16 Goals For Success Icebreaker Activities
GOAL
GAME
DESCRIPTION
1
Heads or Tails
Students begin the game by standing up. Each round students must
place both of their hands on their heads or tails (buttocks) what they
predict the quarter will land on when flipped by the counselor.
Students that are incorrect are eliminated and subsequent rounds
continue until an overall winner is determined.
2
Would You
Rather?
3
Human Knot
4
Sort The Class
5
Blowing In
The Wind
6
Simon Says
7
Tennis Ball
Challenge
Students are asked a series of questions where they have to pick
between two options by standing up to represent his/her selection.
Separate students into groups of 10-12. Arrange group members in
a circle, standing shoulder to shoulder. Instruct students to reach
across the circle with his/her right hand and grab the right hand of a
peer. Instruct students to reach across the circle with his/her left
hand and grab the left hand of a different peer. Check to make sure
that everyone is holding the hands of two different people and that
they are not holding hands with someone directly next to them.
Instruct each group to untangle themselves and make a circle
without breaking the chain of hands. If group members break the
chain they need to start over.
Students are given the task of sorting themselves by Height, Birthday,
First Names, Last Names, etc.
Separate students into groups of 4-5. Give each student a plastic
straw and each group a balloon. Instruct each group to blow up their
balloon. Once all the balloons have been blown up, give each group
the task of keeping the balloon in the air using their straws only.
Prizes may be awarded to the group(s) that keep(s) the balloon in the
air the longest using the straws only.
Students are given a variety of directions by the counselor.
Directions should only be followed if prefaced with the phrase
"Simon Says.” Players are eliminated from the game by either
following instructions that are not immediately preceded by the
phrase, or by failing to follow an instruction which does include the
phrase "Simon Says." The winner of the game is the last player who
has successfully followed all of the given commands.
Pair up students and give each team a tennis ball. Tell them they will
start close together and toss the ball back and forth with their
dominant hand without dropping it, each moving a step apart each
time they catch and throw successfully. If they drop the ball, they
must move close together and start over. Before they start, have
them set a goal of how far apart they can get without dropping. (This
may be easier in the hall or outside.) After 2-3 minutes, conduct a
short discussion about each group’s goal and the importance of
communication in order to reach the goal. Then instruct the groups
to strive to meet their original goal using their non-dominant hand.
This may be frustrating, but encourage them to do their very best as
the goal for the week is “Great Effort.”
8
9
10
11
12
Separate students into groups of 4-5. Give each group one dice and
a list of open ended sharing statements. Instruct students to roll the
dice and complete the statement that corresponds with the dice
Roll of the
number. After a student is done sharing, he/she will pass the dice
Dice
clockwise and the next student will roll the dice and complete the
statement that corresponds with the dice number. Continue this
activity for 5 minutes and then debrief about the experience.
Separate students into groups of 6-8. Pass around the basket of jolly
ranchers and instruct each participant to choose anywhere from 1 to
5 pieces of anything that they want. Instruct them not to eat the
candy until the activity is over. After they have chosen their pieces
of candy, you will tell them what each candy type/color represents.
Share Your
If there is a whiteboard or chalkboard present, write on the board the
Jolly Ranchers following: Red - Favorite hobbies, Green - Favorite place on earth,
Purple - Favorite memory, Blue - Dream job, and Pink - Wildcard
(tell us anything about yourself!). Each person takes turns sharing
about himself or herself, beginning with their name and then saying
one fact for each candy type that they have. This easy get to know
you game should go relatively quickly.
Divide the group into two or three teams of students that choose to
participate, trying to make it so that the teams are even with the
same amount of boys and girls on each team. Have each team stand
in a line arranged boy, girl, boy, girl (as much as is possible). Give
each team a pre-frozen orange which the first player in each team
will tuck under their chin. On the signal, players will begin passing
Pass the
the orange without using their hands to the player behind them.
Orange
When the orange gets passed, the person who passed it last has to
stand behind the last player in line. Play will continue until the
frozen orange has been successfully passed to the last in line. The
winning team is the first one to complete this task first. If the orange
is dropped, the team must start over from the beginning.
Remember: NO HANDS ALLOWED!!
Create an open area so students can move around freely. Instruct
students that the purpose of the two activities is to positively boost
the self-esteem of themselves and others. The first activity is to
High Fives and move around the classroom and give every student a “high five.”
Compliments
The second activity is to move around the classroom and give every
student a genuine “compliment.” Discourage students from saying
things like “I like your shirt,” “You’re cool,” etc. and encourage
them to fully explain his/her compliment to their peer.
Distribute two Smarties rolls per person. Instruct students to stack
as many candies as possible in a vertical column, using only one
hand, in one minute. Before they begin, instruct students they will
be setting and recording a goal for the amount of candies they think
Smarties
they can stack at the conclusion of one minute. Students will score
Activity
their efforts on the Smarties scoresheet. Instruct students to set a
new goal and then instruct them that they have to use their nondominant hand for the second minute. Debrief the experience while
students enjoy the candy.
13
This or That
14
Who Am I?
15
Minefield
16
Rock, Paper,
Scissors.
Create an open area so students can move around freely. Divide the
open space in two with a piece of tape. Students will be given a
choice between two things and they have to choose the one they
prefer more (NO EXCEPTIONS). Allow students to talk freely
during each “This or That” option before quieting the class to
present the next option.
Create an open area so students can move around freely. Tape a
picture of a famous celebrity or athlete to the forehead of each
student without letting them see the picture. Ask everyone to move
around the room and greet each other with questions and statements
that provide clues to the famous individual on his/her forehead. The
goal is for each student to successfully guess the person on his/her
forehead without being directly told who is in the picture. Continue
play until everyone successfully guesses their famous celebrity or
athlete, or until time runs out.
Create a large space open area so students can move around freely.
Randomly place a variety of objects throughout the large space open
area. Ask students to pair up and provide all pairs with a blindfold.
Ask one student in each pair to place the blindfold over his/her eyes.
Instruct the blindfolded students to walk around without stepping on
any of the objects in the large space open area. It is the
responsibility of the each blindfolded student’s partner to effectively
guide the student through the large space open area. Partners should
switch roles after 2-3 minutes. Debrief on what worked and what
didn’t work during this experience.
Ask all students to stand up and find a partner. Instruct them that
they will be playing “Rock-Paper-Scissors,” a hand game in which
each player simultaneously forms one of three shapes with an
outstretched hand. These shapes are "rock" (a simple fist), "paper" (a
flat hand), and "scissors" (a fist with the index and middle fingers
together forming a V). The game has only three possible outcomes
other than a tie: a player who decides to play rock will beat another
player who has chosen scissors ("rock crushes scissors") but will
lose to one who has played paper ("paper covers rock"); a play of
paper will lose to a play of scissors ("scissors cut paper"). If both
players throw the same shape, the game is tied and is will be
immediately replayed to break the tie. Students that are incorrect
are eliminated and subsequent rounds continue until an overall
winner is determined.
SIMON SAYS
Opening Script: Great job. Now, I want to see all of you put selfdiscipline into action. I have a familiar game for us to play that will help
us practice self-discipline. As we play, I want you to make sure that you
are making positive choices and controlling your actions. I want
everyone to stand up without talking. We are going to play a short
game of “Simon Says.” Give the following commands while playing
“Simon Says.”
1. Simon says, “Touch your head.”
2. Simon says, “Touch your toes.”
3. Simon says, “Rub your tummy.”
4. Touch your nose.
5. Simon says, “Jump up and down.”
6. Stop.
7. Simon says, “Stop.”
8. Simon says, pat your head.
9. Simon says, “Turn around ONE time.”
10. Touch your ears.
11. Simon says, “Pat your head and rub your tummy.”
12. Simon says, “Stop.”
13. Sit down.
14. Simon says, “Sit down.”
15. Simon says, “Put your hands in your lap.”
Closing Script: Good job playing “Simon Says.” Who can tell me what
we practiced by playing “Simon Says?” Allow time for students to raise
their hands and answer. That’s right, self-discipline. We showed selfdiscipline by following directions and listening.
DICE STATEMENTS
Roll a 1: I am thankful for…
Roll a 2: Other people compliment me on my ability to…
Roll a 3: Something I would like other people to know about me is…
Roll a 4: I feel really good when…
Roll a 5: I am proud of my ability to…
Roll a 6: Something nice I recently did for someone else was…
DICE STATEMENTS
Roll a 1: I am thankful for…
Roll a 2: Other people compliment me on my ability to…
Roll a 3: Something I would like other people to know about me is…
Roll a 4: I feel really good when…
Roll a 5: I am proud of my ability to…
Roll a 6: Something nice I recently did for someone else was…
DICE STATEMENTS
Roll a 1: I am thankful for…
Roll a 2: Other people compliment me on my ability to…
Roll a 3: Something I would like other people to know about me is…
Roll a 4: I feel really good when…
Roll a 5: I am proud of my ability to…
Roll a 6: Something nice I recently did for someone else
Jolly Rancher Introductions
Background
Candy Introductions can work with any group size. The icebreaker works best when the group
size is limited to 12, so if you have more than 12, divide the larger group and run the icebreaker
within the smaller sized groups. This icebreaker works best indoors, and is well suited for
classrooms or meeting rooms.
Instructions for How to Play
Pass around the candy and instruct each participant to choose anywhere from 1 to 5 pieces of
anything that they want. Instruct them not to eat the candy until the activity is over. After the
students have chosen their pieces of candy, you will tell them what each candy type/color
represents.
If there is a whiteboard or chalkboard present, write on the board the following:
• Red - Favorite hobbies
• Green - Favorite place on earth
• Purple - Favorite memory
• Blue - Dream job
• Pink - Wildcard (tell us anything about yourself!)
Each person takes turns sharing about himself or herself, beginning with their name and then
saying one fact for each candy type that they have. This easy get to know you game should go
relatively quickly.
Smarties Activity Steps
I.
Distribute Smarties (2 rolls per person) and decide in advance if students will be
permitted to eat the candy at the end of the activity and let them know your
expectations.
II.
Explain the task…Stack as many candies as possible in a vertical column, using only
one hand, in one minute. Before they begin, instruct students they will be setting a
goal for the amount of candies they think they can stack at the conclusion of one
minute.
III.
Pass out SMART Goals Record Sheet and provide an example before initiating the
activity.
a. Candy stacks must be standing five seconds after the buzzer to count.
b. If the goal is NOT reached, count five points for each candy stacked.
c. If the goal IS reached, count ten points for each candy stacked (up to the goal).
i. Add five points for each additional candy stacked over the goal.
IV.
Encourage students to set the highest achievable goal possible for them.
V.
Ask students to set their candy goal for the first round.
VI.
Instruct the students to begin by saying, “go” and start the one minute timer. Circulate
to be sure each student is following the “only one hand” rule.
VII.
After the buzzer sounds, count five additional seconds out loud. Stacks must remain
standing for five seconds after time is called to count. Ask the students to calculate
their scores and record them on their score sheet. Determine who stacked the most
and who had the highest score (not always the same person). Discuss the variety of
strategies utilized during the first round.
VIII.
Ask students to set and record a new candy goal for the second round, using the
knowledge gained from the first round to make a better estimate.
IX.
Before the second round begins, but just before you start the time, announce that in
the second round, they must stack with their non-dominant hand. If there are moans
and groans, explain that life is full of surprises! Proceed with initiating the second
round, repeating the process explained above.
X.
Debrief the activity using the following questions…
a. In the first round, how accurate were your goals? Too low/high/right on target?
b. How did goal setting change in the second round? What strategy did you use?
c. What environmental influences came into play? How did you respond to those?
This or That Script
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Red or Blue
Born in Missouri or Born in Another State
Chocolate or Vanilla
Country or Rap
Tall or Short
Sleep In or Get Up Early
Sporting Event or Concert
Sweet or Sour
Complete Homework or Do the Dishes
Facebook or Twitter
Summer or Winter
Surf or Skate
Be Beautiful or Be Smart
Eat at a Restaurant or Eat a Home Cooked Meal
Jeans or Shorts
TV or Movies
Coke or Pepsi
Ford or Chevy
McDonald’s or Taco Bell
Dog or Cat
Be Born With an Elephant Trunk or Born With a Giraffe Neck
Be Hairy Everywhere or Be Bald
Eat Soap or Drink Dishwashing Liquid
Be a Kid or Be an Adult
Find True Love or Be Rich
Shower or Bath
Be a Dog’s Chew Toy or Be a Cat’s Litter Box