New Beginnings: Breaking the Ice with Facts and Favorites

Have you ever wondered how to "break the ice?" I knew that I would have 13 new faces before me and that I would have to get to know them as they got to know each other. I didn't want the icebreaker to be cliche or boring or overdone, so I mixed a few of my favorites into one successful icebreaker. I learned about the people in the room as they learned little factoids about each other. I also gained insight into who wore every emotion on their face, who didn't really want to be in the room as well as those who wanted to tell more than necessary for the activity. It was great! So, do you want to know how to pull off the best ice breaker ever? Read on...

Give each participant 2 slips of paper. One with "Interesting fact..." and the other with "A favorite..." at the top. Explain that they are to write an interesting fact about themselves that they feel comfortable sharing with the group. For the favorite, they can write any of their favorites whether color, food, restaurant, vacation spot, hat, or whatever.  Place the folded slips of paper in a bucket.

Beginning with you, pull one of the slips and read to the class. Try to guess who the fact or favorite belongs to. After a few guesses, open up the floor for other participants to take a guess or give a hint. Once the person has been revealed, he/she will draw the next fact or favorite, and the ice is broken. Everyone will be engaged because they are trying to either guess who wrote the statement, hide the fact that they are the one being discussed, or wondering if their fact or favorite will be pulled. You will also notice how people will immediately latch on to commonalities. For example, there were three participants who loved purple. Once that was up for discussion, someone else stated, "I like purple, too." When there are commonalities in the group, there is comfort. There is a sense of connection and teamwork is sure to follow! 

Let me know how it works out or if you modify in the comments below!