Group Icebreakers
Getting to know one another and creating bonds that become friendships are vital to a warm, welcoming space where everyone can engage.
Curated by InterVarsity staff around the nation, this list of icebreaker ideas, questions, activities, and other resources will help you get things going, whether you are leading a small group Bible Study, creating community time at a large group gathering, engaging in outreach, or other ministry activities.
Sneak Peek
Some sample icebreakers included in the PDF are:
Question Activities
Sometimes all you need to break the ice is a couple of good questions. This section lists 100 top Icebreaker questions as well as various activities to engage in question-asking such as:
- Using M&Ms – Everyone grabs a handful of M&Ms and then answers questions based on the color M&Ms they are holding. (red: hometown, blue: favorite movie...)
- Question Jar – Each person takes a turn pulling out a question from a jar and answering it. Questions can be pre-set or the group can write out questions on slips of paper to add to the jar.
- Top 100 Icebreaker Questions
Active Games
There's a special kind of bonding that happens when you do something ridiculous together. This list of games and activities helps the group move around and have fun.
- Name that Celebrity – Each person blindly picks a card/post-it with the name of a celebrity written on it and has it taped to their forehead without them seeing it. Then, they need to guess who is on their card by asking other people questions.
- Human Knot – While standing in a circle each member first reaches their RIGHT hand into the circle grabbing the hand of a person across from them. Then each member reaches their LEFT hand and does the same. Now they have to work together to untangle the knot without letting go. Multiple circles can be made if the group is large or you want to make a competition out of it.
- Scavenger Hunt – Divided into teams of 2 or more, have the group race to find as many things on a list in a set amount of time. Whether it is a preset list of campus spots, a list of photos to capture, or hunting around the internet, inviting the group to achieve something together can be fun.
Get to Know You Activities
Every person has tons of quirks and distinctions. Part of getting to know one another is discovering those things. These games can help get to know some fun facts about a person.
- 2 Truths and a Lie – In turn, each person shares 3 simple statements about themselves—2 that are true and 1 that is a lie. Then the group can guess which is the lie.
- Camera Roll Intros – Have everyone share the last photo in their camera roll and a photo that reflects their week/family/where they are from...
This resource is part of a free online course in The Ministry Playbook, “Growing Authentic Community” which will help you navigate all the stages of your small group. Learn more and take the course here.
