matches the person in space 7.
The song in space 10 tells about your state of mind.
The song in space 11 is how you currently feel about life.

38. Name Tags:

[This is good for groups under 25.]

Give each person a half piece of hard paper (called tag board, you can also use file folders
cut in half). The paper must be thick enough to create a nametag, like a name tent, each
person will place in front of them. Have each person write their first name or the name
they go by on the front of the nametag. On the back, the side that will face them when
placed on a table, they must DRAW symbols of significant things in their life (e.g. I like
nature, so I might draw some trees). They can use symbols only, no words, no letters.
They then share what they symbol means with the person next to them. The partner picks
out ONE symbol the other person described and will use this symbol to describe the
person to the larger group. Each person says their partner’s name as they describe the
symbol. Ask the group, would these things be visible to someone meeting you for the first
time? How can we avoid judging a book by its cover or from being judged?

39. Check-In:
[This can be used with any group size.]

In order to constantly check-in with the group and their energy levels, you can use a few
creative ways in place of asking how they feel. One option is to have the group go around
the room and have them relate how they feel right now to a type of whether (I’m feeling
happy so I would say “sunny”). You can use colors, candy (I fell like talking so I would say,
“like a twizzler because they make your mouth happy.”).

23. Go Fish:
[This is best used with a smaller group.]

Select a group of tiny items that make you think of the topic you are training in. We will
use “service” as the example. Gather items like seeds, an AmeriCorps sticker, a picture of
child, etc. Tie a string to each item and place the strings with the objects hidden in a paper
bag, leaving the strings hanging on the outside of the bag. Have each person grab a string
and object. After everyone has their object tell them they must describe a service
experience that comes to mind when they look at their object./ YOU can leave some
strings empty and allow the person to describe any experience.

24. Motivation:
[This can be used throughout the training.]

Ask a person in the room, “why did you get out of bed this morning?” or “why do you get
out of bed when you are home?” This gets them to think about what really motivates them

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 to be social agents of change. It is a simple question, but it takes a great deal of honesty and
thought.

25. Goalball Fight:

[If your group is large, you will want it break the group into smaller groups when
processing the activity.]

Each person writes one goal for the year or for the training on a piece of paper. Then
everyone crumbles up their paper into a ball, forms a large circle and starts throwing the
goalballs at each other. After about 30 seconds each person grabs one of the goalballs.
Then break the groups into smaller groups and have them shares out loud what someone
said their goals are. This is a fun way to hear what the participants want to learn from the
training. Tell the group, a goal written is a goal half attained or Ideas won’t keep, something
must be done about them (a quote from Alfred North Whitehead).

26. Bag of Goodies:

[This is good activity for a retreat setting.]

Fill paper nags with random items- paper lips, tape, balloons, glasses, toilet paper, stickers,
etc. Give each group of people a bag of goodies and tell them they have 20 minutes to plan
a skit using ALL the items in the bag. You can give the skits themes or leave it wide open.
The skits very amusing and bring the groups together.

27. Board Games:

Board Games (Trivia Pursuit, Pictionary, Scattagories, Taboo, Twister) are fun ways to
revive the group after meals. You can break the groups into teams and play against each
other, or you can simply ask a few trivia questions before each segment of the workshop.
You do not have to play by the rules written down in the game, make up your own to fir
the needs, and time constraints, of the group.

28. Knock Your Socks Off:

[This is good for group larger than 10 people.]

Instruct people to take their shoes off and get on all fours (if people do not have socks
they can observe, or if they have a skirt on they can observe). At the word “go” the
participants try to pull off other people’s socks with trying to keep their own on. People
must stay on all fours- no running or hopping to get away. The player is eliminated once
they lose BOTH socks. The one left with both or one sock is the winner.

29. Mystery Partners:

[This is good for groups under 25 people.]

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 Give each person an index card and instruct him/her to write down three hobbies/interests
(without showing anyone else). Then ask them to draw a picture of themselves (stick
figures are fine) doing one of the three things listed. Collect and shuffle the cards, then give
a card to each participant., Instruct the group to interview people in the room looking for
their partner. Once they find the partner tell them to continue to share what is on the
card. After about 10 minutes of mingling time, ask the group to introduce their partner to
the whole group.

30. Famous People:

As participants enter the room, tape or pin a name of a famous person (rock stars, movie
stars, politicians, leaders) on their backs. Tell them they can not look at their own back.
For about 10-15 minutes have people mingle around the room asking items yes/no
questions about their identity. People can also treat the other participants as if he/she truly
were the famous person that is on their back. After people mingle, ask the group to come
back and guess who they are.

31. Family Bonding:

[This is good for groups over 20 people.]

The facilitator must prepare index cards of famous families (Flintstones, Simpsons, Brady
Bunch, Cosby), having one family member name per index card. Give an index card to the
participants as they come into the room. Once everyone has a card they are to find their
family. Once they find their family they are to sing a song for the entire group, say famous
lines, or do an action that is affiliated with that family group.

32. M&Ms:
[This is good for any size group.]

This is a great introduction game for people who are meeting for the first time. Everyone
sits in a circle. Pass a bag of M&Ms around and invite people to help themselves. If people
have dietary restrictions, you may choose to pass marbles or playing cards. Once the bag is
passed, participants tell their name and for each M&M in his/her hand, one thing about
themselves. Give some categories if they are having difficulties, for example where did your
grandfather live as a boy, what would you want to eat every day, what is your favorite
book, etc. A variation is to have set questions for the colors of the M&Ms: Everyone with a
red M&M answers what was the last book you read, etc.

33. Clues for Suckers:

[This is good for groups under 15 people.]

Each participant writes three things about him/herself on an index card. The items should
be things other sin the room do not know. The facilitator collects the cards and reads the
clues aloud to the group. Whoever guesses the clue described gets a sucker (a lollipop).

34. Music Choice:

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 [This is a great activity for large groups.]

The facilitator puts up signs of various music categories: rock, punk, folk, country, opera,
showtunes, oldies, new age, reggae, classical, gospel, heavy metal, jazz, alternative, hip hop,
etc. Everyone stands under the sign with their favorite music category. After they are under
a sign, the group must come up with one song to hum or sing for 30 seconds. Allow the
groups 5 minutes to plan and practice.

35. Fortune Cookie:

[This is good for groups under 15 people.]

In the handout section of this workshop, you will find a list of questions. Cut those sheets
into strips, so that each statement is its own strip of paper. Put the strips of paper into a
paper bag or bowl. Pass the bag/bowl around. Explain to each participant that they should
reach in and pull out a fortune. Then the participant must answer the question on the
fortune. You are allowed one chance to return the fortune for a new one. Once you
answer your question, keep your fortune, and pass the bag/bowl to the next person. You
can add different fortunes to make them more relevant to your group. The book IF, found
in the resource section, is a great resource for more questions.

36. Photo Scavenger Hunt:

[This is a great activity for a retreat setting in a city.]

There is an example of a photo scavenger hunt in DC in the handout section. Basically you
need to break the groups into teams of no more than five people. Give each group a
Polaroid camera or a disposable camera. Create a list of sites, trivia questions, funny
poses, and other creative actions that they must document using their camera. This takes at
least 4 hours. You can then give each group some money to get their camera developed at
one of the one-hour photo places. You should arrange a location they can bring their
camera to ahead of time and alert the photo shop they will be coming with a deadline of
when their pictures can be ready. If there is no one hour developer and you are not using a
Polaroid camera, you can do this activity in the beginning of a retreat. Then, get the film
developed, and on the last day allow the groups to create a photo album using construction
paper to show-off the pictures and, of course, to determine the winner.

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