Have the participants stand in a circle. They have two
minutes to find out who the person to their left is and some interesting facts about
them. Each person will introduce the person on their left to the whole group.
Do You Love Your Neighbor?
All group members form a circle with one person
left in the middle of the circle. The caller (the person in the middle) says, "Hi, my
name is...!" Everyone else repeats the caller's name aloud, (Hi...). Then the caller
goes up to another member in the circle and asks the person their name. The
person tells the caller their name, then the caller asks the person if he/she loves
his/her neighbors (the two people on either side). If the person loves his/her
neighbors, then he/she says, "Yes, I love my neighbors, but I don't like people who
are wearing tennis shoes. (The person can name any type of characteristic they
want for example, people who have brown eyes, people who are freshman, people
who own their own cars, etc.) Then everyone whom the characteristic pertains to
must move to a different spot in the circle at least two places away from their
original spot. The caller's object is to get into someone else's spot so someone else
is left in the middle. If the person does not love his/her neighbor then the person will
say, "No, I don't love my neighbors" and then the two people on either side of this
person have to change places before the caller gets in their spot. The person left in
the middle in either situation is the new caller and the game continues. This will
need to be done in a large area or outside. You need to keep your circle tight,
shoulder to shoulder, so you can see where your empty spaces are, some groups
will use chairs. Have fun!!
Getting To Know You:
Divide a large group of people into smaller groups and
have them answer the following questions listed below and then have each group
share their answers.
Personal:
- A moment in my childhood I'll never forget
- What I wanted to be when I grew up, what I want to be now
- The best time of my life was...
Organizational:
- My expectations of the group
- What I can give to the group
- Something that bothers me about the group
- I will strive to...
Favorite Songs:
The object of Favorite Songs is to collect all of the songs that
your group holds dear to them, for one reason or another, or that best represents
them or the organization. For a surprise, this should be done with no explanation as
to why. After all the music has been collected, put it all together on a cassette tape.
Play the music for the group and have them guess which music belongs to which
group member. Then have the group member explain why they chose that
particular piece of music. As an added bonus, you may choose to have copies of
the original tape made to give to your group after the fun is over. They make great
gifts.
Frisbee Anyone?
Have a frisbee at the meeting. Throw it around the room and
have people that catch it answer a question or tell about themselves to the others in
the group. Once that person is finished throw the frisbee to someone else in the
group.
Human Lines:
Have the participants line up according to some criteria. It could be
according to the alphabet, length of membership, or height. Have each person
introduce the person on their left to the whole group. Allow two minutes for the
participants to gather information before starting the introductions.
Name Tag Game:
Introduce yourself to another person in the group and after
conversing two minutes, exchange name tags. Then share the information about
your partner with another member in the organization.
Name Whip:
Have the group sit in a circle. (Not recommended for groups over
twenty.) Each participant will introduce themselves by saying their name and a
word using the first initial of their first name. The topic from which the word is
based is flexible. The facilitator would start by asking the group to think of a
favorite food item, or some other topic, that begins with the first letter of their first
name. Each person will be responsible to remember the names and matching items
for every person that precedes him or her in the circle. The whip ends when the
last person in the circle names everyone in the room and the item they like. The
facilitator should then ask if anyone in the group can name everyone in the circle
and the item they liked.
People To People:
Everyone is directed to pair off and an odd number is needed
so there is one person left standing in the middle of the group. The person who does
not have a pair then calls out directions for the partners such as nose to nose, finger
to forehead, ankle to shoulder, etc. (body parts to body parts.) The partners will do
whatever the person in the middle calls out (like Simon Says). The person in the
middle gives between one to five directions and then calls out "People to People"
and everyone grabs a new partner including the person in the middle, so you are left
with a new person in the middle. The game continues. This game needs to be
played in a large area or outside.
Scavenger Hunt
: Have each participant write down their name and an obscure
fact about themselves that few people know about. These are then typed up on a
sheet of paper, but with the names left blank. Hand out the sheets to all the
participants and tell them that they are to match the obscure facts with everyone's
name. This could be done in two ways, one way is to have everyone just guess and
see how many they get right. Afterwards they could discuss first impressions and
stereo typing. The second method is to have everyone work on the sheet throughout
the meeting, week, or until next meeting and offer a prize to the person with the
most correct answers. If there is a tie, have a run off to see who can remember the
most without looking at his or her sheet.
Take As Much As You Think You'll Need
: Props: M & M's, peanuts, a roll of
toilet paper, Skittles or anything else with lots of pieces (choose one) and small
cups.
To begin, the leader passes around the bowl of M & M's or the roll of toilet paper.
Each person is given the instructions to "Take as much as you think you will need."
No further instructions are given until each person has received their M & M's.
Once everyone has some, the first person begins by telling one thing about himself
for each M & M or piece of toilet paper they have taken. When the first person
has finished, you move on to the next person in the group. As an interesting twist,
and to be sure that you find out some different information on each person, you
may give each color M&M a different meaning or category. We suggest the
following: (example using Skittles)
Red: personal information (name, major, school, age)
Yellow: family information (parents, brothers, sisters, pets)
Orange: free category- use it to say something fun about yourself or
you don't have to say anything
Green: dating experience (favorite date, worst date, significant
others)
Purple: hobbies, other interests (sports, dancing, talents)
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