Getting to know you games

• Aim: ice-breaker / getting to know you games
• Group size: 4–25
• Time: 10 min
• Supplies: a ball, for example a Pilates ball, a ball that is easy to catch or a bean bag. Open space and enough room to form a circle

Instructions

1. The group stands in a circle. The participants say their own names and throw a ball at another person in the group. The ball is tossed from one to another until everyone has said their name.
2. Next round: the participants say the name of the person to whom they are going to throw the ball. The facilitator should encourage the participants to look in the eye of the person who they are going to throw the ball to and throw it carefully so that it is easy to catch.

• Aim: ice-breaker / getting to know you games
• Group size: 5+
• Time: 5–10 minutes
• Supplies: chairs

Instructions

1. The facilitator divides the participants into an equal number of three to four fruits, such as oranges and bananas. The participants then sit on chairs in a circle. One person must stand in the center of the circle of chairs.

2. The facilitator shouts out the name of one of the fruits, such as ‘oranges’, and all of the oranges must change places with one another.

3. The person who is standing in the middle tries to take one of their places as they move, leaving another person in the middle without a chair. The new person in the middle shouts another fruit and the game continues. A call of ‘fruit salad’ means that everyone has to change seats.

Variation: a getting to know you game: The group stands in a circle and one person must stand in the center of the circle. The person in the center says something about herself, such as “I like dancing“ and all  participants who like dancing must change places with one another. And again, the person who stands in the middle tries to take one of their places as they move, leaving another person in the middle.
As a facilitator you can encourage the participants to share something about themselves – strengths or weaknesses: “I´m scared of new situations“, “I can’t swim” or “I can speak three languages”.

• Aim of the exercise: getting to know you games
• Group size: 8–50
• Time: 20 min >
• Supplies: A4 paper sheets and pens /variation: pieces of paper containing skills and abilities, sheltered space
  

Instructions

1. The participants are given an A4 paper sheet each and asked to write their names clearly on it in the header. They are given a couple of minutes time to think of their own skills and abilities and then to write them in a visible way, so that there will be a list of 2 real abilities and 1 false characteristic listed on the paper for the other people to read. The “false ability” can be totally fake or something they’d like to acquire or develop in the future.
2. Everyone sticks their sheet on their chest with some masking tape and the group start to move around the room and stop randomly to chat in pairs, trying to guess the false skill on each other’s sheets. As soon as this comes out, they have to leave and look for new people to talk to.
3. The facilitator lets this game last as long as it needs, depending on the number of the participants and the time available so that there will be enough time to chat together about the exercise; how the participants felt and if they found out something interesting regarding their colleagues, and let them reflect on the skills they realized they have and how they came to choose a false one and whether this would be something they’d like to achieve in the future. It is good to also focus on the potential of the group; how much talent and how many skills there are together.
4. Variation There are plenty of skills and abilities written on pieces of paper and the facilitator holds them in a big bowl or hat. Without looking, the participants pick up three pieces of paper each. They read the skills they have chosen and if these are skills they possess, they should keep them but if there are one or two not suitable for them, they should try to change them with someone else. The participants go around in the room and stop randomly to chat in pairs, trying to change the “false” skills to something more suitable. After a while the facilitator asks everyone to sit down in a circle and asks everyone in their turn to talk about their skills.
   This game can also work as for improving language skills.

• Aim: getting to know you games
• Group size: 10–20
• Time: 20–30 minutes
• Supplies: none

Instructions

1. Organize the participants in pairs.
2. Ask them to inquire about the most relevant characteristics their partner has and the activities that their partner does.
3. After 2 minutes of discovering and inquiring (2 minutes each), they will have 1 minute more to present their partner to the rest of the group, which they must do as if they were going to promote each other for a well-deserved prize, as if their partner were a hero. Explain that each person can praise their partner as much as they like.

• Category:  getting to know you games
• Group size: 6–25
• Time: 15-20 min
• Supplies: Open space and enough room for two groups to face each other sitting down.
• Instructions

1. The facilitator divides the participants into a two equal teams. Players from each team take turns miming to their teammates. The player thinks of a book title, a famous person’s name, a saying, a movie title or a song title. The player should choose something with which the others will be familiar. If desired, you can designate a category like sports or Disney movies. The player then mimes the word or phrase he/she has chosen to the other players. 

      Here are some common clues used in charades: 

• To indicate a book, pretend to read a book. 
• To indicate a song, pretend to sing.
• To indicate a movie, pretend to crank an old movie camera.
• To indicate the number of words, hold up that many fingers. (Then hold up one finger before miming the first word, two fingers before the second, etc.) 
• To mime a word that rhymes with the word you want players to guess, first tug on your ear to say “sounds like.” 

1. The first team to guess the word or phrase gets a point. Keep track of the points earned by each team. The one with the most points at the end of the game wins

• Category: getting to know you games and roleplay
• Group size: 6–25
• Time: 15-20 min
• Supplies: Open space and enough room to get groups facing each other.

Note: As the group facilitator, if you feel intimidated by drawing a representation of a show item in the white space, get through it: attempt to draw it anyway and let the group tease you about your efforts. Show and Tell can be a vulnerable activity for students—particularly the introverted type—so show some team spirit by being vulnerable in your leadership role.

Instructions:

• The purpose of the game is to have team members share something they love and is very personal and important to them with the rest of the team and to get to know one another better. A few days in advance of a session, ask students to bring an artifact for Show and Tell. The instructions are to bring something that, from their perspective, is representative of the topic at hand. If possible, tell them to keep the item hidden until it’s their turn to show it at the session.

1. In a white space visible to everyone, write the name of the game and the topic. If you wish, draw a picture of either. When everyone is assembled with their show piece, ask for volunteers to stand up and show first. 
2. Pay close attention to each student’s story of why he/she thought an item represented or reminded them of the topic. Listen for similarities, differences, and emotional descriptions of the item. Write each of these contributions in the white space and draw a simple visual of the item the student brought next to his/her comments.
3. Summarize what you’ve captured in the white space and let the group absorb any shared themes of excitement, doubt or concern. Ask follow-up questions about the content to generate further conversation.

• Category: Getting to know your name
• Group size: 10-20
• Time:  10  minutes
• Supplies: open sheltered space

Instructions:

1. This is a presentation game in which the group stands in a circle and one of the people stands in the center with eyes closed,.
2. The person in the middle turns around and, when he/she stops, points to a person.
3. She/He should crouch down and those to her/his right and left should say the name of the other person as quickly as possible.
4. Whoever says it later (or doesn’t say it) has to sit down and is out of the game. The last two people standing win.

• Category: Getting to know your name / energizers
• Group size: 10-20
• Time:  20  minutes
• Supplies: open sheltered space

Instructions:

1. We stand in a circle and keep our distance. We give each person a role that cannot be taught to anyone; or we secretly show the paper to each person so they don’t have to touch it.
2. All the papers are blank except one in which a drawn eye appears and says “PIM”. The person who has that role must wink at another person who will crouch down saying “PAM” and, automatically, the two people who are left and right have to say “PUM” and point with their finger. Whoever does it more slowly loses the duel and is eliminated from the game or plays with a limitation (lame leg, arms on the head, etc)

• PIM: wink at someone (without others knowing)

• PAM: The person who received the wink squats down

• PUM: The two people on the left and right of the “pam” are pointed like a pistol and have to decide the name of their opponent as soon as possible

1. To make the game easier, you can designate the person who says “pim” out loud and let the whole group know who it is.