10 Community-Building Icebreakers

How do you react when you hear, “We’re going to start with an icebreaker,” at the beginning of a workshop or a conference? Do you cringe, or want to run, hide, or leave to take an imaginary phone call? I used to have similar reactions. At first, I’d look around the room and wonder what we’d be doing. Others might have felt their heart race as they waited for further instructions. Usually, everything worked out, but the unknown could cause stress for people in this situation.

As the new school year begins, I’m happy to share some of my favorite icebreakers (energizers, warm-ups, starters, and team-building activities). As new students walk in the classroom, these activities can be another way for them to connect and get to know each other. Many of these icebreakers are suitable for elementary, middle, and high school settings. They can also be used at the start of a faculty meeting to help connect staff from different departments and classrooms.

10 Engaging Icebreakers to Facilitate Connection

1. R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Have a group of five to seven people sit together at a table or wall. Spell out the word respect vertically on a piece of paper or a large Post-it on the wall. Ask the group to create the community guidelines for the workshop, class, or meeting by brainstorming words that start with each letter of the word. For example, we would like to remind participants of confidentiality. After each group has one word for each letter, have each group present their words. At the end, each participant should agree to honor the terms discussed for the duration of the time they are together. (Middle and high school students; educators: 5–10 minutes.)

Inspired by the World of Difference Institute training, this is a great icebreaker to start with because it sets the tone for the session, and participants feel some ownership in establishing the community rules.

2. Peach and pit. This icebreaker is similar to Rose, Bud, Thorn. After you establish the guidelines for the class or meeting, a great way to get started includes partner activities (two to three in a group). This can help students feel a little more comfortable before moving to a large group activity. The peach and pit refer to the high and low of the day.

For example, my highlight of the day includes sharing ideas in this article for educators. My low for the day is getting a parking ticket (not really). No setup is needed for this quick activity. The facilitator can follow up by asking participants if anyone would like to share with the larger group. (Elementary, middle, and high school students; educators: Two to three minutes with a partner and an additional 10 to 15 minutes if participants share with the larger group.)

3. Line up in birthday order in silence. Participants are asked to line up in birthday order by communicating without words. After lining up, they can talk to the people near them (in groups of four to six) and find five things they have in common with people in their birthday month. You can group months if needed. This is a fun way to discover birthday information and common interests. (Elementary, middle, and high school students; educators: 10 to 15 minutes, including instructions, activity, and debrief; more time is needed for larger groups.)

4. Head, shoulders, knees, cup. This game is by far one of the most fun activities that you can do with any group. I recommend using unbreakable plastic cups. Solo cups work, but they frequently break. (Elementary, middle, and high school students; educators: 10 to 15 minutes with multiple rounds and a tournament-style format.)

5. Rock, paper, scissors. I’ve used this partner activity with college and high school students. The people who lose become cheerleaders for their partner who won. This game can get very loud, and if you have a competitive group, they’ll really enjoy it. (Elementary, middle, and high school students; educators: 10–15 minutes in tournament-style format with roughly 30 participants and three rounds per match.)

6. Build a tower with cups. This is an easy setup for teams of five to six people and gets everyone involved. I’ve used it with high school students and adults. For fairness, ask everyone to use the same amount of yarn, so that all of the projects stay even and beautiful. (Middle and high school students; educators: Three to five participants per group, 10 to 15 minutes for planning and building.)

7. Build a marshmallow tower. This can be a great team-building session for students and adults. I’ve modified this activity to include spaghetti and mini-marshmallows. Each team of three to six people is asked to build the tallest tower they can. (Middle and high school students; educators: 15 to 20 minutes, including planning for three minutes.)

8. This or that. This is another activity that gets the group up and moving because it requires participants to line up and choose an option. Do you like the beach or a pool? Are you a morning person or a night person? The questions can be tailored for the class or age group. In some cases, I’ve asked participants to share why they chose a specific answer. (Elementary, middle, and high school students; educators: 15 to 20 minutes, depending on group size.)

9. Who’s here? Participants stand in a large circle facing each other. The facilitator can create a list of items they will announce. If anyone identifies with a topic, they can go into the middle and give others a high-five. The list can include anything based on the age group. For example, “If you like to read, step into the center. If you like to run, step into the center. If you are from a large city, step into the center.” (Elementary, middle, and high school students; educators: 15 to 25 minutes, depending on group size and the number of questions.)

10. Human knot. The human knot is an interactive and energizing activity for groups of eight to 10 people that includes holding hands and a lot of movement. (Middle and high school students; educators: 15 to 30 minutes.)

I often begin these activities with partner groups (turn to your neighbor or find a partner) and then expand to small and large groups. This approach gives participants an opportunity to feel more comfortable and build rapport.