A collection of icebreakers you can enjoy with a small group
Icebreakers to ease the nerves when meeting someone for the first time.
Many are designed for new employees and first-time meetings, but even when it’s not your first time, many companies use them before meetings to reduce tension and help everyone relax.
Here are some icebreakers that are enjoyable and can be done even with small groups.
We’ve included plenty of ideas—from ones that use items you can prepare quickly to ones that require no materials at all.
May these help melt away everyone’s nerves and get you ready to focus on work!
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Icebreaker Ideas for Small Groups (11–20)
All-out rock-paper-scissors
It’s an icebreaker where you simply play rock-paper-scissors… but let’s do it with full energy! Shout the classic chant—“Saisho wa gu, janken pon!”—loudly and enthusiastically.
Whether you win or lose, celebrate at high volume with a big “Yay!” or “I did it!” It’s simple but lively (lol).
The part where you celebrate even if you lose is great, and above all, by cranking up the energy and momentum, it feels like you can carry that vibe into what comes next.
Newspaper Pass Soccer
This is “Newspaper Pass Soccer,” where you aim for the goal while passing a ball made of newspaper.
Form teams of two, and everyone holds a newspaper “ball holder.” Place the newspaper ball on one teammate’s holder, and at the start signal, move forward by passing the newspaper ball back and forth; the pair that reaches the goal first wins.
The person holding the ball may turn their body but must not move from their spot or walk.
If you drop the ball on the floor, return to the start and try again!
shoulder tap
This is an icebreaker where you tap your shoulders rhythmically.
Tap your left shoulder with your right hand, then your right shoulder with your left hand, varying the number of repetitions, and finish by clapping your hands in front of your chest.
Once everyone gets used to it, add claps based on a chosen number in between shoulder taps.
For example, “Clap on 4,” and gradually increase how often you clap.
It can get a bit tricky—right vs.
left, tapping vs.
clapping—so some people will make mistakes, but that’s part of the fun and helps create a good atmosphere.
Puzzle solving
How about trying a more in-depth puzzle-solving activity for a small-group icebreaker? Lately, puzzles have been booming on TV shows and YouTube.
There are all kinds—from story-driven puzzles to quick ones using numbers or letters that you can do in short breaks.
Choose a puzzle based on the time you have and the size of the group, and give it a try.
Doing this before a brain-intensive meeting or a first-thing-in-the-morning gathering might leave everyone feeling noticeably more refreshed afterward.
Ping-Pong Pan
This is a very simple but fun icebreaker called “Pin-Pon-Pan.” Participants form a circle and, once the first person is chosen, everything proceeds rhythmically: someone says “Pin” while pointing at another person; the person who is pointed at then points to someone else and says “Pon”; and that person points to the next and says “Pan.” You just repeat this pattern.
As the pace naturally speeds up, people start messing up the order of “Pin-Pon-Pan” or fall out of rhythm, and things break down—but that’s exactly what makes this icebreaker enjoyable.
Seven Rock-Paper-Scissors
Let me introduce an icebreaker called “Seven Rock-Paper-Scissors.” As the name suggests, the goal is to make a total of 7 with your fingers.
Rock counts as 0, scissors as 2, paper as 5, and you can also show 1, 3, or 4 fingers—options that don’t exist in regular rock-paper-scissors! If the total number of fingers shown adds up to 7, it’s a big success.
Strictly speaking, it’s not really rock-paper-scissors (haha).
Since the total gets large with many people and it becomes harder to hit 7, this icebreaker is recommended for small groups.
In conclusion
We’ve introduced some icebreakers that work well with small groups, but of course there are ones you can do with large groups too.
Try loosening up both your mind and heart with icebreakers that are fun even in small groups and help ease the tension, then dive into your work!