| Sandra's guide pages |
| Icebreaker games |
| M&Ms ice breaker After all the players are seated in a circle, give each girl a handful of M&M's. Explain each colour represents a cue to say something about herself. For example: Red-tell something about your family, Green-tell something that you did over the summer Yellow-tell what you like to do in your spare time Blue-tell about a pet you have Take turns going around the circle saying something about each colour. Brown M&M's are free just to eat. Alternative categories: Red = What is your favourite food? Brown = What is your favourite Girl Guide memory? Yellow = What is your favourite colour and why? Blue = Why do you like being a Girl Guide? Green = Tell the group something about your family? Older girl version: Most embarrassing moment Favourite subject in school Favourite music performer Who would you most like to be stranded on a desert island with Who would you most like to have dinner with |
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| Pass the ball Take a small object, can be a nerf ball, whatever. Have the girls stand in a circle. You start, walk across the circle to a girl, say her name (if you don't know it, she should tell you. Then you repeat it loud enough for the girls to hear it and learn it). You give her the object, then you walk back to your place in the circle. She then does the same thing, only to another girl, who then 'gives' it to another girl - making sure it's not someone who has already had the object. Once all the girls have had the object, the last girl gives it to you, you go again, giving it to the girl you first gave it to. The girls need to remember 2 things, who they gave it to and who gave to them. Because once they get the hang of this - it's time to do it backwards. In other words, the girl who gave it to you (the one who was last) is now first and you give it 'back' to her. She then gives it back to the one she originally got it from in the first part of the game. Don't forget all the while that you are saying or repeating the names of the girls as they get possession. The object is this: 1. Every girl gets a chance to hold the object 2. Every girl gets her name said out loud 3. It's fun trying to remember who you gave to/who gave to you. |
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| Know your neighbour This game helps the players learn each other's names and at the same time have some fun. It's a good 'ice-breaker' for the first night at camp. One player is designated to be IT. He takes his place in the centre of the players, sitting in a circle in the dark. IT suddenly flashes his flashlight on one of the players and asks "Who are your next door neighbours?" And then he flashes the light on the nearby neighbours. If the player who was asked the question, can't name both neighbours correctly, he becomes IT. If he does name them correctly, IT asks him "How is So and So?", naming either of the players. If the reply is "OK", the players remain seated, but if the answer is "Not so good", all players must change seats. While everyone is shifting IT tries to get a seat. If he succeeds the one without a spot then becomes IT. Note: Until everyone is sure of the names, IT must give them time to learn the names of their neighbours before they shift. |
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| “Who am I?” You will need to write down a character on a piece of sticky paper for each girl playing. You then attach it to her back and let the other girls see it. The girls have 3 mins. to walk around and exchange a question with girls as to who they are. They MUST be only questions that can be answered with a "yes" or "no". After 3 minutes, I give everyone a clue as to who they are and then they repeat the process until everyone has guessed who their own character is. Once they have guessed correctly, they may put their sticker in the front. You could take this one step further, and role-play your character for the next few activities that you did. Or make the names well-known pairs (one person is Stan Laurel, another Oliver Hardy) and the participants must find their partner too. |
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| Wool game To start, you take the ball of wool (hang onto the end of the wool), tell your name, something about yourself. When you are done, hold on to the end of the wool and toss the ball of yarn to someone else. That person says their name and something about them. Then they must say the name of the person who tossed the ball to them. Afterwards this person tosses the ball (again hanging on to her end) to another person. This continues until everyone has told her name, and something about herself and has kept hold of the wool. This can be done for all age levels - as you can complicated it or simplify it to the needs of the age level. (make them follow the string and say every name that has already received the string, or something's that the girls is wearing. .. . . .) You'll end up with a WEB once done, which is a good way to explain to the girls - we are all connected - and what one does so the rest are affected. I usually start the string and then it finishes with me - so I have to remember and learn all the names as well. Variation: After the ball has been thrown to everyone, I tell them to hold on tight to their piece, then have one person pull on it and see how many others can actually feel it, then do this a few more times with other people pulling it. Then I explain how this shows how the actions of one person can affect others. |
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| Person bingo works well with girls or adults. Give each person a sheet marked into squares, or just a list like the example given here. They get someone to sign each box or listed category if it applies to them. Whoever gets them all filled in first wins, if you want a winner. Otherwise it's just a great way to get people talking and asking each other questions. Adult version (for mixed or purely adult groups) leader with more than 2 children guide/leader who speaks 3 or more languages guide/leader who is a vegetarian leader who has lead a campfire guide/leader who has travelled outside the UK 3 or more Times guide/leader who frequently goes camping guide/leader who works with more than one section a commissioner a leader with their camp licence someone who has been a rainbow someone who got their guide or senior section camp permit a Queens Guide guide/leader who has gained their BP Trefoil / Challenge guide/leader who can turn a cartwheel guide/leader who's been to a world centre other than Pax Lodge guide/leader who's been involved for 5 years or less guide/leader who's wearing a badge from the local area |
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| Other places to look (the links are to games pages) GuidingUK Guide Zone Girl Scouts USA |
| many of these have been posted to the WAGGGS-L list |
| Partner Quiz Get everyone in pairs and tell them to tell each other about themselves, and that after 2 minutes you'll be asking them questions about their partner. After the 2 minutes are up, each person should get pen and paper and sit back to back with their partner. Then ask them questions... some about what they will have discussed (family, where they come from, guiding history etc.) and some about appearance (are your partners ears pierced?, what colour are her eyes, what sort of footwear is she wearing?). Evil but fun. Also gives a good come-uppance to those who always grab a partner they already know! |
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| Name games Sit in a circle. Each person must think of an adjective to describe themself (not necessarily accurately) which begins with the same letter as their first name. So I might introduce myself and "sensible Sandra". The next person says, "She's sensible Sandra and I'm..." and introduces herself in the same fashion, for example "I'm arty Angela". Continue round the circle until the last person has to repeat all the names and adjectives. Alternatively do the same thing but with animals and actions - I'm Sandra Squirrel (hold hands by mouth and pretend to nibble a nut), I'm Angela alligator (snap hands like big jaws). etc. |
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| Strengths and weaknesses Give everyone a piece of paper and get them to write their best strength and worst weakness on it. Shuffle the papers and deal them out, then give points for anybody who guesses correctly who's paper they have. |
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| Beaded conversations (not a game as such but still...) Make sure everyone gets a package of beads ( different colour for each person). Give everyone a 9 inch piece of string or pipecleaner with a Heart bead in middle. Divide group into two rows and have them sit facing each other with feet touching. Then have each person carry on a conversation with the person facing you. Tell about yourself. Where you are from, birthdate, favourite colour etc. Then exchange bead with that person thread it onto you have traded all your colour beads (or have one left), and move down line to your right to next person and do the same thing until you have exchanged all your beads. Tie and wear your new bracelet |
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| Line up! Get yourselves into a line alphabetically by first name without speaking. For an extra challenge, if you know each other well: use middle names! Ask the group to line up on order of birthdays, starting with January on one end and ending with December at the other. Again, do this without speaking. |
| Sock Name Game Equipment: sock pairs (at least one per person-fun if more!) Ages: have to be able to throw catch You form a circle and the leader throws one person a pair of socks (rolled up tight in a ball) That person (1) must ask the name of a person (2) she doesn't know then before she tosses the socks to person 2, must shout out person 2's name. Person 2 then has to ask the name of someone she doesn't know, call out that person 3's name, and toss the socks to her....etc. until everyone has caught the socks. RULE: You must always toss the socks to the same person - but only after you shout out their name. Now here's the game... Meanwhile the leader tosses in more and more and more socks. Socks are flying everywhere names are being shouted all at once (sometimes a person may have 4-5 pair and then it's "Susan, Susan, Susan, Susan (pelt, pelt, pelt, pelt) Leaders were running after socks they missed catching...bedlam and laughter abound. The leader then will start to remove pairs of socks one by one and it 'calms down a bit' and you again get to hear all the names as the last sock tosses around. It's crazy - but like I said - it worked for me! |
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| Match the fact This is a good one to use with adults, for trainings or the first District meeting of the year. If you know the people, you can prepare the cards in advance. Otherwise, have people fill in a card about themselves as they arrive and then hand them out once everyone is there. Make up a card for each guest/ participant highlighting an interesting or unusual fact about them. hand out a card to each guest upon arrival and have them try to match the fact on the card. |
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| Name acrostics "As people arrive, hand them a pencil and card. Ask them to print their first name in capitals vertically at the left of the card. They move about, trying to find persons whose last names begin with those letters. For variation, use the monthly theme or other word along the left of the card." |
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| Toilet paper game Have you ever tried the one where you hand out a roll of toilet paper and tell them to take as much as they will need. (This can be quite hysterical watching) After you welcome them to the meeting, You then ask the leaders and guests to tell one item about themselves per sheet. This could take a while. We once had a leader take 34 sheets. Some smart ones took one. |
| Commuter Give each girl a paper rolled up tightly so only a small portion of the name and headline can be seen, use enough different papers (different or same issues) for there to be about 5 from the same paper. The girls walk round with this under their arm. They have a few minutes to find everyone else with the same paper as they are carrying. As commuters, there should be no talking between them. The first group to find all the people on their "train" wins. Don't use coloured papers like the ft unless you use all the same colour, it is best to use different issues, so the front pictures aren't too easy to match. |