If you teach the same kids class after class, you may not have the need for "ice breakers." But, sometimes you have a class full of strangers, or maybe even just a few new kids, and playing a game to relax everyone and make them all feel included and bonded is important.
Today I taught almost 30 "tweens" at a public library where I had never been before. I did not know a single kid and I'm sure most of the kids did not know each other. I needed something to bring us all together as a group and calm any nerves they might be feeling.
With little kids, this isn't such an issue. Five and six year olds make best friends with just about anyone. But the ten, eleven and twelve year olds are more delicate. They are more insecure and unsure of themselves and others. So! We played a few ice breakers.
Who Am I?
I brought some post-it notes and markers with me to the library and I told each kid to write down the name of someone we all would know. An athlete. An actress. A president. A character from a book or movie. A cartoon character. My example was Santa Claus.
After each kid wrote down the name of someone, I gathered all the post-it notes together and mixed them up. Then I randomly stuck a note on each tween's forehead, so they could not see who was written on their head. They then had to find friends and ask a question that could be answered with a simple "yes" or "no" to help them determine who was on their head.
"Am I a man? Am I alive today? Am I a superhero? Am I an animal?" etc.
Here is a sample of some of the names the kids came up with:
After each kid wrote down the name of someone, I gathered all the post-it notes together and mixed them up. Then I randomly stuck a note on each tween's forehead, so they could not see who was written on their head. They then had to find friends and ask a question that could be answered with a simple "yes" or "no" to help them determine who was on their head.
"Am I a man? Am I alive today? Am I a superhero? Am I an animal?" etc.
Here is a sample of some of the names the kids came up with:
This game had them laughing hysterically. It was a real winner. They were running all over to everyone to see what they had on their head.
Zip-Zap-Zop
I learned this game in my kids yoga training with miniyogis founder Shana Meyerson.
Put the kids in a circle and have them stand with hands at heart center. Everyone looks and points to the person to their left and says "ZIP!" Then everyone looks and points to the person to their right and says "ZAP!" Lastly, everyone looks at a person anywhere across from them and says "ZOP!" Tell them it is like a game of catch or that when they point and say "Zip, Zap or Zop" it's like an invisible laser tagging someone.
One person starts and points to another, saying the appropriate "Z" word. Whoever has been tagged now goes and must point to someone else saying "Zip" "Zap" or "Zop" depending on the direction. This game is fun to get the brain all jumbled and fumbled and then (hopefully) focused.
If you are playing this with littles, this may be enough. But these tweens got the hang of it really quickly, so I added in a second "Zip-Zap-Zop" to the mix. Now they had to pay attention to two lasers bouncing around the circle, and they had to make eye contact and connect with others to make sure the person knew that it was their turn.
Then, to make it even more silly, we changed the way we pointed. Instead of simply turning our bodies towards the person we wanted to tag and pointing with our hands, we balanced on one foot, bent the other knee and lifted that foot off of the ground. Then we grabbed the toe of the lifted leg with our two peace fingers and extended that leg in the direction of the person we wanted to tag.
In yoga this pose is standing big toe pose:
