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Guys, ice breakers for large groups are the perfect thing for getting the party started.

It's natural to not feel like you can dive right into the conversation if you haven't met everyone before and you're not sure what subtle standards of social expectation are being observed.

Ice breaker games for large groups are specifically organized activities to indirectly give participants a chance to get a feel for each other and what would or would not be a well-received topic of conversation one-on-one.

We've curated some list of fun and popular ice breaker games so you'll never run out of ways to initiate conversation, connection, relationships and more.

Contents

Best - #Best

Best

Questions - #Questions

Questions

Fun - #Fun

Fun

Funny - #Funny

Funny

Teens - #Teens

Teens

Adults - #Adults

Adults

Large/Small - #Large/Small

Large/Small

Large Groups - #Large-Groups

Large Groups

How to - #How-to

How to

9 Best ice breakers for large groups

You'll need at least five people for most of these. Some of these might make everyone's heartbeat increase a bit. And a little bit of adrenaline from light exercise definitely enhances most people's social skills.

1. Circle Untangle

Begin with everyone standing in a circle. Have everyone raise their left hands and reach out to take the hand of someone across from them. Have everyone raise their right hands and reach out to take the hand of someone else across from them. Now everyone's in a big knot. Their job is to untangle themselves without anyone letting go of another's hand.

2. Mingle Mingle Mingle

Have everyone stand. The leader shouts out a number. Everyone has to divide themselves into groups the size of the number called. The leader then calls out categories like "favorite color," "favorite ice cream flavor," and players have to go around asking other players what their answer is. The object is to link arms in a group of players with the same answer. If there are two groups who have the same answer but have not formed one group when the time is up, they are out.

3. Group Juggle

This game helps everyone remember each other's names. Have the group stand or sit in a circle. Each player throws a ball or beanbag around the room to someone across the circle. They have to say the name of the person they received the ball from and who they are throwing it to.

4. Got You!

Have everyone stand in a circle. Have everyone stick out their hand toward their neighbor, palm side up. Have everyone point their right index finger into the palm of their neighbor's left hand. As the leader, say, "When I count to 3, grab the finger in your left hand while simultaneously preventing your right index finger from being grabbed by your neighbor. 1-2-3, Go!"

5. Blanket Game

Divide everyone into two teams. Have two people stand with a large blanket separating the two teams like a curtain. A member from each team sits behind the curtain. Of these two people, the first person to identify the other person from the other team sitting behind the blanket scores a point for their team.

6. Tall Tales

This game doesn't require movement so it is great for a room of any size. Each player adds 3 sentences to a running story. Their last sentence must begin with Suddenly...!

7. Object Stories

Pack a bag with random small objects. Have each person close their eyes, and draw an object. Each player has to tell a random story about the object they pick. Spice it up by having listeners ask random questions about the object and requiring that the storyteller extrapolate.

8. Song Scramble

Each player is given a line from a song. To make things easier, you can label each song with a certain color or number. Players have to find other players to have lines from the same song, and put the lyrics together and sing it together in the end.

9. Electric Current Game

Divide everyone into 2 teams. Have each team stand or sit in a line facing each other. Have everyone hold hands. Place a small object like a tennis ball on a chair in between players at one end of the 2 rows. The game leader stands between the two players at the opposite end of the line. They flip a coin and show it to only the first players from each team. Every time the coin flips to heads, the first player on each team must squeeze the hand of the player next to them. The hand squeezes or "pulses" move down the line and the first of the two players on each team at the end of the line to receive their hand squeeze or "pulse" grabs the object on the chair, meaning that team wins for fastest electric current.

7 Ice breaker Questions For Large Groups

Ice breaker questions for large groups are perfect ways to get everyone relaxed enough to have a really rewarding and fun upcoming meeting.

Ice breakers for large groups are great for everyone to get to know each other quickly and naturally through an activity that allows everyone to see each other's playful side.

10. Never Have I Ever Questions

Have everyone sit in a circle and each person asks the group never have i ever questions. If you want to play the basic version, have everyone put 10 fingers up. Those who have done the activity in question have to either drink or put one finger down. Those who have never done the activity in question leave their fingers up. The person with the most fingers up (have never done most things) wins the game.

11. Most Likely To Questions

Check out our Most Likely To Questions to ask a group of friends you want to get to know better for more ice breaker games for large groups. You can read off these questions casually and watch each person try to defend themselves as their likeliness to do certain things gets pointed out based on what people know about them so far.

12. newlywed game questions

If you're planning a wedding and you're looking for a way to entertain your guests, check out newlywed game questions so the bride and groom can compare funny responses openly.

13. 21 Questions Game

Well, this is yet another version of a long list of creative, probing questions to get to know someone better. Use the 21 questions game to gauge your new friend's responses to some of the most common fantasy situations.

14. truth or dare questions

Go around the circle and each player asks someone of their choice "Truth or Dare?" You'll need an endless list of truth or dare questions to make sure everyone remains properly challenged.

15. would you rather questions

These would you rather questions give each answering player two choices. The fun part is when they have to explain why.

16. Who am I?

This is a variation of charades. Each player has to imitate a well-known public figure and the other players have to guess who they ar imitating. Who am I questions are surefire winners.

3 Fun Ice Breakers For Large Groups

Are you looking for some more fun icebreaker games to add to your toolbox? You've come to the right place to get large groups acclimated to each other's nuances.

17. Shoe Shuffle

Everyone puts their shoes in a big pile in the middle and the object of the game is to guess which pair of shoes belongs to which person.

18. Jenga Icebreaker

Invest in the wooden tower of blocks game called Jenga and have everyone take a turn stacking a block in a balancing act and see how far you get before it topples.

19. Telephone/whisper down the lane

Everyone sits in a circle. The group leader whispers a sentence into the first player's ear. That player then tries to whisper the same thing into the person next to them's ear. No repeats allowed. The sentence will probably get distorted over time until the last player to receive the message in the circle says out loud what they heard. How the message changes is often funny!

3 Funny Ice Breakers For Large Groups

It's great when you can get to know each other while laughing uproariously at the same time. You'll need some funny ice breakers.

20. Simon Says

Assign someone as Simon. They decide what body movements the group does. They give directions like "Simon says put your hands on your head." If "Simon says to do it," players are required to execute the movement. If Simon only says "Put your hands on your head," players should instinctually not follow that direction. Those who fail to follow only the directions that "Simon says" are out.

21. Two Truths and a Lie

Each person tells two true things about themselves and one thing that is not true. Group members are supposed to guess which statement is the false one.

22. Say Your Name Backward

For groups that are meeting for the first time, each player says their name backward and everyone else is required to guess what their actual name is.

3 Ice Breaker For Large Teens Groups

Sometimes your crowd vibes younger. A younger crowd might have different tastes than more mature audiences. You'll need specific ice breaker games for teens to get the party started.

23. Speed Dating With A Twist

Have everyone rotate partners after a set time together (for example, 3 minutes with each person). During each meeting, have each player do something specific, like eye gazing for the entirety of the time.

24. Sardines

You'll need an expansive environment for this game, which is the opposite of hide and seek. One person hides. The rest of the group tries to find them. When you find the hidden person, quietly join them, until all but one person is hiding and the one person is left as the seeker.

25. Frown King Or Queen

The group divides up into partners. Each person in each pair makes eye contact and frowns at their partner until somebody caves and smiles or laughs. They are out. Winners in pairs switch partners until only one person who has managed to keep a straight face (or frowning face) is crowned the Frown King or Frown Queen.

4 Ice Breaker Games For Large Adults Groups

Maybe you're working with a decidedly mature, adult population as opposed to young guns who barely out of college. Try some ice breaker games for adults.

26. Line Ups

Without speaking, all members of the group have to line themselves in a predetermined order. Examples are: height order, by birthday, or by age.

27. The Worst Job

Everyone literally shares a funny story about the worst job they've ever had in their lives.

28. Paired Strangers

Everyone simply pairs up and discusses a topic of choice. Each person shares what they learned about their partner with the group.

29. Who’s your ideal manager?

Everyone goes around and talks about the qualities they look for in their ideal manager.

7 Ice Breakers For Large Groups You Can Use In Small Groups

Not all icebreaker games for large groups are strictly for tons of players at a time. Here some that work perfectly well as icebreakers for small groups

30. Marooned on an Island

Each player goes around and tells a random story about how they would each cope with being marooned on an island. You can standardize required details like asking what 3 things they would bring.

31. Fishbowl

Have everyone put a word or well-known phrase onto a folded sheet of paper. All the folded sheets of paper go into a glass jar or "fish bowl." Each player picks a slip of paper from the bowl and must use other words or phrases to get other players to guess the word that is on the slip of paper. No hand motions are allowed.

32. 10 Things in Common

Have everyone partner up into groups of two or three. Each pair or group has to figure out ten things that they all have in common, such as interests or experiences. Cop-outs like "We all have 2 eyes" are not allowed. When everyone is done, each group presents what they figured out they have in common to the rest.

33. Random Talent Show

Everyone is literally asked to share a random talent that they have with the group.

34. The Movie Pitch

Every player is required to speak for at least a minute or two about what their favorite movie is and why. Give everyone 10 reasons to see your film of choice.

35. Belly Balloon Break

Divide everyone up into partners or small groups. Have each group blow up ten balloons. The object of the game is for each group to break their ten balloons as quickly as possible by pressing them in between the bodies of at least 2 players.

36. React and Act

Some preparations are needed for this game. On several sheets of paper (folded and placed in a hat or other container), write out random scenarios like "winning the lottery," or "discovering there are hundreds of cockroaches in your kitchen," or "you're on a ship and it catches fire," or "you've just gotten engaged to the person of your dreams." Each person or pair has to choose a sheet of paper and then unfold it and act out the scenario using animated expressions, gestures and words.

Quick ice breakers for Large Groups

Starting a meeting or workshop with a large group can be difficult, but ice breakers make this task super easy. These quick ice breakers for big groups are absolutely perfect for starting a conversation and helping group members to get to know each other.

37. True False Run

This fun quick game is great for groups of all ages but particularly exciting for kids and teenagers.

38. Mute Organisation

One of the best team-building exercises for big groups - everyone needs to communicate but no one is allowed to speak.

39. Mingle Mingle Mingle

Awesome for networking events and business meetings, this game helps people find common interests between them.

40. Toilet roll ice breaker

The toilet roll game is very quick to play and helps to easily break the ice by allowing people to share things about themselves.

41. Coin Logo

With just a few coins and a bit of time, this group ice breaker will throw up some interesting results.

How To Pick The Best ice breakers for Large groups

You'll need to think about the tone you're trying to set before choosing the right icebreaker games for your particular large groups.

1. Look at the size of the room

Some icebreakers require lots of room to move around. Others can be done with every one seated. You may need to turn chairs around so that everyone is facing the right direction.

2. Consider the expected level of intimacy that is the goal

For example, you wouldn't go so far as to include sex-related truth or dare questions in most work situations. To suggest a game that goes too far might backfire and make people uncomfortable.

3. Icebreakers set the stage for future interactions

Let's say, you start out with a game that requires hand-holding. It sets the stage for an environment where hugs and high-fives and other forms of physical closeness are welcome. Whereas, a game that strictly requires words would promote a culture where supportive gestures are mostly spoken.

Downloadable and Printable List Of Ice Breakers For Large Groups

Here is a downloadable and printable list of ice breakers for large groups ( right-click the image and select Save Image As):

More Awesome Ice Breaker Activities

Here are some other great links to lists you'll want to check out:

  1. If you really want to get to know your friends and how far they'll go to prove their mettle, you'll need our comprehensive list of dares as icebreakers for large groups.
  2. When you're playing Truth or Dare, truth questions are a chance for each player to tell the group something intimate and hidden about themselves.
  3. Sometimes it's hard to think of humorous comparisons right off the bat, so we're going to prepare you well with would you rather questions funny

In Conclusion

Icebreakers for large groups are completely necessary to create a fast and efficient sense of harmony between members of any large group that is going to work together.

Everyone needs to get a nuanced read of each other so they can figure out who they jive most easily with and determine how to manage interactions with those that are more challenging personalities.

Icebreaker games for large groups are integral for creating an environment where everyone feels comfortable and confident around each other and unafraid to be themselves and participate in the infinite sharing of ideas.