Ice breaker party games are a fun way to introduce guests to one another and allow everyone to feel more comfortable. Whether you are hosting a business networking event or family reunion, getting guests talking and mingling is the goal and ice breakers are a fun and fast way to get there! Here are five games to get your event off to the right start and get people talking.

The Toilet Paper Game

The key to the toilet paper game is the element of surprise! With guests seated around a central area casually pass around a roll of toilet paper, requesting your guests rip off as many or as few pieces as they want for a game you will be playing. Once everyone has had a chance to get their toilet paper-some will have only one, some will have ripped off handfuls-tell everyone that you will go around in a circle and tell a fact about yourselves for each square of toilet paper you have in your hand! This invariably leads to laughter on the part of the guests that ripped off huge amounts of toilet paper and leads to some really interesting facts and conversations!

The Penny Game

Break guests into small groups and give each guest a penny. Everyone then takes turns telling a little bit about their life in the year the penny was made.

Getting to Know You

Pair guests off and instruct them to learn as much about their partner as they can in five minutes. After the five minutes have guests introduce their partners to the larger group using the facts they learned. This exercise is especially helpful for networking and volunteer events where guests will be working closely with each other outside of the event.

People Bingo

Create Bingo sheets online using interesting facts and have guests mingle to find people that fit each description. The options can be tailored to your event but some more universal examples are listed below:

  • only child
  • born abroad
  • has 4 children
  • can play the flute
  • can speak French

Travel Conversations

Greet guests upon their arrival with name tags and request that in addition to their names they write the farthest place they have traveled. This proves to be a great conversation starter even for the most introverted guests!

Getting people talking and mingling is the key to a fun social event. Taking those few moments at the beginning of your event to play ice breaker party games can go a long way into the success of your overall event!