Icebreaker games are a great way to bring people together at your event and well, “break the ice!”
Having an activity that gives people who don’t know each other a reason to chat is especially important at events like Admitted Student Celebrations and Summer Socials where you have lots of New Hoos, but they can work at any type of event.
Here are some ideas to get you started, but please feel free to make up your own games or take these games and tailor them to your group. Hoo knows what connections will be made!
Getting to Know You Bingo – Great for ASCs!
- What you’ll need:
- Printed bingo cards (see attachment)
- Pens or Sharpies for everyone
- How to play:
- Find a person who fits each category and ask them to sign that square.
- Each person can only sign your card once.
- Try to get a signature in every square.
Conversation Starter Bingo – A different spin on bingo to get people talking!
- What you’ll need:
- Printed bingo cards (see attachment). There are 3 different versions of the card.
- Pens or Sharpies for everyone
- How to play:
- Choose a square on your card and ask another person about that topic.
- After they share their story, have them sign that square.
- Each person can only sign your card once.
- Try to get a signature in every square.
Ask Me Anything – Requires very little preparation ahead of time
- What you’ll need:
- Nametags
- Sharpies
- Instruction sign to post at your nametag station (see attachment)
- How to play:
- Fill out your nametag with your name (as usual).
- Below your name, write “A.M.A. ___________” and fill in the blank with your favorite topic of conversation – the more off-the-beaten-path, the better. Choose a topic related to a hobby and not to your occupation or major focus of study.
- Wear your nametag proudly and prominently.
- Interact with your fellow Hoos and make some connections. Learn about a new topic and share your favorite tidbits of knowledge.
Would You Rather – Doesn’t require any special materials to play and very little prep!
- What you’ll need:
- List of topics/questions (see attachment)
- An emcee to lead the game
- How to play:
- Get everyone in the group standing up. This works best if you have a little space to move around.
- The emcee will ask a question such as “Would you rather be blue or orange?” Then you direct the “blues” to one side of the room and the “oranges” to the other.
- A set of starter questions is included but feel free to create your own and tailor it to your group.
UVA Connections Game – Great for ASCs and Summer Socials!
- What you’ll need:
- The complete list of categories for your own reference (see attachment)
- Small slips of paper with the items printed on them. You can print out the attachment and cut them up. Feel free to create your own categories.
- How to play:
- Give each person one item listed in a bolded category.
- Make sure to have just a few categories released at a time so that all of the items in the category are circulating at the same time.
- Players must find the other 4 people who make up the same category of 5 items and together identify the common thread between them.
- It’s okay to ask others for help. They can also use a smartphone to google their item, if they wish.
A big thank you to the UVA Club of Tidewater for this great idea. They play it every year at their ASC event!
Hoo Am I? – A new version of an old favorite
- What you’ll need:
- A pad of Post-it notes or sticker labels
- Sharpies
- How to play:
- Distribute the Post-its, one per guest, by sticking them to the person’s back. Do not let the person see the name that they are assigned.
- The goal is to guess Hoo (or what) they are by asking their fellow Wahoos Yes/No questions.
- Examples: “Am I a location?” “Am I still alive?”
- Limit the number of questions they can ask any one person. For example, they can only ask each person 1 or 2 questions before moving on to the next person. If the group is small, allow them to come back to a person a second time or ask more than 2 questions.
