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There's an obvious reason why we need tons of ice breaker games for teens.

Namely, there's nothing more awkward in life than being a teenager and needing to find a way on how to start a conversation with people who aren't already your friends

Of course, there are tons of kinds of ice breakers you could use as for teens, but since no one loves a good game as much as teens, you might as well make your ice breaker games.

With that in mind, we've assembled the best ice breaker games for teens out there. Just pick a few of these, and soon, all the teens you know will be coasting to a great time without any of that opening move stress.

Contents

Best Ice Breakers-#Best Ice Breakers

Best

Ice Breaker Questions Games-#Ice Breaker Questions Games

Questions Games

Fun Ice Breaker Games-#Fun Ice Breaker Games

Fun Games

Funny

Funny

For Teens and Adults-#For Teens and Adults

Teens and Adults

For Small Group of Teens-#For Small Group of Teens

Small Group

For Large Group of Teens-#For Large Group of Teens

Large Group

11 Best ice breaker games for teens

If you're in charge of a super awkward get together, it's best to pull out all the stops and bring your best ice breaker games for teens.

These games are as close to a sure thing as you're going to get. So, cut through the get-to-know-you stuff, and get straight to having fun with these games.

1. Steal the Treasure

Race against the clock and each other to get the other teams treasures and protect your own!

2. Anteater Relay

Be the first team to use straws to transport small objects, like dried peas, to bowls across the room.

3. Puzzle Piece Hunt

Have teams find and assemble all of their teams color-coded puzzles!

4. Time Bomb

Throw balls to other players, but you must call out their name first. Do it in under 2 seconds or you're out!

5. Fact Or Fiction

Have everyone write 2 truths and a lie on a paper, and let the group decide whats a fact!

6. Chair Basketball

Teams are seated in 3 rows of chairs and try to make as many baskets as possible, with ascending point values for difficulty!

7. Russian Roulette Balloon Pop

In rounds, everyone chooses a balloon to pop overhead. Those who get creamed are out.

8. Duct Tape Game

Teams must use duct tape and various objects to draw a picture on posterboard located in the center of a taped off area.

9. The Human Chair

With everyone in a circle, have them turn one direction and try and sit to form a continuous chair.

10. Amoeba Race

Teams are looped together with rope, and must complete obstacle challenges to be crowned the winner.

11. Remember Me?

Have everyone mingle, then separate into 2 teams separated by a bed sheet. Opponents face each other on either side - when the sheet drops, be the first to call out the opponent's name!

6 Ice Breaker Question Games for teens

The classic ice breaker games for teens all involve one thing: questions. If you want teens to get to know each other, there's no better way than having questions to ask.

But, while adults tend to do this is the boring, straightforward sense, there's no reason not to make this fun by introducing ice breaker questions into some great games.

12. Never Have I Ever Questions

Everyone holds up all 10 fingers. As questions are read, drop a finger for each thing you've "never". To win, be the last man with finger's raised.

13. Most Likely To Questions

The group decides, who is most likely to??

14. Newlywed Game Questions

How well do you really know one another? Be the team who knows the most details about each other.

15. 21 Questions Game

Time to dig deep! Use these questions to launch into deeper discussions.

16. Truth Or Dare Questions

The classic game, will you tell the truth or risk the dare? Play as a group!

17. Would You Rather Questions

Separate the room into 2 sides. Ask would you rather questions and let players race from side to side.

6 Fun Ice Breaker Games For Teens

Ice breaker games for teens wouldn't be very popular if they weren't just useful but fun. Really, you can't get people on board with much of anything if you aren't offering them a good time at the same time.

So, keep the enthusiasm high while you get to know everyone using these fun icebreaker games that are great for teens.

18. Name Bingo

Have participants sign over bingo squares with characteristics. The first to fill their card, wins!

19. Shoe Talk

Have everyone take off one shoe and place them in the middle of the room. On go, choose a shoe, find its owner, and answer the question.

20. Crazy Balls

Write questions on beach balls and let them fly around the room. If the ball is caught, the player must answer the query under their thumb.

21. Balloon War

Everyone attaches a balloon to their ankle with string. Then, the game is on - try and smash everyone else's balloon while protecting your own!

22. The Cold Never Bothered Me Anyway

Freeze t-shirts for each team, whoever can thaw it and get it on first wins!

23. Best meme contest

Bring funny photos of the leaders, and let students add their own funny captions to make the silliest memes.

6 Funny Ice Breaker Games For Teens

If anything helps teens (and everyone else) loosen up and get to know one another, it's laughter. Instead of risking that laughter coming at the expense of someone present, use funny ice breakers to lighten the mood the right way.

These ice breaker games for teens can be incredibly effective largely because once teens are laughing, they'll be open to anything.

24. Do Not Laugh!

In a line, everyone tries to say "Ha,Ha,Ha!" without smiling or laughing. It's harder than you think!

25. SIT DOWN IF…

Have the group all start standing, then start asking questions. Players must sit if the answer is yes. Try to be the last person standing! Occasionally throw in a "stand up if" to keep the game going a bit longer.

26. Pinocchio’s Nose

A teammate sensory experience, you will make it feel as if your nose is gone or super long!

27. Human Knot

Everyone forms a huddle and reaches across to grab 2 random partner hands. The game is now set for the group to twist and turn their way to untangled victory.

28. Fruit Salad Love

Everyone must choose a fruit name and tell the group. Quickly, the group goes around saying "Apple loves Banana" until they can't remember or get stuck, then they're out! Last one in wins the game!

29. "Luke I am your father."

Players approach a blindfolded Luke and say the catchphrase. Luke must try and guess who they are.

6 Ice Breaker Games For Teens That Can Also Be For Adults

Not all of us are teens, but all of us still have something of that teenage sensibility still lurking within us. So, rediscover your youth with others by playing some ice breakers for teens that work just as well when employed as ice breaker games for adults.

The games are fun, no matter your age, so crack these open and get to know some new adult friends.

30. The Ultimate Icebreaker

Freeze articles of clothing in ice. Each team must melt their item and get dressed first to win!

31.BALLOON SHAVING

Who has the steadiest hand?? Whoever can shave the most without popping any wins!

32. DESTINATION CHARADES

Describe your dream vacay through charades!

33. Three In Our Crowd

Have everyone form groups of three. They need to find 3 unique things in common. Present to the larger group.

34. My Super Selfie

Have everyone draw their self-portrait, super hero style!

35. Seven word biographies

Pretty simple - write your shortest autobiography.

7 Ice Breaker Games For Small Group Of Teens

Teens in small groups can be tricky. There can be a tendency for everyone to keep to themselves, since no one wants to put themselves out there.

Solve that by introducing some icebreakers for small groups. These ice breaker games for teens make it easy to get everyone to lower their guard enough to connect.

36. Mix and Meet (The M&Ms Game)

Have everyone grab a handful of candies, then share a fact for each one!

37. Teeth

Each player must say the name of a fruit or vegetable without showing their teeth.

38. Falling Through the Floor

Lay on your stomach, and have teammates raise, then lower, your extremeties.

39. Floating Arms

Hold arms against each other's bodies, then release to watch them float upward.

40. Sticker Ninja

Try and stealithy label all your opponents.

41. Name Game Hot Potato

Like original Hot Potato, but say their name first!

42. Art Collector

Guess each other's self portraits to collect them!

7 Ice Breaker Games For Large Groups Of Teens

If there's any time you really need ice breaker games for teens, it's when you're in large groups. Since teens can be so difficult to connect with, even one-to-one, large groups can tend to cause obvious extra problems.

It's best, then to avoid all those problems by using ice breakers for large groups that get all the teens interacting, getting to know each other, and having fun.

43. Secret Identity

Ask yes or no questions to guess your famous identity!

44. Count up

The group must count to 20 with different speakers, but don't interrupt!

45. DEFUSE THE BOMB!

Get creative to steal candy from a roped off area.

46. Human Rock-Paper-Scissors

The classic game, but with your whole body!

47. Punch Line Icebreaker

Create jokes to pre-assigned punchlines!

48. Shuffle your buns

Try to keep all the seats occupied so no one can sit down!

49. Mummy

Be the quickest to make a team member the best mummy.

9 Quick Ice Breakers for teens

Need something short, just to get things going? Or maybe you're group isn't jelling the way you hoped.

No worries, these quick ice breakers will have everyone bonding in no time!! And they're so fun, you may want to save some time at the end to play some more.

50. Pass the candy

Like Left, Right, Center, but with candy! Collect all the pieces!

51. Pictionary

We all know this one - use simple pictures to get your team to guess as many clues as possible!

52. Fireman's relay

Get ready to get wet. Use bucket's to move water up the line and into a final goal. Be the first to fill it up!

53. Quick line-up

Have everyone line up in alphabetical order, oldest to youngest, or tallest to shortest.

54. Fongo bingo

Everyone mingles and writes down the names of 6 people and 3 facts about them, creating a bingo sheet. Then the leader calls out names. First to Bingo wins!

55. Crossword names

Using names written largely on paper, have teams try to create crossword puzzles from their letters.

Everyone stands five feet apart. When the leader yells a number, everyone must form clumps of the number.

56. Longest line

Separate group into 2 lines. They must use any resources possible - shoes, jackets, hair, to create the longest touching line.

57. The toilet paper

Pass around toilet paper and invite everyone to tear off as many pieces as they like. Then, they must share with the group a personal fact for every square.

58. The marshmallow challenge

Use marshmallows, tape and uncooked spaghetti to create the tallest structure.

Downloadable list of ice breaker games for teens

Here is a downloadable and printable list of best ice breaker games for teens (right click the image and select Save Image As…):

How To Pick The Best ice breaker games for teens

With so many great ice breaker games for teens, you may feel really uncertain about which game you actually want to introduce. After all, teens are different, and some might feel one game is boring, while others might feel it's the best thing they've done all week.

How do you pick the game that will be sure to get everyone invested, connected, and having fun?

1. Look at the Context

Before you start choosing icebreakers for teens just based on what you think looks fun, think about the context you'll be presenting these games. Who are the teens who will be playing these games? Is this for a camp? Is it the first day of school? Is it a church event?

Think also about what happens after you've fully broken the ice. Are these teens going to transition into a learning environment? A bonding environment? A spiritual environment?

The context should inform which kinds of games you choose. If you want kids rowdy afterwards, choose more hands on games. If you want kids calm and comfortable, choose more intellectual icebreakers.

2. Choose Mind, Body, or Both

Building upon Step 1, choose just how you want these teens to interact with one another. Do you want them thinking together, getting physical together, or some combination of both?

Some of the games above are purely mental exercises. They can help teens learn names or learn about one another. Others involve varying degrees of physical activity and contact. Choose the games that offer the right combination of those responses.

3. Bring Backups

Not every one of the ice breaker games for teens listed above works for every group of teens. So, bring some insurance. If one game falls flat, bring some others you can easily introduce.

In fact, bring games that mix up your decision in Step 2. If the teens don't want to play games that give away information about themselves, switch to something more physical. Or vice versa.

4. Read the Room

How do you know if a game is a hit? Don't just assume it because you have predicted one game will be a smash; pay attention and read the room.

What that means is, keep watch to make sure everyone is invested in the game and having fun. If some people are hanging back, choosing not to participate, or feeling uncomfortable, it's time to switch things up.

5. Walk the Line With Fun and Competition

Teenagers love to have fun. They also love to compete. You want to have a bit of both in your ice breaker games for teens, but you don't want too much of either.

Too much fun, and it becomes chaotic, reducing the ability to learn. Too much competition and it becomes mean-spirited and excluding.

Make sure the games always stay on the right side of the line in both categories.

More Awesome Topics

Ice breakers aren't the only way to cut through awkward moments with teens or with anyone else. If you're struggling with your conversation and getting to know people, try out these topics as well:

  1. Take truth or dare to a whole new level with funny dares that make the game so much more amusing.
  2. Looking to really dig into who someone is? Use these truth questions to get beyond silly answers and get straight to the deep stuff.
  3. If you need a way to spend your time with others, take a look at our list of hobbies you might want to pick up.

In Conclusion

The teenager years can be some of the toughest, but they can also be some of the best. People form many of their lifelong attachments and friendships in their teens.

With these ice breaker games for teens, you can help any group of teen through that difficult moment of bonding when first meeting. These ice breaker games are designed to remove the hard stuff and make it fun, so teens learn the lifelong lesson that connecting isn't scary, it's enjoyable.

So, pick the icebreakers for teens that work best for you, and enjoy watching teenagers take those first steps into the relationships that will stay with them forever.