Icebreaker Ideas and Games Collection
We’re introducing classic, popular icebreakers and games!
Have you heard the term “icebreaker” before?
Put simply, it refers to activities that ease the tension and awkward silence that often arise among people meeting for the first time.
Whether you’re a student at the start of a new term or a new employee just joining a company—most of us have experienced that feeling when stepping into a new environment.
In this article, we’re sharing topics and games you can enjoy even with people you’ve just met!
If you want to build better relationships in a new group or team, or help nervous newcomers loosen up and have fun, give icebreakers a try!
- A roundup of recommended icebreakers for college students
- [In a Short Time] Icebreakers and Fun Games That Shine at Morning Meetings
- A collection of icebreakers you can enjoy with a small group
- [For University Students] A Roundup of Fun Games and Recreational Activities
- Icebreakers that get people moving (for both small and large groups)
- Games that liven up social and networking gatherings
- Brain-teasing game roundup
- [Simple Games] Recommended Indoor Recreational Activities for Adults
- Fun games recommended for making friends with people you’ve just met
- [For Adults] Fun recreational games. Perfect for short breaks too!
- Icebreaker ideas for large groups you can use in Zoom meetings
- Games you can play with just conversation. Classic and popular activities you can enjoy without any props!
- Collection of gesture game ideas and prompts
Icebreaker Ideas and Games (41–50)
Training icebreaker
In training settings where you meet people for the first time or feel tense, using various icebreakers is recommended to ease the nerves.
For example, in the classic game where teammates try to give matching answers, matching responses help you find common ground, and even when they don’t match, discussing why you chose your answer encourages communication.
In a game where participants line up in ascending order by something like birthday or height without speaking, you can foster cooperation.
During introductions, asking slightly unusual questions can reveal unexpected sides of others.
Choose icebreakers that suit the group you’ve gathered.
Picture matching game
Let me introduce a conversation-friendly “Picture Pairing Game.” Prepare sets of matching pictures according to the number of players.
Everyone holds their picture face down and the game starts without showing it to anyone.
Using conversation only, players discuss what their own picture might be like and whether they share common features with others, trying to find their matching partner.
Gestures are also forbidden.
Through free remarks and questions, players deepen their imagination, and at the end, they take turns guessing who has the same picture as they do.
By talking through similarities and differences, the game nurtures observation, active listening, and cooperation.
Each round takes just 10–15 minutes.
It’s an ideal team-building game for communication practice and as an icebreaker.
Holy Night Cake Shop
The owner of the cake shop instructed the manager, “Please don’t make more than 200 Christmas cakes this year.” The reason was that every year they made too many and ended up in the red.
However, on Christmas Eve, the manager told part-time workers A-kun and Ms.
B to make 400 cakes.
Since any unsold cakes would have to be bought by the staff, A-kun was reluctant.
Ms.
B agreed with the manager, and in the end they made 400 cakes, resulting in a large number of leftovers.
The manager apologized to A-kun and gave him the money for the buyback.
Now, among the “owner,” “manager,” “A-kun,” and “Ms.
B,” who acted wrongly? Let’s also consider the order from most to least wrong.
Does an English conversation telephone game work?
Let’s try playing a game of telephone in English, where each person passes along the same phrase to the next! First, present an English sentence as the prompt.
It’s recommended to have an AI tool read it aloud rather than a person pronouncing it directly.
The first person listens to the sentence and passes it on to the next person.
If the last person can accurately state what the original English sentence was and provide its Japanese translation, the group succeeds.
You could also make the sentence a question and have the last person give an appropriate answer to that question.
It’s a fun communication game that will make you laugh while also testing everyone’s English skills.
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!
An apartment building where only teachers live
Set in an apartment building inhabited only by teachers, this theme has you deducing who lives in which room.
Using 14 hint cards as clues, players share information to piece together the overall solution, making cooperation essential.
It’s crucial to decide how to share the cards in your hand and how to organize information from others’ statements.
Through conversation, both logical thinking and teamwork are tested, and the whole class gets excited.
As the deduction progresses, there are moments of discovery, and the sense of achievement when you reach the conclusion is exceptional.
It’s a theme that lets you enjoy the fun of cooperation and deduction.
Class Recreation Consensus Game: Deserted Island Edition
This is an activity where you choose 8 items out of 17 under the scenario that you’ve been caught in a storm and stranded on an uninhabited island.
There isn’t a single correct answer; the key is to discuss why you choose each item as you make your decisions.
The criteria for what seems necessary—such as tools to make fire, food, or items to call for help—vary from person to person.
In small groups, considering what’s essential for survival will also test your ability to cooperate and persuade.
By engaging in conversation and exploring your teammates’ thinking, understanding deepens, and the adventurous theme fosters excitement and a sense of unity.