How to Plan Ice Breaker Party Games

There is nothing more awkward than walking into a party full of strangers. In order to become more comfortable, it is important that the host of a party plan "ice breaker" party games to ease any jangling nerves in the room. These games should be simple, quick and entertaining.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Wipe board
• Internet access to find more games
• Permanent marker
• Name tags

Gear Your Games to Your Guests

1. Plan ice breakers for business people that will introduce both them and their business. For example, you can post a list of business titles on a board and try to match as many people with titles as you can in one minute.

2. Plan ice breaker games for baby shower attendees that center around information about the guest of honor. More than likely, each guest knows the mom-to-be, so see who knows the most with a 10-question quiz.

3. Create a welcoming environment at a family reunion with ice breaker games that introduce members from different areas. Have everyone divide up into regions (north, south, west and east, for instance) and then grab a partner from the opposite part of the country. Whoever can learn the most about her partner in two minutes wins a prize. The Genealogy website has more ideas for family reunions (see Resources below).

Choose Interactive Games

4. Give all guests a small trinket as they enter, such as an eraser, a ball or a jack, and instruct them to hide it on their person (i.e., in a pocket). As the crowd mingles, they should be instructed to have guests guess what they are holding. Prizes should be given out accordingly, with the best prize going to the first correct guess and a silly prize for the last guesser.

5. Play "2 Truths and a Lie." An old party standard, this game is a great way to introduce people's personalities. Each person tells three pieces of information about himself, two of which are the truth and one of which is a lie. The first person to correctly guess the lie goes next, and so on.

Tips & Warnings

• Name tags are often the simplest way to relieve the tension of meeting new people. Encourage everyone to fill out and wear a name tag when they come in. Name tags should be at least 3 inches by 3 inches and written in permanent marker for easy readability.
• Avoid ice breaker games that force people to get too familiar too quickly with strangers. Especially in a mixed crowd, ice breaker party games should be able to be played sitting down and without touching another person.

Resources

• Visit Genealogy.com for ice breaker games at family reunions