Hobbies And Interests
Ice Breaker Game
A great ice-breaking game is "Musical Handshake," which is similar to "Musical Chairs." In this game, kids will walk around the room shaking hands with each other while music is playing. When the music abruptly stops, the children should be paired with someone. The partners will then ask a question such as, "What is your favorite color?" or something similar. At the end of the game, go around the room and ask what they found out about each other, and if any of the kids have things in common. This will help everyone get to know each other better in a fun, entertaining way.
The Colors of Life
"The Colors of Life" is a neat game to play to learn about each other. You'll need a bag of M&M's or similar candy. Tell the kids to grab a handful of candy pieces and hold on to them. You can make each color represent something, like yellow is for family, brown is for friends, red is for school, and so forth. The children will separate the colors, and the largest number of colored candy is what they will tell about themselves. Each piece will have to be one fact. For example, if a girl has eight yellow pieces, she will tell eight facts about her family.
Just the Fact
In "Just the Fact," you will make up sheets of paper with questions in little squares for the kids to fill out. The questions can be things like, "One place I would like to visit is," or "A hobby of mine is," and so on. The children must answer the questions truthfully. When done, all the papers will be cut up into the question squares and mixed in a large hat or bag. The children will then grab the little squares and begin taping them to each other's backs. The kids may not talk during this exercise. When finished, the children will take the papers placed on their backs and see who put them there and whether or not that person was correct. The purpose of this game is to see what you know about each other, but also to learn more about each other.