The Easy 5-Minute Ice Breaker Games I Wish I’d Known Years Ago

Getting to know new people can be tough, especially in a group situation. This list of fun, easy, ice breaker games will get you chatting to others without even realising it! Whether you have a bunch of shy employees on a staff training day, a group of awkward teens at a youth club, or a class of nervous kids on their first day in a new class, these are for you!

While most of these are indoor ice breaker games, I have included a few outdoor ones too. This list should be suitable for anybody from the age of about 5 years upwards.

There’s nothing worse than awkward silence in a room full of people. Help them drop that shyness and get mingling with these mini group games. They’re sure to bring even the quietest person out of their shell.

Often splitting off into smaller, less intimidating groups is a great way to help people relax and feel comfortable. Sharing a fun group challenge, like one of these, is a great way to bond with a few of your new colleagues or friends!

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1. Oreo Biscuit Race!

The Oreo Biscuit Race is one of the most hilarious and low-prep ice breaker games around! It only requires you buy some Oreo Biscuits! (Or your alternative of choice!)

Each contestant, simply pops their head back a little and rests an Oreo on their forehead. Then, without touching the Oreo, they must see who is the first to slide the Oreo down their face and into their mouth! If it falls off they must stick it back on their forehead to continue the game or forfeit!

This is a great game for helping people to relax and have some fun!

2. Ice Cube Toss

To set this one up, simply lay out 12 Plastic Cups with numbers written on them and tubs of colored ice. You’ll want to plan ahead of time how many teams you’ll have so you can prepare the same number of colors of ice. For example if you have 5 teams, you’ll need to prepare 5 different colors of ice so each team has their own color. Each team will require the same number of ice cubes.

Pop your group into teams of 3 or 4 and assign each team a color. To play each team takes a turn to throw an ice cube and try to make it land in a cup. At the end, you can count up the points that are scored by each team.

3. Would you Rather?

Would you rather, is a great little ice-breaker! You take it in turns to fire off hilarious questions to one another, getting to know each other a little better along the way! To make it less intimidating, you could ask the questions from the front and have people raise their hands to vote. Alternatively, pass out a number of cards to each group to play in groups of 3 or 4 people.

If you need some inspiration for your questions, this budget-friendly, Would you Rather Card Game, on Amazon, looks ideal for any age!

4. Paper Airplane Competition

Put everyone into pairs for this one and challenge them to make the best paper Airplane they can in 5 minutes!

You might want to include an element of decoration for fun too, but also to make it easy to identify who’s airplane is who’s in the competition.

Then, once the five minutes is up, set a starting line and see which teams plane flies the furthest. Prizes can be awarded to the best looking plane and the furthest flying plane!

5. The Longest Daisy Chain

If it’s a nice day and you’re near some grass covered in daisies, this one can be a fun!

Have small teams for this one, of 2 or 3, and challenge them to make the longest daisy chain they can in 5 minutes! It’s far easier to have a little chat to someone new over a calming activity like daisy chain making!

6. Pen Tower

A bit of silly fun! In teams of 2 or 3, see which team can build the tallest tower out of pens in 5 minutes!

This takes a little skill and a lot of luck so should be a fun challenge for them to chat through and attempt in their teams. If you have a lot of spare stationary around, you may want to throw in extra items, like erasers, pencil sharpeners, scissors, and whatever else you have to hand!

7. Two Truths and a Lie

A classic ice breaker game for any age, this one is great for helping people start to get to know one another. Each person tells two true things about themselves and one made-up thing. The others must guess which one is the lie.

If you have a big group, it’s probably best to split up into smaller groups for this one as some people will clamp up having a big group looking at them.

It can help to give people ideas before you start this one so their minds don’t go blank under the pressure. These truths and lie should just be a quick one sentence about them, such as where they live, where they went to school, what they wanted to be when they grew up, their pets, favorite sport, a talent they have, or a famous person they met.

8. Giant Jenga

There’s something about getting completely engrossed in an easy game that helps you loosen up and drop that shyness. This Giant Jenga, from Amazon, would be perfect for a fun, interactive Ice Breaker Game for kids or adults! I loved playing giant Jenga as a kid, teen, and as an adult! It’s easy enough that everyone can play with confidence and enjoy it.

9. Designer Jewlery

A great one for a bunch of creative people, or anyone who doesn’t take themselves too seriously!

Challenge your teams, of 3 or 4 people, to design a piece of jewellery in 5 minutes using nothing but toilet roll, tape, and match sticks! At the end get a volunteer from each team to model their design to the room and vote on a winner!

10. This makes me smile because…

Lastly, if you’re looking for a calmer, sitting game this one is for you! A light-hearted way to get to know new people without the pressure of getting anything wrong.

To prepare for this one, simply print out some pictures of different things that might make someone happy. Things like; the city at night, coffee, animals, the sky, nature, smiling kids, wedding, crafts, art, work, gym, a novel, phone, money.

Then pop everyone into small groups and give each group a selection of images. Ask everyone to pick an image that makes them smile. Then have them explain to their group why it makes them feel happy.

Thinking of things that make you happy helps you relax. This ice breaker will hopefully help your group if they’re all looking nervous!

Fun, Easy, Ice Breaker Games for Kids & Adults

I hope you’ve found lots of inspiration from my list of fun, easy, ice breaker games for kids and adults. Drop me a comment if you think of any more I should add.