Icebreakers are short, fun activities that can energize students or help them to focus on a subject. Although many icebreakers are designed to have the students get to know each other, they can be used to introduce the day's topic in a physical way - that can be more meaningful to the young people.

Here are a few ... please add your own. 

 

M&M Tell-About-Yourself Pass the Compliment Gifts of the Holy Spirit Guessing Game We're All Connected Variations to We're All Connected: The Human Knot Alphabet Review  Hot Potato

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M&M Tell-About-Yourself

materials needed: a small bowl of M&M or Skittles candies

This activity is a fun and different way for students to introduce themselves to each other.

Invite the students to take some of the candies from the bowl. Then break the news to them that they have to tell one thing about themselves for each piece of candy they have. Assign a topic to each color. For instance:

• Red: What is your favorite song? Sing (or speak) a line from it.
• Green: If you could be invisible for one day, what would you do and why?
• Brown: Where would you like to travel and why?
• Orange: What are you proud of about yourself?
• Blue: Whom do you admire most?

 

Pass the Compliment

materials needed: slips of paper

This activity can help students realize the importance of being kind to others.

1. Have each person write her or his name on the top of a paper.
2. Collect the papers and redistribute them.
3. Each person writes something positive about the person whose name appears on the top of the paper, signs it, and folds the paper to conceal what is written.
4. Collect the papers and redistribute again. Continue passing the papers until every student has written on each paper.
5. Give the papers back to the persons whose name is at the top and give everyone time to read their page.

Ask: How did you feel writing the compliments? How did you feel reading them? How do we normally give compliments? How do we normally treat others?

 

Gifts of the Holy Spirit Guessing Game

materials needed: notecards and maybe some tape

This activity helps each student understand the meaning of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit - and not just memorize the words.

Appropriate for 6th-8th grade students preparing for Confirmation.

1. Write a gift of the Holy Spirit on separate notecards (knowledge, wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, piety, wonder & awe). Make enough for each student - so you may need to create several sets depending on the size of your group.
2. Have the students work in pairs.
3. Give a notecard to one in each pair telling them not to look at it. (You can have them tape the card to their forehead or just have them hold the notecard above their head)
4. Their partner is to describe the characteristics of that particular gift; but they cannot use any form of the word ... for example, they can't say "It's like you know things," for knowledge.
5. The one holding the card is to figure out the specific gift on the card based on their partner's descriptions.
6. When they get it right, hand out a notecard to the other person in the pair and have them switch roles.

 

We're All Connected

materials needed: a ball of yarn or string

This activity can be used before or after a class - particularly when the lesson touches on how we are all connected and responsible for taking care of each other.

1. Students stand in a circle
2. One student holds onto the end of the string/yarn and tosses the ball to another student
3. That student holds the string/yarn (they are connected to the first student) and tosses the ball to another student
4. Continue until all of the students are holding the string ... it will look like a web.

Point out that everyone in the circle is connected to everyone else. It might be someone from the opposite side of the circle (or even someone from the opposite side of the world), yet we are all connected together as children of God.

Variations to We're All Connected:

A variation on this is for students preparing for Confirmation. When the student catches the yarn/string they are to name a ministry or service project she or he is doing or plans to do. When the web of string is completed it shows visibly how ministry and service weaves people together in community.

 

The Human Knot

materials needed: nothing

This activity is a good energizer, to give a quick break in the middle of class, or as a celebratory activity at the end of a class.

1. Have the students gather in groups of four or five. Each group forms a circle facing inward.
2. Each person grabs and holds the hands of two other group members (they should not hold the hands of anyone directly next to them)
3. Tell them that they must unravel themselves without letting go of their hands.
4. They can step over or under, or whatever is needed - just cannot let go of the group members' hands

The goal is to end up in their inward facing circle again.

 

Alphabet Review 

materials needed:  Alphabet Review.pdf

This activity should be introduced at the beginning of a class and reviewed periodically throughout. It is a for students to focus on the different discussions and topics in the class. 

1. Hand out the  Alphabet Review.pdf
2. Tell students that as they hear or read a key idea or important concept during the class they are to write it down on the sheet. The first word of the idea should start with a different letter of the alphabet. 
3. See if you can fill up the sheet - using every letter in the alphabet to capture key ideas from the day's class. 

 

Hot Potato 

materials needed: a small, soft ball (like a Nerf ball or koosh ball) 

This activity can be used to reinforce the concepts taught in a class. 

Have everyone stand up. Explain that the ball must be tossed (gently) around the room to each other. 

When you catch the ball you have to say a word or phrase that is something you learned. 

Keep the ball moving.

The ball gets tossed until everyone has a chance to give their word or phrase.