Toss-A-Name Game
ask the kids to make a circle.
1. Pass the ball and say their name.
2. Pass the ball, say their name and the name of the kid they are throwing the ball to.
(the kids could also say how old they are, what their favourite colour is etc)
Rules and Routine
1. Bee hive - Teacher elicits the classroom rules on the board. Each S gets a bee
template and completes the rules: “Be polite!”, “Be nice!” etc. Ss glue their
bees on the hive poster on the board. On the hive’s branch write the class
motto “Work together, grow together! Be like the Bee!” (S/M new/old)
Here’s a great ice breaker for teams or groups meeting for the first time. You will need only a
large ball of string or wool.
Introduce the exercise “We’re meeting here for the first time. Most of us don’t know each other
at all. It’s easier to get to know each other and make connections with people when you find
something in common. This is the main purpose of this ice breaker game. In some cases you
might have a lot in common with an individual but often you have to discover what it is first.
This game will give you a helping hand”
Ask everyone to sit or stand in a circle. Starting with yourself, say “My name is Sharon” and start
to talk about yourself. “I have 3 sisters. I love to ride horses. I drive to work. I work at…etc. etc.”
By this time hopefully you might find someone else in the group with 3 sisters or even a sister
and they then shout “CONNECT!” when they have found something to connect with you. Holding
onto the tail-end of the ball of string you throw the ball to them. They then introduce
themselves and continue saying something about themselves until someone else connects with
them. They then hold onto the string and throw the ball to that person. And on it goes.
Ensure everyone has a go at connecting with at least one other person in the group; you might
want to add this as a rule until everyone has had a go. Continue connecting until you have had
enough. You will now be in a tangle of string or spider’s web.
End the ice breaker game by explaining that we all have things in common with other people,
but they are often hidden. Look at all the ways we are interconnected with each other… look at
all the strands of the web. Building relationships and rapport can be speeded up by finding and
sharing similarities.