ICEBREAKERS, GAMES, and INITIATIVES for GROUPS

from Tim Pearsons Bag o Tricks, The Cooperative Sports and Games Book, Playfair,
silver Bullets, The New Games Book, Stanford Student / Alumni Network, and other
sources of knowledge, fun and insight

GREAT BEGINNINGS
A Great Pair
This game is where a slip of paper with the name of a famous person is delivered to each
person in the group. After all the slips of paper have been distributed, the task of the
participants is to find their partner.
Breakin Down the Group
Ask the group to think of a number between 1 and 10. Ask the people whose number is even to
get onto one side and the odds to get onto the other. Have the group from a circle. Split the
circle in half by arbitrarily dividing the circle along the diameter. Try to get an equal number of
people in each group. Have those groups form a circle. Divide these two circles by the same
method to get four, approximately equal groups. (the only reason for going through the 1-10
portion is to get pairs and small groups of people who tend to stick together no matter what.
We want to show these people it is really great to get to know other folks. Also, use
associations to break up the group and form smaller groups or dyads.

LEARNING GAMES
Student Alumni Connection Bingo
Each member of SAC receives a Bingo Card. The blocks are filled with information about the
people attending the meeting. Members walk around the room and interview the other members
trying to find someone to sign one of the boxes containing information pertaining to the
person. No name may be used more than twice. Bingo may be vertical, diagonal, or horizontal.
Prizes are awarded to the winners of Bingo. See example provided at end of this section.
Name Bingo
This is a take off on Student Alumni Connection Bingo. The Bingo card is blank. Members get
the other members to sign their squares. Everyone must fill their cards with names. The first
person to fill all of the squares with the necessary information is declared the winner. Prizes are
awarded. The winners card is then read by the leader and verified. The leader then calls out
names of all the people in the group. As his/her name is called, the person must stand and give
the answers to the questions asked: Name, year, major, hometown, living group arrangement etc.
Further, the leader has complied a list of appropriately funny questions to ask each person. This
is an easy way to allow the group members to introduce themselves to each other individually
and to the group.
Name Game
Break the group into several smaller groups (use another game to achieve this), so each group
has about six to eight people. Designate one of the members in each group to start the activity
by stating their name with an adjective beginning with the first letter of his/her first name. For
example, Hi my name is Terrific Tim. The next person then says, That is Terrific Tim
and I am _____ _____. repeat this process until each person is introduced. Keeping the
groups small will easy the anxiety about learning names. When a groups feel comfortable with
the names of its members, it can join with another group and go through the same or similar
process to learn even more names.

Name Arrange
Now that everyone has been introduced, arrange yourselves alphabetically by your first name,
WITHOUT TALKING! When you are done, or think you are done, check your group by
calling out your names. Give a big cheer when your done! This is also an example of a Quick
Line Up.
Name Arrange, Two
Now arrange yourselves alphabetically by last name, WITHOUT TALKING! Check your group
and when youre done give a cheer!
Birthday Party
Select one person from the group and ask him/her the date of his/her birth. Then declare the
current date as that persons BIRTHDAY. Announce to the group that today is (insert persons
name here) birthday. This way the whole group knows the birthday boy/girls name. Explain to
the birthday boy/girl (man/woman, male/female, person) that all of these people have been
invited to his/her party, but they dont know each other. As a concerned host/hostess, s/he must
go around and introduce the attendees to each other. However, s/he only has three minutes
(time may change as size of group increases). The host/hostess needs to ensure the guests
exchange names, shake hands and greet each other warmly. The birthday person may start off
with a person s/he already knows or introduce him/herself to a person s/he doesnt know and
begin from there.
Name Train
Players stand in a circle, facing in, and one volunteers to be the locomotive. Lets say Jen
volunteers to be the locomotive. The locomotive chugs around the inside of the circle a bit
before stopping to exchange introductions with one of the player in the circle. Hi, Im Jen.
Whats your name? My name is Tim. Jen then repeats Tims name three times, Tim,
Tim, Tim while doing some semaphoric cheer. (Semaphore is a system of signaling with flags
to communicate a message. Since we have no flags, just moving ones arms and legs in some
movement with achieve the desired effect). After this little cheer is done, Jen turns her back to
Tim and Tim grasps Jen hips. Jen, is now the engine and Tim is the caboose. The little train
chugs around the circle and stops at another person. When reaching another person, the engine
asks for the persons name. Both engine and caboose go through the three cheers of the new
persons name along with their individual semaphoric body movements. The new person
becomes the engine while Jen becomes one of the cars and Tim remains the caboose. When
starting this game, start off with an engine who is not too self-conscious about yelling and
cheering in front of the group. Additionally, the next person selected, the caboose, should be
someone who is not self conscious about always bringing up the rear. Actually, the caboose can
add a great deal of humor and fun to this activity by hamming it up as the train travels around
the circle.
Name Toss (Name Juggling)
Use soft, hand-sized juggling instruments (no knives or combustibles, please) as your main
medium for this activity. Yarn balls, rubber chickens, soft Frisbees, fox tails (tennis balls stuffed
into a sock) work very well. Arrange the group into a circle. For large groups, break them down
into smaller groups of six to ten people. Start off with one person holding a ball. This person
tosses the ball--underhanded only, please, to another person in the group. This person catches
the ball and tosses to another. This progresses until each person has caught the ball. The last
person to catch the ball tosses it back to the person who tossed first. The next round of tossing
is accompanied by the names of the people in the group. The tosser calls out his or her name
and asks the person to whom s/he first passed the ball his/her name. The second person replies
and the first tosses the ball. The second person, now with the ball, asks for the name of the
person to whom s/he tossed the ball in the first go-round. This continues until all names are

called out and the person who started this whole thing once again has the ball. The third session
begins exactly like the second, except the tosser just calls out the name of the person who
catches the ball. The pattern of tossing is the same, but after the second person has called the
name and tossed the ball to the third person, the first person calls out the name of the second
person and tosses him/her another ball. Keep adding balls until the air is filled will the names of
everyone in the group and the collisions of numerous air-borne objects. Follow that one?

BEYOND NAME GAMES

Incorporations
This is a game about forming and reforming groups as quickly as possible. The leader will direct
the group to form smaller groups, based upon some criteria verbalized to the group, at a signal.
The goal is to get as many people to introduce themselves to as many other people as possible.
It is not designed to see how fast or successfully the group can accomplish the leaders directive.
The leader needs to give the group enough time to incorporate and then introduce themselves to
one another if the incorporation calls for it. It is important to keep the pace of the game
rather fast. Example incorporations:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Get into a group of three and introduce yourself;

Get into a different group of five people and introduce yourself;
Get into a group of people who have shirts that are the same color and introduce yourself;
Get into a group of people who have the same or similar major and introduce yourself;
Get into a group of people whose names have the same vowel come first in their first name and
share your first names;
6. Get into a group of people who were born in the same season (fall, winter, spring, summer);
7. In your season group, arrange yourselves by birth date (month and day)
8. Think of the last digit of your telephone number and get with every person who has the same
last digit;
9. Get into a group of ten and sing the WAZZU fight song;
10. Get together with the entire group, link pinkie fingers, and when the whole group is together,
shout thats another Cougar first down!
11. Get into a group whose home town is west of the cascades and a group whose home town is east
of the cascades. Wave to the other group over the mountains. Yell out a cheer for your side of
the state.
12. Find another person who drove about the same amount of time to get to Pullman.
Human Treasure Hunt:
Everyone has been on some form of treasure hunt, right? So, on this treasure hunt were going
to search for things we have within us and not necessarily on us. Our goal is to meet as many
people as you can and find the similarities between each of you. If you dont know the
person(s), be sure to introduce yourself to them. Ready?
1. Find another person who has the same shoe size as you;
2. Find two people who had a test last week... tell each other what class... Or find a person who
didnt have a test but another class assignment due last week;
3. Find three people who are in the same class standing as you;
4. Find three people who live in a different type of living group than you (Residence Hall, Offcampus, Greek);
5. Find four other people whove attending a WSU athletic event; Tell each other why you enjoy
attending these events;
6. Find three other people who enjoy the same type of music;

7. Fine two other people who drink at least one cup of coffee each day and tell each other your
favorite thing about coffee; or Find two other people who dont drink coffee on a regular basis,
Tell each other why you dont like coffee (or how you avoided becoming a caffeine addict);
8. Find another person whom you have not meet and introduce yourselves to one another.
9. Find a person who likes to or does not like to wear baseball hats.
10. Find a group of peoiple who enjoy the smae recretional activities (biking, swimming, watching
tv, reading, playing music, etc.);
Shoe Game
Everyone takes off their left shoe and throws it into a pile in the middle of the circle. Mix the
shoe pile for a few moments. Everyone must then select a shoe, other than their own, and find
the owner. They then exchange information about themselves, such as, name, home town,
living group, major, reason for joining SAC, what they hope to get out of being a member of
SAC, an embarrassing moment in his/her life, a moment for which they are proud, etc.
Mingling Scrabble
Each person is given a card with a letter of the alphabet printed on the card. Tell the group
their task is to arrange themselves in to create words and use every letter in the group. The
group can come up with many words or just a few longer words, but every letter must be used.
After arranging themselves into these words, the individuals then introduce him/herself to the
other people in the group. The individuals then exchange thoughts about his/her favorite
recreational activity, magazines s/he reads, etc. The group can then be directed to make new
words and find new people. Be sure to include a proportionate number of vowels to the
consonants. Also, go easy on the Xs, Qs and Zs.
Quote Quest
On the other side of the cards with letters write one or two words of a famous quote. The quote
may have some significance to the groups purpose. Avoid selecting an esoteric or difficult
quote. Also, arrange the words on the cards so each word of the quote is represented. This will
result in some cards only having one word and other may have multiple words. Be sure to
include all capitalization and punctuation. This will assist the group in constructing the
sentence. Have the group arrange themselves in order to make a quote that makes sense. Once
they have arranged themselves, have the group read the quote by each person speaking the
word(s) in succession. This will serve as an accuracy check for the group and give each person a
chance to speak in front of the group. The leader can choose to provide hints or not. By not
offering hints and looking upon this exercise as an initiative, the leader(s) will receive some
insights about the dynamics of the group (who are the people who exert some leadership, whose
involved and who is not, how well are people communicating, how at-ease do people feel, etc.
Hum Singer
Each person receives an index card with the title of a well known song printed on it. You may
want to use both sides of the card for two rounds of this game, but be sure to delineate the sides
so on each round every one is on the same page. Everyone begins to hum or sing the tune of
the song found on his/her card. The goal is for each person to find the other person(s) who are
humming/singing the same song. Once the group is formed, students may exchange information
about themselves.
Concentric Circles
Have the group divide itself into two equal halves. One half will form a circle with each person
facing in towards the center of the circle. The other group forms a circle inside the first and
each person here faces out and lines up with one member of the outer circle. The group is
instructed to move, the outer circle clockwise and the inner counter-clock-wise, while the music
is playing, When the music stops, the groups stop moving. The individuals from each circle

who are lined-up directly across from each other then exchange information. The music begins
after a few moments and the process is repeated.
Whats My Flavor
Students, when in small groups, disclose their favorite ice cream flavor and the reasons for the
flavor being his/her favorite. This may reveal something about that person and act as a means
to further conversation. What do you say to those folks who like Rocky Road, eh? Either they
are really devout in faith or enjoy four-by country!?!
Spool of Thread
Pass around a spool of thread and instruct each person to tear off a piece. Dont tell them why
or how much to pull off. Each person then wraps the thread around his/her index finger.
Everyone takes turns telling something about her/himself for each wrap of thread.
M & Ms
Pass a bowl full of M & Ms around the room. Instruct the group to take some of the chocolate
treats, but dont eat them. Once everyone has selected the delicious candies, tell the group that
they will disclose one piece of information about themselves for each M & M they took from
the bowl. You can do the same thing with rolls of toilet paper.
Information List
At some point during one of the first meetings, have each group member fill-out a questionnaire
sheet. the sheet will have questions like: If you were a shoe, what would it be and why?; What is
your most embarrassing moment?; What is your favorite college memory, to date?; What is the
least favorite food you experienced while at college? Without telling names, tell us a funny
story about one of your roommates; If you could only watch one television show for the rest of
your life, which one would it be and the reason(s) for your selection. If you could have dinner
with one person, living or from history, who would that person be and what are your reasons for
selecting him/her? These and other questions are answered and collected. A committee, like the
membership committee, cuts the questionnaires and organizes the responses from the group by
each question. At different meetings, a question is selected and brought out to the group at the
beginning of the meeting (or at some other point) and the slips passed out. Each person with a
slip must find the individual who wrote it, only if that person is present of course. This causes a
nice mixing of the group and allows for a humorous re-introduction of the group members to
one another. Later in the meeting, have people disclose their response to the group. This can
provide for an energizing break to a meeting.

WARM FUZZIES or FUZZ WARMIES

Spider Web
The group forms a circle. One person has a skein of yarn. S/he tells why s/he enjoys the group
and tosses the skein to another person. This person states why s/he enjoys the group and tosses
the skein to another person. This continues until everyone in the group has caught the skein.
The web formed between all of the members illustrates the individuality of the group and the ties
that bind them into a group.
Standing O
Throughout the day, give a standing ovation to different members of the group. For example,
winners of earlier icebreaker games. This person stands and everyone else stands to applaud and
cheer that persons accomplishments.
Group Hug

A great activity for the end of an event. Get everyone in a circle and let them know it is time
for a group hug. People join arms around shoulders and hips and hug the group down towards
the center of the group.
Hug Thy Neighbor
The leader tells the group to hug the person to his/her left or right or both. This may be a
better activity for a group that has bonded. People may be a little reluctant to this activity in a
newly formed group.
Group Massage
The group forms a circle at the end of the day when everyone is tired. The members in the
circle all face one way (either left or right) so that each is looking at the back of the person in
front of him/her. Everyone then massages the shoulders of the person in front of him/her.
Talking is encouraged. To ensure that everyone gets the type of massage they receive, have the
group members turn 180 degrees and give a massage to the person who first gave the massage.

TEAM BUILDERS
Pass the Key, Please
Divide the group into two equally numbered teams. Arrange the teams so they face one another.
Team members then join hands. This leaves two free hands on each team (the two people at
the ends of each line). Give a single key to one of the end people on each team. The tasks is
to pass the key from one end to the other without unclasping the hands of the team. The key
cannot be passed or kicked along the ground. If the key drops, it must be picked up while all
hands remain clasped.
Knots

Divide the group into smaller groups of eight to ten people. Players stand in a circle and place
their hands into the center of the circle. Join hands with two different people , neither of whom
are standing next to you. A human knot is born! The goals is to untie the knot without letting
go of hands. Be sure to be respectful of your neighbors! What you do may not be the best for
them, so check it out before you work it out.

Stand Up
Try this one in pairs first, then groups of three, then fours and work up to the entire group. Sit
on the ground, back-to-back, knees bent and elbows locked. Try to stand up without falling
down. For the large group, sit as tightly packed as possible and work in unison!
Lap Sit
Players stand shoulder to shoulder and form a circle. Players are all facing in towards the center
of the circle. All players then turn left (or right) and face the back of the person in front of
him/her. Tighten the circle and round out any corners. Place your hands on the hips of the
person in front of you. As the leader counts to three, carefully guide that persons bottom onto
your lap. This game requires a great deal of trust and communication. Perhaps best left for the
end of the day after folks have developed a great deal of name recognition and established a
working rapport.
Yurt Circle
Players stand in a circle, facing in, holding hands, and shoulder-to-shoulder. Starting with one
player, have the group count off by twos (1,2,1,2,1,2 etc.). Be sure that no 1s or 2s are
standing next to one another. Each player places his/her feet closely together. On the count of
three (or Ice Cream... chopped nuts, chocolate syrup, ice cream) the 1s lean forward and the 2s
back. The group is supported by the cantilever action of the opposing forces between the 1s

and 2s. Players need to keep their arms and legs straight. Dont let go of hands. At first, only
lean a little and increase the angle of the lean with each creation of the yurt circle. On the
next count of three or rutabagas (carrots, potatoes, rutabagas) the 1s lean backward and the 2s
lean forward. Go slowly and mirror your two neighbors movements. This will allow for
maximum support offered to each person. It is really a cool feeling to create and change the
yurt circle.
Skin the Snake
Players divide into teams of up to twenty-five members each. The teams line up single-file.
Each player reaches back between his/her legs and grasps the extended hand of the person behind
him/her. This chaining continues down the line. Only the first and last person in the line will
have a free hand. At the signal (a count of three or something) the last person in the line will
lay down on his/her back; the person just in front of the last person will back up by straddling
and walking (more like a shuffle) over this persons body and lies down on his/her back. The
feet of this person will be next to the shoulders of the person laying down. This goes on while
the entire team is still holding hands. When the last person has laid down and touched his/her
head to the group, s/he gets up and walks forward and pulls the other members up. This is
skinning the snake. The first team up without unclasping hands is the winner. Before the game
starts, define what will happen if a team unclasps hands.
Wind in the Willows
This is a high trust activity and should be presented as an activity only after the group is
sufficiently versed in spotting techniques. A group of six to eight people form a tight circle
standing shoulder to shoulder. One member enters the center of the circle. This person, with
hands clasped in the ZOOM position (arms extended and cross at the elbow, rotate hands so
palms face each other, touch palms, intermesh fingers, rotate hands down and up so hands are
against the chest), keeps his/her body straight and taut. S/he then leans forward allowing the
members of the circle to gently break his/her fall and pass them around the circle. Please seek
an informed Experiential Education Instructor for assistance with this event. If a person is
allowed to fall or if members of the circle are not properly trained in spotting techniques, then
physical or emotional injury may occur.
Trust Walk
This is another high trust activity. The players forma line and hold hands. Everyone in the
group closes his/her eyes except for the first and last person in line. It is the job of these people
to keep the entire group safe while on the walk. The leader takes the group on a walk, a very
slow walk, and the leaders instruction must be passed down the line. The last person assists the
leader by calling out feedback as to what is happening at the end of the line. This activity can
be done with dyads where one person acts as the leader and the other the follower with his/her
eyes closed. After a time, they two people switch roles. This can be a powerful activity for a
group learning about leading and following roles in a group. Just because a person is a follower
does not mean s/he is passive and blindly followers all of the leaders instructions. Rather,
followers have the duty to take care of themselves and those around them. This point is
illustrated by the communication of the persons needs (I need to slow down... We are in a rough
spot, please stop... There is a rock right here, step over it and you are clear... There is a tree to
your right, so stay on the feel for roots, etc.). Before initiating this activity, let everyone in
the group that if they are uncomfortable with the activity that it is all right to opt out. This is
especially true for folks dealing with trust issues or people who have experienced some physical
injury and who want to protect it.

ENTERTAINMENT

Symbol Cheers
Everyone receives a card with the name of one of WSUs student groups (ASWSU, RHA, IFC,
) written on it. They must find the other people in the group with the same symbol on
their card. his new group then must make up and perform a cheer about that group.
Theater Sports
This is a great way to break down inhibitions without any chemical substances... only pure fun.
Theater Sports is actually a title for a variety of games, group activities, mimes, and old
fashioned silliness. A concept common to just about all theater sports is FREEZE. Freeze is
called out by a member of the audience who wants to stop the action s/he can take the place of a
person acting in the scene. Explain this to the group and encourage them to employ a freeze
when they have a great idea, someone has been on for awhile, or the energy of the scene
begins to wain. Unless one of the participants is training for the professional stage, a person will
appreciate a freeze. It is sort of like tagging in professional wrestling. It gives another
person the opportunity to make a complete fool of him/herself and have a great time doing it.
Examples of theater sports...
Human Machine: One person comes in front of the group and performs some type of
mechanical operation or movement. Included sound effects with the movement. The
operation needs to have some type of beginning and end to the movement. The end of the
operation allows for the next person to come up and perform another operation that feeds
off of the first operations end movement, but is different in its nature. This allows for a third
person to add onto the machine. Let people add on at their leisure and without directing. This
spontaneous creation is really a marvel to watch grow. Video tape the process for great view fun
later. However, there can be great benefit to show this tape when the group is facing a creative
crisis. It can help them to remember the energy and team-work of an earlier time.
Emotional Chores: Out of the group, two people select themselves as the players. These two
leave the room or the immediate vicinity of the group. The group then selects three chore for
the two performers to act out. But they also come up with a list of three emotions. The
performers are called back to the group and told they will be acting out some different household
chores before the group. Have one person call out one of the chores and allow the two to begin
acting out the chore. After a couple of moments, have another person call out one of the
emotions. Watch with great hilarity as the two performers act out common chores with a twist.
Examples of chores: dishwashing, clothes washing, washing windows, doggie doo-doo scooping,
hanging a picture, taking out the trash, painting a wall, scrubbing the tub or toilet, sewing
clothes, dusting, putting the groceries away, vacuuming, making the bed, moving furniture,
sweeping the stairs or floor, raking the leaves, and others. Types of emotions you can match
with these chores are: happiness, sadness, remorse, guilt, melancholy, apathy, love, distain,
loathing, joy, excitement, lustful, disgust, jovial, sympathy, mourning, and others. NOTE: when
pairing the chore and emotion, seek to achieve the greatest possible contrast. An example of
this would be do direct a person to act out the task of scooping doggie doo with exaltation. It is
the contrast that will provide the greatest humor to this activity.
Poetry Interpretation: The scene is a coffee house in Seattles Pioneer Square. A full house is
drinking coffee and listening to various folks recite poetry. With the scene set, select four
volunteers to participate in this activity. One will become the poet, one the interpreter and
the other two (dont tell them yet) will become interpretive dancers. Inform the poet, away
form the interpreter, that s/he will recite poetry for the group. However, the poet is from the
land of Gibberish and, therefore, needs an interpreter to translate the poetry into English. The
poet begins to recite his/her poetry to the group. (Make sure it is total gibberish). After a bit,
stop the poetry, apologize to the group for the lack of an interpreter. Bring out the interpreter
and inform him/her that his/her task is to translate the poetry into English. Allow for the

individuals reaction to take effect on the group. Smooth, cajole, beg with the person to
interpret the poetry. Once the interpreter has performed this task for a short time, bring out
the other two folks and, as you introduce them to the audience, inform all that they will
perform as interpretive dancers. These two folks will convey the message and emotions through
dance and movement. Allow time for the reactions. Once the dancers, interpreter, and poet
have worked awhile, allow others to freeze them out and take the place of one of these
individuals.
What Am I Doing: Four people volunteer to begin this activity. One of these four selects
him/herself to leave the group (basically be it) so the group can plot in secret. The remaining
three people come up with three different situations (the more contrast the better) they will act
out in an attempt to get the fourth person to accurately describe or guess the situation or event.
Examples of this might include, heart surgery, shaving a poodle, driving a race car, moving a
piano, a tug-o-war match, pillow fight, pulling a tooth, having a baby, climbing a mountain,
harvesting fruit, delivering the newspaper, blowing glass, .making sausages, attending a funeral
et.al. The selected situation is communicated to the group and the group will act as referees.
Remind the group about the family hour guidelines as far as taste and decorum are concerned.
The group spends a few moments figuring out how they will include the fourth person into the
action in such a manner that allows the person the chance to figure out what s/he is doing. The
group may mime actions and make sound effects. Absolutely no words or helpful hints, like
head nods or swivels, thumbs up or down! Players receive their direction for the volume of
applause, cheers, and general shouts of encouragement from the audience. The fun comes from
the players attempt to discover by calling out descriptions of what s/he is doing while trying to
interpret the loudness of the audiences applause.
AD AGENCY: Not really a Theater Sports activity, AD AGENCY is a good follow-up to
theater sports activities because people are in a creative mood.. Also, the group has broken down
some of the walls to interaction and have already begun to work with one another, adapting to
situations, working to achieve a common task. The goals of ad agency are to foster and channel
creative thinking and expression, provide the group with an tangible problem solving situation,
give them exposure to and experience with identifying the audience. Break the group up into
smaller groups of six to eight people. Provide each group access to a variety of supplies and
props (markers , paper, scissors, tape, hats, old (clean) socks, chairs, boxes and other odds and
ends. Tell each group they represent teams from a top-notch advertising firm. Their task is to
develop a 60 second Public Service Announcement. Their client is Washington State
University. Give each group a card with information specific to the type of message, audience
and any other information pertinent to the task. An example: Increase awareness of student
population at WSU as to the role and activities of the Student Alumni Connection; The PSAs
will air on locate television stations; They must meet FCC guidelines and positively reflect the
WSU community; the entire team must be involved in development and production of the PSA.
Another example might be: Client is SAC and the group wants to attract people to the
Homecoming Bon Fire / Pep Rally / Fireworks Display; Develop an advertising plan; identify
intended audience for each aspect of advertising plan; identify resources available to implement
advertising plan; create and perform one of the ideas for a 60 second radio PSA spot. Another
example: The client is the Alumni Relations Office and this office wants to advertise the new
Student Alumni Membership Program. The intended audience is all undergraduate students, but a
special emphasis is desired for the Junior and Senior classes.
Give each group just enough information to get them started, but not so much information as to
direct them or give them the answer to the problem. Give each group about 15 minutes to
come up with as much for their plan, skit, PSA, or other results. Have each group then actout their PSA. Let them have fun with this and try not to let communicating the results into
reporting their findings. It would be great to video tape the PSAs.

Five Changes
Have players pair-up. Once theyve found a partner, have them sit or stand back-to-back.
While back-to-back, have each person change five things (things they can change) about their
appearance. After the changes are made, have the players turn around and each try to identify
the changes made by their partner. Do this one more time and see if you can identify those
changes.
I Love Ya Honey, But I Just Cant Smile
All the players are seated in a circle. One person starts off as the person in the center. The
center person approaches on of the people in the circle and says, I love you honey, but I just
cant make you smile. The object is to say it in such a way that the person will smile or laugh.
If the person smiles or laughs, then, s/he become the person in the center. In order to help
people feel comfortable with this activity, please no overtly sexual or demeaning actions or
remarks. Use your other skills to make this person to laugh or smile.
Secret Celebrity
The leader pins the name of a famous celebrity on the back of each person. Each person must
then solicit information from the other members of the group in order to name the celebrity. A
good activity for times when people are waiting in line.
Advertisements
Same concept as celebrity, except a variety of advertisements are used instead of celebritys
names. This is a good one to highlight some very stupid advertisements, but it might be a good
idea to avoid too many alcohol advertisements (usually full of sensitive or insensitive pictures
and we dont want to appear like we are condoning alcohol use).
Symbol Cheers
Everyone receives a card with the name of a WSU club, group or a representation of a campus
landmark. Have several cards with the same name/landmark on it. Have the group members
find each other and form a group. Their task is to make up a song or a cheer for that group or
landmark. Each group gets five minutes to make up their song or cheer and then a couple of
minutes to perform it before the entire group. Examples: College of Science; Bryan Tower;
Lewis Alumni Centre; Ferdinands; Golf Course; ASWSU; IFC; IEEE; Crimson Company; and
many others.
Balloon Game
The entire group makes a huge circle and puts their arms around their neighbors shoulders. As
the music plays, they pass balloons around the circle using their legs. Start with three or four
balloons. When the music stops, the person holding the balloon is eliminated from the group.
As the group gets smaller, take balloons away. Eventually their will be two people left and only
one balloon.
Electricity
Players stand in a circle and face in towards the center. One player begins the game by doing an
action and sending it around the circle. After each person in the circle has done the action,
the next person send another action around. You can send two different actions the opposite
way!
Drawing On Your Minds Eye
Everyone sits on the floor with a blank sheet of paper. The leader tells them to close their eyes
and dictates to them a picture which they are to draw with their eyes closed. The masterpieces
can be displayed for the remainder of the day.
Quick Line Up

The leader calls out a variety of commands to the group and they line up according to the
command as quickly as possible. Examples: Line up according to age; height; year in school;
alphabetical by first name; alphabetically by last name;

WORDLES

side side

You / Just / Me

HO

BAN ANA

Noon Lazy

ECNALG

HIJKLMNO

IECEXCEPT

BJAOCKX

PAS

ONE
ONE

__________IT
TIMING TIM

ING

LAL

WHEATHER

T I M E

ED
+ ED

MCE
MCE
MCE

Meaning Meaning

NAFISH NAFISH

ABDE

ME

NT

HES/HIMSELF THHAENRGE

ME QUIT

Copi Coppy Copy!

(HEAD)1/4s

lean
revo
side side

XQQQME

er school

You / Just / Me

HO

side by side

just between you and me

half an hour

BAN ANA

Noon Lazy

ECNALG

banana split

Lazy afternoon

backward glance

HIJKLMNO

IECEXCEPT

BJAOCKX

Water (h to o)

I before E except after C

Jack in the box

PAS

ONE
ONE

__________IT

Incomplete pass

one on one

blanket

LAL

WHEATHER

all mixed up

A bad spell of weather

ABDE

ED
+ ED

added

long time, no see

ME

NT

apartment

TIMING TIM

ING

Split second timing

MCE
MCE
MCE

Mice without eyes (three blind mice)

Meaning Meaning

NAFISH NAFISH
2 na fish (tuna fish)

double meaning

HES/HIMSELF THHAENRGE
He is beside himself

ME QUIT

hang in there

quit following me

Copi Coppy Copy!

copyright

(HEAD)1/4s

lean
revo

XQQQME

er school

double cross

lean over backwards

excuse me

headquarters

summer school (sum er

school)

DEAL

Its a ALL world

gesg

PROMISES

Your PaAnNtTsS

head
lheoevlse
CLOSE
CLOSE
CLOSE
CLOSE

NiRENDEVOUSght

Thought

on
thought

COLOWME

KNEE
LIGHT

PERFORMANCE

iii iii
O O

DEAL

Its a ALL world

gesg

PROMISES

Its a small world after all

Big Deal

scrambled eggs

broken promises

Your PaAnNtTsS
ants in your pants

head
lheoevlse

head over heels in love

CLOSE
CLOSE
CLOSE
CLOSE
foreclose

surrounded by enemies

NiRENDEVOUSght
mid-night rendevous

on
Thought -- thought
on second thought

COLOWME
Low Income

KNEE
LIGHT
neon light

PERFORMANCE

Repeat Performance

iii iii
O O

circles under the eyes

Student
Alumni
I live in
Oregon

I grew-up
on a farm

I live Off
Campus

I have an
On-campus
Job

ConnecN

You would
call me the
life of the
party!

I know
1994s
Apple Cup
Score

Physical
Therapy is
my major

I live in
I am
WSU
studying
Apartments Advertising
or
Marketing

I dont
know what
WWW is,
or does!

I dont own
a car

I drink only
My
Politically, I dont have
diet soda
hometown
I lean to
a major
pop!
is Kirkland the right

Im on a
Intramural
team

I live in a
Soroity

tion
I
have Green
Eyes

Biology is
my
academic
focus

Hotel and A relative

Rest. Mgt.
of mine
is my field was a SAC
member
I own a
computer

I
must have
my
COFFEE!

FREE
SPACE

One of my
parents is a
WSU Alum

I spent my
summer in
Pullman

My
parents
live in
Spokane

I am a Bus.
Econ, or
Accounting
major

I live in a
WSU
Residence
Hall

Politics?
We dont
need no
stinkin
politics!

My major is
some type
of
Engineering

Im
I have
majoring in driven the
Education N. Cascades
Highway

I have an
aquarium
in my
room

I worked at The Night

Nordstrom Owl, thats
over the
me
summer

I love a
good
aerobic
work-out

I received a
scholarship
to attend
WSU

I am pretty
much a
couchpotato

I live in a
Fraternity

I will have
the title
Dr. one
day

I know the
name of
WSUs
Alma Mater

Psychology Mornings
is my major are my best
time
I am a
Comm.
Major

I know all
the words to
the WSU
Fight song

I attended a
A High
School

Washington
is not my
home state

EXAMPLE OF SEQUENCING ICE BREAKERS:

My home
town is in
SW
Washington

I.

Welcome
A.
Introduce Leaders
B.
Give short overview of the session
C.
Options to opt out: take care of yourself; participate any way you can; offer support and suggestions if not involved
in a physical activity.
II.

Member BINGO