“If you had a superpower, what would it be?” “What is your favorite ice cream flavor?” These are just a couple of the many icebreaker questions we have all likely been asked. Whether that be at the beginning of the school year or when you first meet a group of people, icebreakers are usually asked to get to know someone or a group of people better. But are icebreaker questions actually an effective way to form bonds with people? Think back to the last time you asked someone an icebreaker question: do you remember his/her answer? Do you feel closer to that person in any way? In my experience, I was not able to recall other people’s answers one hour later. So, if you are trying to get to know a group of people better, whether that be students in a class, members of a club, or players on a team, try doing some team bonding activities instead of icebreaker questions. 

Not only are team bonding activities a lot more fun than just asking questions, but they also require people to collaborate and allow people to get more comfortable with each other. Kiera Flores (12) speaks on her thoughts on how “team building exercises actively engage the whole class mentally and physically.” Sharing her own experience, Kiera claims that team building exercises “always gave my group a space to laugh and learn about each other, eventually bringing our class closer using authentic interactions.” 

Human Knot

By the end of this activity, you will feel more comfortable with the group you do it with, especially because it requires the group to get close. In a group of 5 or more, stand in a circle and hold the hand of someone across from you. Or, if it is a very big circle, you can hold the hand of someone that is within arm’s reach. Preferably, don’t hold the hand of someone directly next to you, but if it happens to work out that way, don’t worry: the game will still work. After everyone is holding onto someone’s hand, work together to try to untangle yourselves to form a circle with no arms crossing/overlapping. Do this without letting go of each other’s hands! Although it is more difficult to do with a larger group, it is not impossible: I have done this exercise with 31 other classmates before. The key to this game is communication and having fun.

Applicable Charades

Charades is always a fun party game, but it is also a great way to bond with others. Basically, one person in the group will be in charge of coming up with the words or phrases that another person will act out. The person, after coming up with the word/phrase, will tell the designated actor who will then act it out for the rest of the group: don’t forget, the actor isn’t allowed to talk! The rest of the group will have to guess the word/phrase that is being acted out. However, for this version charades, the words/phrases that will be acted out must be related to the group. For example, if this activity was for members in French club to bond, the words/phrases would have to be related to France. Likewise, if the goal is for students in a business class to bond, the words/phrases would have to be business related. Everyone can take turns guessing, acting, and providing the ideas. 

Silent Team Art

The key to this game is creativity. Firstly, there is no talking during this exercise! All you need is a blank piece of paper, a writing utensil, and a group of people. Set a timer for a few minutes, more people would require more time. As a reference, three minutes should be good for a group of six. Sitting in a circle, everyone will take turns drawing on the paper. A person’s turn to draw is up when he/she lifts the writing utensil from the paper. Keep passing it around until the timer goes off. The final masterpiece might not be perfect but will be a token of your team’s collaboration.

These are just some of the many team building activities that can make the getting-to-know-you process much more enjoyable.