Easy icebreakers: Group juggle
Print
EmailFun icebreakers to build your team.
Every meeting should include learning, fun and business. Through icebreaker activities, you can build trust, learn about group members’ strengths and weaknesses, and gain insight on how to work together. This Michigan State University Extension article is part of a series on icebreakers that can be done with simple supplies that group facilitators often already have on hand or could be acquired easily. A video of the activity is also available on MediaSpace.
Group juggle
Supplies needed
- Balls of different shapes and sizes that can be safely tossed around a room
- Various other items that can be safely tossed (ie. flying disk, stuffed animals, paper airplane, water bottles, foam packing material, shoes, cardboard box, a potato, etc.)
Directions:
- Have participants stand in a circle.
- Select one ball. Explain to participants what will happen: you will toss the ball across the circle randomly. Everyone will touch the ball once, and then it will go back to you. Participants need to remember the order of who they received the ball from and who they sent it to because it will be repeated over multiple rounds with the same order.
- Toss the ball to someone. When the person has the ball, they share their name and other relevant information (like county or grade in school). The person then passes across the circle to a person who hasn’t had the ball yet.
- NOTE: You can ask those who have received the ball to hold their hands behind their back.
- Once each person has received the ball once, say “I hope you remembered the order, because it is getting more complicated.” Repeat the process, tossing the ball in the same order. Then toss the other balls and random items, again in the same order.
- NOTE: Some balls will drop. Don’t say anything about what to do with the dropped balls and just observe what happens.
- Debrief:
- How did that go? Were there any people who were good at catching or throwing? Why?
- Can we do anything differently so the group is more successful?
- NOTE: Do not let the group change the order of people around the circle.
- Repeat the process of tossing balls and items around the circle again.
- Debrief:
- Was it better or worse? Why? Any other changes we should make?
- Repeat the process of tossing balls and items around the circle again.
- Debrief:
- How is this exercise like communication?
- Do you sometimes get lots of messages at once?
- Do you sometimes send a message to another person and they never receive it?
- Are some messages more difficult to receive than others?
- How do you decide what communications to prioritize?
- How do you let someone know you are ready to receive a message?
MSU Extension and the Michigan 4-H Youth Development program help to prepare youth as positive and engaged leaders and global citizens by providing educational experiences and resources for youth interested in developing knowledge and skills in these areas. This article is part of the 4-H Advisory Groups Toolkit. For more information about 4-H learning opportunities and other 4-H programs, contact your local MSU Extension office.
