When you first start a long institute where participants might not know each other, you’ll want to try an icebreaker that is fun and helps them learn a little about each other. Here’s one using an ordinary inflatable beach ball, the sort you might see at college graduations.
- Tell each person to choose a color on the beach ball that represents herself in some way.
- Call out the name of the participant to whom you plan to throw the ball first, and then throw the ball to them. This helps everyone to learn each other’s names and the person is not surprised the ball is coming their way.
- Whoever receives the ball must then tell the color they picked and how it fits a characteristic about themselves.
- Then they throw the ball to another participant. (Make sure they say the person’s name first before they throw the ball).
Encourage everyone to try to get more creative when they describe themselves by using metaphors, adjectives, and maybe some past experiences.
Submitted by:Barbara Bray
Image from:My eCoach eLibrary
