Despite the business of school, homework, and family life, many students are involved in after school youth groups and programs. Depending on the program chosen, students may be volunteering in the community, simply building relationships with peers, or going on adventures and learning life skills. However, before the group can truly feel like a group, the students and leaders must build trust and relationships. One of the most efficient ways to accomplish this is by playing games and using them to break the ice and open up communication between youth group members. Read on and find 3 easy ideas for youth group games and activities that will help to build relationships and get conversations going.
3 Youth Program Games for Icebreakers
Whether the students are involved in a service, creative play, sports, or adventure program, getting to know the students and leaders of the group will make the activities more engaging. Here are three ideas for youth program icebreakers you can use to help foster new relationships.
Two Truths and a Tale
Most students, even if they are shy, have something interesting about themselves the share with the other students in the group. Have the students gather up, and one at a time, have a student come to the front and say three statements. Two of the statements are true facts about themselves, and the other is not true. The rest of the group then takes a vote as to which of the statements is not true.
To play for points, have the students each use a piece of paper to record which of the statements they thought was untrue. At the end of the game, each student can inform the group which of their statements were a truth and which was a tale.
This game allows students to show their personality in the types of facts that they share, but also gives the group a chance to learn two truthful things about them.
Blow Wind Blow
This game is a good option for students who may not like to share about themselves so openly in front of the group. Have the group make a circle with chairs, and choose one person to stand in the middle. The middle person says “blow wind blow,” and the outside circle says “blow what?”
The middle person then states what the wind will blow. For example: everyone with socks on. Everyone in the circle who is wearing socks would then have to trade seats with someone else. During this shuffle, the student in the middle also rushes to find a new seat. Whoever is left without a seat is the middle person for the next round.
Mix & Meet
This game combines information sharing and candy, making it a great option for an ice breaker everyone will want to join in on. Give each member of the group a small handful of M&M’s (this also works with Skittles) and tell them not to eat them. Then assign a category to each color. For example: blue = school, yellow = food, brown = family.
For each piece of candy in their hands, they have to tell a fact about themselves. So a handful of 5 blue candies, for example, would mean they would have to share 5 facts about school. Choose categories that fit the group of students and enjoy eating the candy as everyone learns new things about each other.
