21 Interesting Icebreaker Games For Kids

Hey there! If you’ve ever been to summer camp, you know how nerve-wracking it can be to make new friends. But fear not, kiddos, because I’ve got a secret weapon for you – icebreaker games for kids! Fortunately, kids are waiting to socialize, and all they need is an icebreaker. These games are like the ultimate wingman, breaking the ice and helping you connect with other kids in a fun and easy way. So, get ready to play some wacky and exciting games that will have you laughing, bonding, and making new friends in no time!

What Are Icebreaker Games For Children?

So, what are these mystical “icebreaker games for kids” that we keep mentioning? Well, they’re basically games that are designed to get kids talking, laughing, and connecting with each other. Think of them as a kind of social lubricant – they help grease the wheels of friendship and make it easier for kids to break out of their shells and start mingling. Whether it’s a silly name game, a cooperative challenge, or a get-to-know-you activity, these games are a surefire way to make any group of kids feel more comfortable and connected. Read on to explore some of these games, try them out, tweaking them to suit your group and get the ball rolling!

What Is The Importance of Icebreaker Games?

Now, you might be thinking, “Okay, cool, but why do we need icebreaker games for kids? Can’t we just let them figure it out on their own?” Well, while it’s true that some kids are naturally outgoing and can make friends easily, others might need a little extra help to feel comfortable in a new group. That’s where icebreakers come in – they help level the playing field and create a fun, low-pressure environment where all kids can participate and feel included. Icebreaker games for kids can also help teach important social skills, like communication, teamwork, and empathy. Plus, let’s be real, they’re just plain fun – who doesn’t love a good game? So, whether you’re a teacher, a camp counselor, or just a parent looking to make playdates more fun, icebreakers for kids are a great tool to have in your back pocket.

Awesome Icebreaker Games and Activities That Children will Enjoy

Here are 8 amazing icebreaker activities for kids that are sure to get them comfortable with each other.

1. Hop to it

Hop to it is one of the most fun ice breaker games that gets the kids moving. It is a good way to get them involved in the activity while helping you understand them better.

Things You Will Need

• Coloured construction paper
• Crayons, markers, pens
• Scotch tape
• A list of question to get to know the kids such as
• How old are you?
• What is your favourite food?
• What is your favourite activity?
• What is your favourite colour?
• What is your favourite animal?

How to Set Up and Play 

• Draw the answers to all the get-to-know-you questions on the construction paper. Alternatively, you can print the answers if you have access to a printer.
• Lay out the papers and tape them to the floor and have the kids line up.
• When you ask a question, the kid in the front hops to the answer and has to explain why they chose that answer.
• If the kids can read, then write the answers in words.

2. Getting to Know You

This is a simple but fun one among many ice breaker games for children to get to know each other quickly.

Things You Will Need

• A ball

How to Set Up and Play

• The game set up is quite simple; first, you get all the children to stand in a circle.
• The game begins when you throw the ball to a random kid and as a question about them, such as “what is your favourite colour?” The kid answers the question and randomly tosses the ball to another kid and asks a question such as “do you have a pet?”
• The next kid who catches the ball answers that question and tosses it to another random kid with a question.
• Have a list of questions prepared and read them out to the kids so they can have an idea about what to ask.

3. The Line-Up Game

This is one of the simplest ice breaker games for children to play at a party or a summer camp when your crowd is not homogenous in their age.

Things You Will Need 

• Groups of children and adults of different ages

How to Set Up and Play

• Group the participants into teams of 5 or 6 people and appoint one person as the caller.
• Once everybody is ready, the caller will call out the instructions that their teams will follow.
• The instructions would be a simple task such as “everyone line up according to your height in the increasing order from left to right.”
• Other instructions can include telling the teams to line up according to age or a sequence of colours that match what they are wearing.
• To make the game more fun, you could instruct the teams to communicate only using hand gestures and no words.

4. Book About Me

A popular one among fun icebreaker games, in this game the kids will create a storybook that talks about them. It’s a great craft and one that their parents would love to save.

Things You Will Need

• Cardboard sheets
• Pens, markers, crayons
• Stickers
• Stapler
• A list of questions to get to know the kids:
• All the people in your family
• Who are your best friends?
• Describe your school
• What is your favourite game?
• Which is your favourite place to visit?
• What do you want to be when you grow up?

How to Set Up and Play

• Give one sheet for each answer for every kid.
• The kids then draw the answers to all the questions while they talk to you about what they are drawing.
• Once they finish, staple the pages together to turn it into a storybook.
• Each author shares his/her story out loud while they show everyone what they drew
• You can make a storybook of your own and share your story as well

5. Show and Tell

Show and tell is an interesting activity to encourage children to get comfortable by allowing them to talk about their most prized possessions.

Things You Will Need

• Ask the kids to bring their favourite item, maybe a book, favourite toy or something they take wherever they go
• Bring one of your favourite things to share as well

How to Set Up and Play

• Ask every kid to hold up their favourite thing and talk about why it’s their favourite.
• You can ask them questions about why they take it with them where they go or how they got it or what they would like to do with it.
• Depending on the age of the kids, the session could get long which is perfect for the activity

6. Beach Ball Bash

If you’re looking for outdoor fun icebreakers for kids, this activity is just perfect for a day at the park. One among many good games to get the kids outdoors, this one is a sure hit.

Things You Will Need

• 2 or 3 beach balls
• Black permanent marker

Some questions to get to know the kids

• Where did you travel to this summer?
• What are your favourite things about school?
• Where do you like travelling?
• Which is your favourite ice cream flavour?
• Tell us about your best friend
• Tell us something funny that happened recently
• Who is your favourite superhero?
• What is your teacher’s name?

How to Set Up and Play 

• Before the activity starts, inflate the beach balls and write a question on each coloured section.
• Pick one ball and take turns to pass the ball from one kid to another
• When a kid catches the ball, the section with his right hand on is the question he needs to answer
• Change the ball once all the question has been answered by all the kids on each ball
• If the kids aren’t old enough to read, you can read it out loud for them or ask an older kid to read it for them

7. Make Up a Story

This one is an interesting and fun game which draws on the imagination of children and adds in plenty of laughter. Good games like this serve as amazing icebreaker activities for kids. 

Things You Will Need

• A group of children of any age.
• The game can be played sitting in a circle or while travelling on a picnic bus or around a campfire

How to Set Up and Play

• The game is quite simple and yet needs a lot of creativity to be played; therefore, someone has to start with a good first line such as “once upon a time”.
• The next kid adds four more words to the story, such as “there was a frog”.
• The kid after that continues adding four more words, and the game progresses
• The rule of the game is to make sure not to repeat what another says and no using sentences such as “long, long, long, ago”.

8. Token for a Thought

This is a popular among icebreaker activities, this fun game gives a little incentive to the particularly shy kids who aren’t willing to participate in games.

Things You Will Need

• 6 -8 tokens such as candy, cereal puffs or stickers for every kid.
• A list of questions to get to know each kid
• What is your favourite toy?
• What is your favourite colour?
• What your favourite teacher’s name
• What is your best friend’s name?
• Which is your favourite book?

How to Set Up and Play

• Arrange all the tokens in boxes and ask questions to kids in an order
• For each answer, they receive a token such as a sticker or a candy
• Once the items have run out, they can ask questions to each other

9. Who Am I?

This game helps kids get to know each other better and boosts their communication skills. It makes a favourite among other icebreakers for kids. 

Things you will need:

• Sticky notes
• Pen or marker

How to set up and play

• Write the names of famous people, characters, or animals on sticky notes.
• Put them on each kid’s forehead or back.
• They can then ask yes or no questions to figure out who they are.

10. Never Have I Ever

This game helps kids learn more about each other and find common ground. 

Things you will need

• None

How to set up and play

• Each kid takes turns saying something they have never done before.
• If someone in the group has done it, they have to put a finger down.
• The last person with fingers up wins.

11. Charades

This game improves communication skills and encourages creativity.

Things you will need

• Pieces of paper
• Write words or phrases which are common and that the children have interacted with in their daily life

How to set up and play

• Kids take turns acting out the word or phrase written on the paper
• They do this without talking, using only gestures or if at all, sounds
• While the others guess what it is
• The person who has guessed the most of the gestures correctly, or one who has acted the gestures perfectly, wins at the end.

12. Pictionary

This game improves communication skills and encourages creativity.

Things you will need

• Whiteboard or paper
• Pen or marker
• Pieces of paper with words or phrases written on them

How to set up and play

• Kids take turns drawing the word or phrase written on the paper
• Others guess what it is
• No words or sounds are used
• The kid who draws most of the items guessed correctly or the one who guesses correctly, wins at the end

13. Telephone

This game improves listening and communication skills.

Things you will need

• None

How to set up and play

• Kids sit in a circle
• One kid whispers a phrase to the next, who then whispers it to the next, and so on.
• The last kid says what they heard out loud, and it is usually very different from the original phrase.
• It makes for a great laugh and bonding among the children.

14. Scavenger Hunt

This game encourages teamwork and problem-solving.

Things you will need

• List of items to find
• Timer

How to set up and play

• Kids are split into teams
• Each team is given a list of items to find within a certain time limit.
• The first team to find all items wins.

15. Hot Potato

This game improves hand-eye coordination and reaction time.

Things you will need

• Soft ball or stuffed animal

How to set up and play

• Kids stand in a circle
• Let them pass around a soft ball or stuffed animal
• Play some music
• When the music stops, whoever is holding the ball is out.

16. Build a Tower

This game encourages teamwork and communication skills among kids.

Things you will need

• Building blocks, legos, or any similar toy

How to set up and play

• Divide the kids into small groups.
• Each group has to build the tallest tower they can in a certain amount of time.
• The catch is that each member can only use one hand!

17. The Name Game

This game is great for helping kids remember each other’s names and makes them feel included in the group.

Things you will need

• A ball or soft object

How to set up and play

• The first kid says their name and throws the ball to someone else in the group.
• That kid says their name and throws the ball to someone else.
• Continue until everyone has had a turn.
• You can continue this for another round where the person who receives the ball, then has to say the name of the person who passed it to him
• Any person to name incorrectly is out
• Last one standing wins

18. Bingo

This game is a great way to get kids talking and finding common interests.

Things you need

• Bingo cards with different topics (such as “has a pet,” “plays a sport,” or “loves pizza”)
• Markers

How to set up and play

• Give each kid a bingo card and a marker.
• The kids have to talk to each other and find someone who matches the topic on their card. 
• They have to do this for every activity written on their card
• Once they get a bingo, they win a prize!

19. Alphabet Game

This game is a fun way to practice memory and attention to detail.

Things you will need

• No equipment needed!

How to set up and play

• The first kid says a word that starts with the letter “A,” such as “apple.”
• The next kid has to say a word that starts with the letter “B,” such as “banana.”
• Continue going through the alphabet, with each kid saying a word that starts with the next letter.

20. Human Knot

This game helps kids work together to solve a puzzle and encourages communication and problem-solving skills.

Things you will need

• No equipment needed!

How to set up and play

• Have the group stand in a circle
• They hold hands with two people who are not next to them.
• Without letting go, the group has to untangle themselves to form a circle again.

21. Musical Chairs

This classic game is a fun way to get kids moving and interacting with each other.

Things you will need

• Chairs (one less than the number of kids)
• Music

Things you will need

• Set up the chairs in a circle, facing outward.
• Play music, and the kids have to walk around the chairs.
• When the music stops, they have to find a chair to sit in.
• The kid without a chair is out, and one chair is removed.

Tips To Plan Icebreaker Games For Kids

Are you planning an event for kids but worried about breaking the ice? Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered with these awesome tips for planning icebreaker games for kids!

1. Keep it fun

Kids are all about having fun, so make sure the games you choose are entertaining and engaging.

2. Know your audience

Make sure the games you choose are appropriate for the age group and size of the group you’ll be working with.

3. Get creative

Don’t be afraid to think outside the box and come up with new and exciting games that will capture the kids’ attention.

4. Keep it simple

While creativity is important, don’t make the games too complicated. Kids should be able to understand and participate easily.

5. Be prepared

Make sure you have all the materials you need and have practiced the games beforehand to avoid any hiccups during the event.

FAQs

1. How Do You Make Icebreakers More Interesting For Children?

To make icebreakers more interesting for children, try incorporating elements of fun and surprise, such as music or silly props. You can also involve them in the game-making process to get them invested and excited about playing.

2. When Should You Introduce Icebreakers Games to Kids?

Icebreaker games can be introduced to kids at any age, but it’s best to do so at the beginning of a new school year or group activity to help children get to know each other and feel comfortable. Icebreakers can also be used to liven up a party or gathering with kids.

These icebreaker games are suitable for kids of all ages, and they’re a perfect way to get everybody acquainted with everybody else. The nature of the games is fun to help kids want to participate without any pressure. Icebreakers for kids are simple, short ways to make sure your kids are having a great time and bonding with their friends and icebreaker games for kids is the best way to go about it!

Also Read:

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Interesting and Easy Card Games for Kids
Best Games for Kids to Play at The Park
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