Ice-breakers, and Warm-up Activities
Dodgem (ice/breaker/r/warm-up)
Have participants find a partner, stand side by side and hold hand in a square dancers “promenade position.” (This can best be accomplished by having the partner on the right assume a right-handed guitar player position and the player on the left, assume a left-handed guitar player position. If they are comfortably clasped, partners will be in the correct position.) Without letting
go of their hands, the players practice rotating their bodies 180 degrees by simply switching their hand positions. This is done by one partner pushing one hand while pulling the other. This double action forces the partners to face the opposite direction. After practice, spread the pairs around the
playing area and, on the “go” signal, have all pairs move forward in a straight line. As the pairs move, they will encounter other pairs or a wall. Before crashing, the pair must quickly switch hand positions and say: “Dodgem” or “Beep Beep” reversing their direction.
After the reverse, the pair proceeds forward again in straight line until it comes to another obstacle that requires another direction reversal. The smaller the playing area, the greater the number of switches and changes the pair will have to make. This is a very simple game that can get quite loud.
Gang Person/Gorilla Person/ Karate Person (ice/breaker/warm-up)
This is a more active version of paper, rock, scissors. Players begin back to back. After a 1,2,3
count, they quickly turn to face each other and assume one of the three roles (gang man pulls guns (index finger and thumb), gorilla scratches arm pits and grunts, karate person yells and strikes a karate pose). Gang person beats gorilla, gorilla beats karate and karate beats gang.
Gudag (ice/breaker/warm-up)
Participants begin in random formation. Half are instructed in put the right hands behind their backs and extend left hands for handshake. Other have put left hands behind back and extend right hands. On the command “GO”. Participants move around the room looking for someone with the appropriate hand extended to shake. Upon meeting, they shake hands and say “Gudag!” (Swedish for“Good day”). After exchanging greetings, they switch the hands they have extended
and move on to find someone else to greet.
Look (ice/breaker/warm-up)
Arrange participants in small circles. Designate one person to say “look.” Participants begin with
their heads down, eyes on the floor. On the leaders command, they quickly look directly at another participant in the circle. If two players are looking directly at each other, they are
eliminated. (May want to have them introduce themselves and talk while game continues). Continue to
repeat until number of participants is down to two.
Nemeses and Guardian Angel (ice/breaker/warm-up)
In a random formation participants are asked to choose one person (without telling anyone) in the group that will be their Nemeses and another to be their Guardian Angel. The object is to always keep your guardian angel between you and your nemeses as the group moves around in general space.
Partner Tag (ice-breaker/warm-up)
Participants begin standing with a partner in random formation. One person form each pair is designated as “it” and the other will flee. On the signal from the leader, “it” counts to 5 while the other persons power walks away. After counting to 5, “it” chases their partner. Once caught, they reverse rolls. The new “it” must now count to 5 while their partner flees.
Chain Tag
Have students jog (or walk) in a pre-determined area with boundaries. Designate 2 students to be
“it.” When an “it” tags another student they will join hands and become a twosome “it”. This group
of 2 tries to tag another free student – who will then join the chain and become the 3rd member of the “it” squad. When this threesome catches another free student – they will split into two “its” and play continues until all students are caught.
