Example Icebreaker Activities

Break the ice

A good icebreaker or team-building exercise will help in establishing the necessary bonding for teams to work together. Make sure you design the icebreaker to promote conversations among learners. Here are some examples of icebreakers that work:

Examples of online icebreakers

Where in the world?

Post three pictures of landscapes and/or monuments, well known ones(e.g. Statue of Liberty). Put the learners in teams and ask the learners to find out where the picture was taken. They can use the Internet and guide each other in narrowing down their searches; all using asynchronous postings in their team’s discussion forum.

Travelling together

Ask every participant to post the answer to the following question: If you were leaving to go on a holiday, what three essential items would you put in your suitcase?

Tell them that you are organising five (virtual) trips (more or less, depending on your course requirements). The group should decide where to go (five different destinations) and who in the group would probably be most happy to go to any one of these places, based on the essential items in the suitcases.

This icebreaker is ideal when the course requires small teams to work together. The teams form around the five destinations. Their travel preference helps the ‘bonding’ within the teams. Team names are destination names.

What do you see from your window?

These would be the instructions for your learners:

1. Describe in detail the view from your house window (approximately 10 lines). Click on ‘Add a new discussion topic’, give your posting a catchy title, and include some autobiographical information in your ‘story’. For example, if you have a mountain view, what role do mountains play in your life? Do you like walking in the mountains? and so on.
2. Then read the other postings and respond to two of them (click on ‘Reply’), indicating why you would like to trade places for a day.

Note: The tutor should post a sample message that sets the tone.

Your favourite food

Ask participants about their favourite food and why it is important to them. Then ask them to pick two other group members by whom they would like to be invited to share their food and explain why. This icebreaker works well in a multicultural context and can be used to establish teams. In that case, ask the learners to organise as many virtual meals as you need teams. Team members can make up a team name.

Common people

These would be the instructions for your learners:

Use the ‘common people’ discussion forum and get to know each other.

1. Find out what is unique about each member of your group, that is, something you do not share with your classmates.
2. Find one person who has something in common with you that nobody else has.
3. Find out what you all have in common.

Note: The answers can’t be easy, such as ‘we are all in the same class.