Get closer in no time, even with first-time meetings! Games that liven up welcome parties
It’s hard to decide what games to play at a welcome party for new students, isn’t it? Everyone’s meeting for the first time or feeling nervous, and it’s hard to know what will get people excited.
So here, we’ll introduce games that are likely to liven up a new-student welcome party.
We’ve included plenty of games that help you learn everyone’s names and encourage communication.
We’ve focused on games that everyone can enjoy, even those who aren’t comfortable with self-introductions or speaking in front of others.
Most of them don’t require any props, so feel free to give them a try!
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- [Let’s Get Closer] A Collection of Engaging Questions for Self-Introductions
Even with first-time meetings, you’ll instantly get closer! Games to liven up welcome parties (41–50)
No equipment needed! Air catch ball
“Air Catch,” a make-believe game of tossing an imaginary ball without any props, is a very simple team-building activity.
Participants form a circle.
Someone calls another person’s name while miming a throw of the “air ball,” and the next person pretends to catch it and continues in the same way.
The rules are: make eye contact and call the person’s name before you throw.
Once everyone gets used to it, you can increase the difficulty by tossing multiple balls at once or speeding things up.
It builds communication skills and concentration and gets people laughing, making it great for training icebreakers and strengthening team cohesion.
It takes about 5–15 minutes, so give it a try!
Self-Introduction Spot-the-Difference Game
A get-to-know-you game where each person adds exactly one lie to their self-introduction.
First, form teams of about two people.
Each person writes a brief self-introduction on paper and compiles it.
Once finished, share within your team which part of each introduction is the lie.
Then one representative from each team reads their compiled self-introduction aloud.
After both sides have read, each team discusses and comes up with just one question to ask the opposing team.
The teams ask their questions, observe the responses, and try to detect the lie in each other’s self-introductions.
Through the single inserted lie, you learn whether the other person matches the image you had of them—or not.
Yamanote Line game
The Yamanote Line Game is a classic at banquets and parties.
You pick a topic, then go around naming things that fit it in turn.
For example, if the topic is “names of fruits,” each person says one like apple or strawberry in order.
If you repeat something someone else already said or can’t think of another answer, you’re out! You also have to keep a steady rhythm with hand claps in between, so staying on beat is important.
The rules are simple, so it’s an easy game to enjoy at welcome parties too!
No-English game
I also recommend the “no-English” game that you can start right away.
The rule is simple: as long as you don’t speak any English, you’re fine.
It sounds easy at first, but you’d be surprised how often it slips out.
Words like “game” and “OK,” which we use in everyday life, tend to pop up.
You can deepen your bond by playing this while doing something else or enjoying a conversation.
Have fun while keeping an eye on each other to make sure no one uses English.
Fruits Basket
Fruit Basket, a classic game that kids love, is also perfect for livening up a new-hire welcome party! Arrange chairs in a circle and sit; the person standing in the middle calls out a prompt, and anyone who fits that description moves to a different seat, competing for chairs.
By keeping the prompts focused on getting to know each other—like “People from the Kanto region” or “K-pop fans”—new hires who’ve just met, as well as new hires and senior staff, will naturally grow closer through the game.
Private Quiz
A private quiz that lets you delve into someone’s personal side! By turning topics that don’t often come up at school or work—like “What’s something you want right now?” or “What hobby have you kept up since your student days?”—into quiz questions, you can get to know the other person more deeply.
However, it’s not about prying into everything! Research what the person is happy for everyone to know, pick out the topics that are likely to get people excited, and make those into quiz questions.
Questions that could make someone uncomfortable are, of course, off-limits!
Drawing Song Quiz
This is a drawing-song quiz where you complete the correct picture while listening to a drawing song.
One feature of drawing songs is that simply moving your hand as you listen lets you neatly finish a picture, even if it’s your first time drawing it.
But depending on how you interpret the lyrics, you might end up with unexpectedly funny drawings! It tests your comprehension, imagination, and sense for drawing.
You can catch glimpses of aspects that aren’t obvious from someone’s appearance, which might lead to discoveries like, “I thought they seemed serious, but maybe they’re surprisingly unique…”