First Floor Meeting Icebreakers
Keep in Mind:
 Smiles are contagious.
 A group circle includes everyone.
 Give the group a practice round and then start. Or demonstrate by going first.
Name Game
Have everyone sit in a circle. The first person has to name an adjective or adverb that
describes him/herself that begins with the same letter of their name. For example,
Curious Charles. The second person has to do the same thing with his/her name and
also repeat what the previous person said. This continues around the circle until the last
person describes him/herself and everyone before him.
Other renditions of the name game can include action movements with their name or
dance moves with their name.
Knots
Divide into 2 teams. Everyone stands in a close circle and holds hands with any 2
people excluding the people to their immediate sides. The purpose of the game is to
untangle the knot without breaking the chain. If a team breaks the chain while attempting
to untangle the knot, they automatically lose.
Two Truths and A Lie
Select one person and have them tell 2 truths and one lie about themselves. The group
then gets the opportunity to talk amongst themselves and decide which are the truths
and which is the lie. Continue until everyone has been selected.
Introduce in Pairs
Ask students to get in pairs. Have them introduce themselves (name, where from,
favorite candy, etc.). Then, have one of the people in the pair introduce the other person
to the entire group.
Move Your Butt
Stand in a circle, with one person in the middle. The middle person says something that
applies to themselves, but may also be true for others in the class (i.e.; If you are an only
child, move your butt, If you live in Marguerite, move your butt). Everyone who has that
trait in common with the person in the center scatters to fill an empty spot in the circle.
The person who can’t find a spot becomes the person in the middle.
Famous Pairs
Tools: Index cards prepared ahead of time with famous pairs’ names on them.
Examples include: Fred and Barney, Salt and Pepper, Kermit and Miss Piggy, Lone
Ranger and Tonto, etc.
Shuffle the cards and pass out a card to each person. At “GO!” participants must find the
other half of the pair. Once they have found their other half, they must find out three
things about the other person and then introduce the person to the rest of the group.
M&M’s
Provide M&M’s or small candies, which are passed around in a container. Each person
must share statements about themselves equal to the number of candies they take from
the container.
Starburst
Pass out Starburst candies. After people have received their candy write a personal
question on the board for each different color you’ve distributed. For each Starburst they
have with that color, they respond to the corresponding question.
Web
Have the group sit or stand in a circle. The facilitator holds a large ball of string. Give
the group something to talk about as they pass the string around (i.e. what are they most
excited about being at SLU, they’re favorite Welcome Week experience, something they
are most nervous about with college, etc.). The facilitator wraps the string around them,
shares their experience, and tosses the yarn ball to another member of the circle. This
continues through the group. A tight web will be created, connecting the class. The
facilitator can then discuss the importance of the interconnectedness of the class and
how you hope it will be a tight, connected group throughout the semester, etc.
Toss a Name
Standing in a circle, the person with the ball calls someone by name and tosses the ball
to them. When the other person catches it, they say, “Thank you, (the name of the
person who threw it to him/her)” and then calls upon another person to toss the ball to.
After the balls have been tossed for a couple of minutes, start a second ball going at the
same time, then a third, and finally a fourth.
String Necklaces
Tie a string or yarn “necklace” around everyone’s neck; the object of the game is to get
as many strings as possible around your own neck by getting others to say “ no” to
questions you ask. When someone says “no” to you, she or he forfeits their necklace.
Birthday Line
Explain to the group that this is a nonverbal exercise. The group is to perform a single
straight line according to birthdays. No lip reading is allowed. When the line is
completed, each person will shout out his or her birthday, beginning in January.
Person Bingo
Prepare a sheet ahead of time with specific characteristics or traits and arrange them
into a Bingo format. Students must find others who fulfill a quality and sign their name.
The first person to get a “Bingo” of signatures wins.