Icebreakers are a great way to get a group of people interacting and connected. But sometimes, as the leader, it can be hard to find quick ways to do them. I know this first hand. You don’t always have an hour or more for icebreakers or team building. So, I’m all about the easy icebreakers.

You need something that can be done within 5-15 min span. This is why I have come up with 7 easy icebreakers. I hope this post is helpful and gets those creative juices flowing!

If you would like to check out some quick team-building games. Please check out my post: 6 QUICK TEAM BUILDING GAMES TO ENERGIZE YOUR TEAM

If you are curious about how they can benefit your next meeting, check out: Icebreakers Help Create a Rich Learning Atmosphere

Questions to ask Before you Plan your Icebreakers

Having a clear goal for your icebreaker will help you have a purpose and keep you focused. Examples could be…

• Do you want people to meet each other?
• Do you want people to engage with other groups or departments or engage with other leaders?

Keep it simple.

You don’t have to have an elaborate icebreaker for people to connect. When it’s simple, people can understand it easily. This cuts back on time trying to explain things over and over again.

Now, let’s get to the fun stuff!

10 Fun & Easy Ice Breakers

One Minute Please! (Small or Large Group)

• Depending on your group size, you can break them up into groups or play all together.
• The game aims to talk for one minute on a given subject. You pick and announce the topic, and a member of the group is randomly selected to speak for one minute on the topic.
• Set the timer for 1 minute for each person to see how long they last before drying up!
• Try to think out of the box when getting topics. This will be a fun environment where everyone can let their guard down.

Two Truths and a Lie (Small or Large Group)

• Everyone is asked to share two truths and one false fact about themselves, and the group has to guess which one is the lie.
• Your team can tally points as each person goes up, and the one who gets the most right wins.
• This is a great ice breaker for people to get to know each other better. .

Find the Common Thread (Mid-Size to Large Group)

• Divide your group into smaller groups (3 more more)
• Each group must find something they all have in common.
• Once every group has found a common thread, then have them share it with everyone.

Beach Ball (Small to Mid-Size group)

Note: You can play with a large group, but you may need two beach balls and break them up into two groups.

• Purchase a beach ball or if you already have one SCORE!
• Write out a list of “getting to know you” type of questions like:
  – What would be the most amazing adventure to go on?
  – What game or movie world would you most like to live in?
  – What’s your favorite genre of book or movie?
• Grab a sharpie and write on a beach ball all the questions you have come up with. Ask the team member to get into a circle and toss the ball to someone. When that person catches the ball, ask them to read the question closest to their left thumb aloud and answer it — once they are done, they pass it to another person.

Most Unique (Small or Large)

• This is similar to Two Truths and a Lie, but faster to easier.
• Let everyone share something that sets them apart from the rest that think is unique that no one else has or done.
• Example “I have no brothers” or “I’ve never been on a plane”

The One-Word Icebreaker Game (Small or Large Group)

• Break the group up into small groups of four or five people. Ask them a question like “What is one word would you use to describe our company/group/ministry?” Give each team a few minutes to come up with their answers.
• Before picking the “one word,” have the teams discuss it among themselves. Then it’s time to ask each team to share their answers with everyone.
• You can do this a few different times with different questions. This can even get your team brainstorming for a certain topic or just a fun way to get creative juices flowing.

Speed Networking (Small or Large)

• Set up pairs or small groups.
• Set a time limit of about 2 minutes to introduce themselves and discuss a specific topic.
• You can make these topics random, funny, or geared towards the meeting.

Find 10 Things in Common (Small or Large Group)

• Break up into groups of 5 or so
• Each group must find ten things that they have in common with each other.
• Important Rule* No cop-outs such as body parts are not allowed. “Ohhh…look we all have arms!! What are the chances of that!” <– That’s not going to fly!

M&M Ice Breaker (Small or Large Group)

• Break up the group into smaller groups
• Grab a bag of M&M’s and pass out a single M&M to each person.
• Whatever color the person gets means that they have to answer a specific question about themselves.
• The best part of this game is well….everyone gets to eat chocolate! SCORE!

Supermarket (Mid-size to Large Group)

• Divide the group into two teams, organized into two parallel lines.
• Pick a leader, or you can be the game master and say, “I’m going to the supermarket to buy something that starts with the letter…(pick a letter).”
• The first person to say an item that begins with that letter wins that round. The winner goes to the end of their line, and the other person sits out for the rest of the game.
• The game continues with a new letter for each match-up until all the players on one team are eliminated.

That’s it for now…

I hope these fun & easy icebreakers take your event up a notch. It’s nice to have some fun, creative time before starting. It helps everyone relax and connect. If you are looking for some quick team-building games, don’t forget to check out the post below! Happy Ice Breaking!