Kids Indoor Icebreaker Games

Guess the Word

• To get kids working together in a team, Guess the Word is a suitable game that is best done indoors. This particular game also works well with large groups of kids who are new to each other, such as the first day of school or a church event. Split the group into two equal teams, and have one team collectively come up with a secret word. Next, one player from that team must go to the front of the room and begin to draw on the whiteboard what the word is. If there is no whiteboard, simply tape up a piece of butcher paper to the wall for kids to draw on. Once the child starts drawing, the opposite team must guess what the word he or she is trying to draw is.

Circle Introductions

• To help kids get to know each other, have them play a game called Circle Introductions. Split the group up into two groups, and have them form a circle. One circle group should be surrounded by the second circle group. Set up a CD player with kid-friendly music and turn it on. Once the music is turned on, the circles will walk in opposite directions. For example, the outer circle will walk clockwise, while the inner circle walks counterclockwise. Turn off the music, and have kids stop in their tracks and turn to face the person in the next circle. They must introduce each other, such as sharing names, favorite foods, birthday and favorite activity. They can also share things that they don't like with each other. Turn the music on and repeat the game long enough to get all of the students to know each other.

String Toss

• For this game, have the entire group sit in a circle on the floor. Hand a ball of yarn or string to one student, and ask that she hold the loose end of the string. Tell the student holding the ball of yarn to tell the group something about herself like her favorite sport, food or movie. Once the child has spoken to the group, she must throw the ball of yarn to another child while still holding onto the string. That child answers a question about himself, and then takes hold of the string and tosses the yarn ball to another student. Every student should catch and toss the ball before the game is over.