Ice Breakers for Small Groups - Grace Church SC



Ice Breakers for Small Groups

Total Truth - 4-6 people per team (10-15 minutes)

Divide the group into 2 teams. (Guys against the Girls works great) Have each person write on an index card 3 true statements and 1 false statement about themselves. Collect the cards for each team and give them to the opposing team. Give one card to each team member. Each team then reads one card and tries to guess which statement is false. Spouses are not allowed to make comments or guesses. The game continues back and forth between teams until all of the cards have been read. 1 point is awarded for each correct answer.

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Silent Auction

Adapted from Serendipity by Al Hsu

________ Pay off all debt

________ New personal computer with all of the latest features with highest speed internet access

________ Season tickets for the sports team of your choice

________ Lunch with the President

________ Job at a Fortune 500 Company

________ Opportunity to participate in the next Olympics

________ Date with the person of your dreams

________ Lifetime tickets to Broadway musicals

________ Role in a motion picture

________ Complete health insurance coverage

________ Trip around the world

________ Year of study in Europe

________ Acceptance to med school/law school/ grad school

________ Down payment on a house

________ Happy marriage and/or family life

________ Recording contract

________ Term in Congress

________ A new job

________ Be a guest on Letterman

Silent auction. Permission is granted to photocopy this page for small group use. Taken

from Small Group Idea Book, Cindy Bunch, ed., rev. ed @2003 by InterVarsity Press.

Three Words

Tom Sirinides

Each person answers one or more of the following questions (this activity takes less than fifteen minutes):

1. If you had to describe yourself in three words, what would they be?

2. If you had to describe your family in three words, what would they be?

3. If you had to describe God in three words, what would they be?

4. If you had to describe your childhood in three words, what would they be?

Taken from Small Group Idea Book, Cindy Bunch, ed., rev. ed @2003by InterVarsity Press.

Have No Fear

This activity should be used to help the group get beyond the surface of opening up while not making people too vulnerable.

(For a new group) Hand out index cards to everyone and have them write down the completion of the following sentence: “In getting involved with this small group, my biggest fear is ___________.” Or “In getting involved with this small group, the worst thing that could happen to me is ______________.” Tell the group not to put their names on their cards. Collect the cards, shuffle, and redistribute the cards. Then have each person read what is written on the card they are given. This can reveal anything from expectations to hesitancy to develop relationships. Give the option for individuals to explain their fears.

(Variation) Have group members answer the Question: “What do I fear?” Depending on the group some responses may be “silly” fears, while others could be serious issues. Tell people not to laugh at any of the fears, because the fears are real to each individual. Give the option for each individual to elaborate on their fear if they would like.

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Its All In A Name

Have each person think up an adjective that describes their personality. The word must also start with the first letter of their first name. A few examples are: Evil Earl, Lazy Lydia, Energetic Earl. After a few minutes go around the room and have each person give their descriptive title and then explain why they chose the adjective that was chosen.

(Variation) Have each person write on an index card an adjective that describes themselves. Then collect and redistribute the cards. One at a time, have each person read a card aloud and let the group try to decide which card goes with each adjective.

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10 Fingers

Great game for getting to know each other in a new group. All players in a circle, holding all 10 fingers up in the air. One person at a time, start asking personal questions that take yes-no answers; whoever cannot answer yes to a question, drops a finger. Last person with a finger left wins.

Good questions are things like "I have a cat", "I have never stolen anything" and so on.

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Coming and Going

Purchase mailing labels with the “From” and the “To” sections marked. Each group member gets one label and writes in the “From” section where they are from originally (where they were born or grew up). Then in the “To” section they write where they would want to go if they could go “to” anywhere in the world.

After everyone has shared their answers with the group, the next level of community building can take place. The leader instructs each person to write in the “From” section where they are coming “from” spiritually (spiritual background/history) and in the “To” section where they would like to get “to” spiritually as a result of participating in the group.

A final option is to take the “To” answers and talk about the goals or objectives for the group and even format for a group covenant.

This activity provides multiple levels of discussion and can be adapted to meet the needs of the group. (This activity takes less than fifteen minutes.)

Author Kent E. Fillinger. Taken from Small Group Idea Book, Cindy Bunch, ed., rev. ed @2003by InterVarsity Press.

If I were a…

Ask each person to say what they would be and why, if they were a…

• A piece of fruit

• An historical figure

• A household object

• A cartoon character

• Any other off the wall group you can think of!

I would be a pineapple as I am exotic, sweet and zingy.

I would be a whisk as I like to stir things up.

I would be Taz as I rush around like a crazy creature

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