Ice breakers are ideal for assisting large groups (15–30) of adult students get to know each other in educational settings. These exercises are a great way for students to establish a common ground between themselves and other students within a course. When adult students are comfortable with fellow students in a learning environment, everyone gains from the learning experience.
These adult education activities are designed for the beginning of classes, during introduction of important ideas, and introduction of learning activities. This strategy is especially helpful when the majority of the students in the class are adults or non-traditional students who are not part of the main stream of a traditional college setting.
The following three ice breakers are designed for college courses or community adult education learning events. These were selected based on different types of course work. The three examples are:
- Getting-To-Know-You – designed for courses which are focused on students’ participating in whole class discussions.
- Active – designed for courses in which students are involved in outdoor activities, sports, vocational activities, field work, etc.
- Team Building – designed for courses which require student collaboration and participation in group work.
Getting-To-Know-You Ice Breaker
Two Truths and a Lie – this is an adult education getting-to-know-you ice breaking exercise.
- Divide the class into groups of four.
- On a scrap of paper, have students each compose two truths about themselves along with one lie that could be true (not outlandish)
- Then group members each share their truths and one lie.
- The other members attempt to guess which one is not true.
This activity sparks a lot of chatter among the groups as students get to find out two miscellaneous tidbits about others in their class.
Ice Breaker Active Exercise
Giants, Wizards, and Elves – this adult education active ice breaking exercise involves dividing the class into two teams. Students then select one of three characters in the game.
- Giants – stand on their tippy toes, raise their arms like a giant, and make a menacing growling noise.
- Wizards – crouch slightly, as wizards are a bit shorter. They wave their fingers as though casting a magical spell, and make a magical noise.
- Elves – crouch down very low, cup their hands around their ears, and make a high pitched elf noise.
Activity Procedures:
- Split the class into two teams located in separate areas of the room.
- Members of both teams choose to become a giant, wizard, or elf.
- Players act out their selected character using specific hand-motions and making noises associated with the character.
- When ready, both teams line up facing each other about five or six feet apart.
- At this point, team members each act out the character they chose.
- As soon as they do this, the winner captures the loser and losers try to retreat back to their own side to be safe for that round.
- If captured, a person now belongs to the other team.
The following determines who beats who:
- Giants beat elves, because giants are able to squash elves.
- Elves beat wizards because they outsmart them.
- Wizards beat giants because they are able to zap them with a magic spell.
Rounds keep repeating until one team wins (the other team is completely captured), not to exceed a predetermined amount of rounds.
Team Building Ice Breaker Activity
Fear in a Hat – is an adult education team building exercise which promotes unity and group cohesion. Individual students write their personal fears (anonymously) on sheets of paper which are then collected in a hat and read aloud.
- Shuffle the sheets and pass out one per student.
- Students take turns reading one fear aloud and the reader should attempt to explain or clarify what the person who wrote the fear means.
- Do not allow any sort of comments on what the reader said. Simply listen and go on to the next reader.
- After all fears have been read and elaborated, discuss as a whole group what some of the common fears were.
This team building exercise is a group activity which can lead to discussion of a team contract or goals that the group wishes to achieve. This activity also helps build trust and unity, as students come to realize that everyone has similar fears.
Making Connections with Ice Breakers and Adult Education
Ice breakers are a good way to help adult students get to know each other on the first day of classes or during learning events. Selection of these exercises is important so they do not flop and set the wrong tone.
Most adult and non-traditional students do not want to play childish games, so these ice breakers must be tailored to an adult education learning environment and learning strategies of each course.
David R. Wetzel - Dr. David Wetzel's experience includes more than 25 years in continuing, adult, and teacher education.
Join the Conversation