Favorite Icebreakers

Favorite Icebreakers
Contents
Introduction....................................................................................................... iii
Category: Introduction
Creating Words................................................................................................... 1
Animal Introductions.......................................................................................... 2
What's Your Sign/Symbol?................................................................................ 3
Name Tags.......................................................................................................... 4
Living Sculptures............................................................................................... 5
Introduction and Establishing Group Similarities.............................................. 6
Ambassadors’ Assembly.................................................................................... 7
Proverb Game..................................................................................................... 8
Human Treasure Hunt........................................................................................ 9
The Celebrities.................................................................................................. 10
A Metaphor for Participation............................................................................ 11
Two Truths and a Lie........................................................................................ 12
Category: Transition into Content
Learning to Do Things Differently................................................................... 13
Changing Places................................................................................................ 14
Condom Toss.................................................................................................... 15
Helping Hands.................................................................................................. 16
Burying Mr. I Can't........................................................................................... 17
The Worm! ....................................................................................................... 18
Newspaper Art.................................................................................................. 19
Mirroring (nonverbal)...................................................................................... 21
The Stone Game................................................................................................ 22
Category: Team Building
Blind Square...................................................................................................... 23
The Line Up...................................................................................................... 24
Team Brainstorming......................................................................................... 25
Center for Field Assistance and Applied Research, April 1999 1
Team Mottos..................................................................................................... 26
Comedy Act, Peace Corps Style....................................................................... 27
Pig..................................................................................................................... 28
It's a Puzzlement............................................................................................... 29
Telephone.......................................................................................................... 31
Resource Identification..................................................................................... 32
The Human Spider Web/Human Knot.............................................................. 34
Newspaper Art as a TeamBuilding Activity.................................................... 35
Reflections........................................................................................................ 37
Mirroring (verbal)............................................................................................. 38
Tick Tock.......................................................................................................... 39
Making Beautiful Music Together.................................................................... 40
Secret Hat Trick................................................................................................ 42
Category: Energizer
Everyone Who __________............................................................................. 43
A Noisy Story................................................................................................... 44
Tune In.............................................................................................................. 45
Group Juggling.................................................................................................. 46
Chair Dance...................................................................................................... 47
Sending Letters................................................................................................. 48
Animal Guessing Name.................................................................................... 49
Buzz Fizz Game................................................................................................ 50
Elephants and Giraffes...................................................................................... 51
Going to a Zoo (Roles and Responsibilities).................................................... 52
The Winds Are Blowing................................................................................... 53
The Standing Ovation....................................................................................... 54
Accentuate the Positive..................................................................................... 55
Build a Machine................................................................................................ 56
The Storm.......................................................................................................... 57
The Hokey Pokey.............................................................................................. 58
Category: Closure
Say Nice Things Behind My Back.................................................................... 59
Treasure Box..................................................................................................... 60
Volley Ball Stickers.......................................................................................... 61
You're OK!........................................................................................................ 62
PST Massage/Closure....................................................................................... 63
Candle Circle.................................................................................................... 65
Trimming the Tree............................................................................................ 66
No Name........................................................................................................... 67
Introduction
What an impressive response! We received over sixty training activities with very few
duplications. Many are originals, created by the contributor or modified to suit the requirements
of Peace Corps training. Several individuals who didn’t have icebreakers available to send are
interested in seeing the collection of ideas that were contributed. All of your contributions will
be well received.
Those of us who have conducted Peace Corps trainings are familiar with the saga we face: There
are plenty of books out there with training exercises, but few address the unique circumstances
Peace Corps trainers and Volunteers face—participants speaking multiple languages, different
cultural norms, a wide range of expertise related to training topic(s), plus limited access to
supplies and materials. This collection of training activities comes from people who have
created tools that work effectively, given the peculiarities of the Peace Corps training
environment.
For your convenience in finding activities, the collection has been divided into five categories.
Although several submissions fit in more than one category, we tried to place them in the
category where they would most often be used.
∑ Introductions includes effective exercises for helping participants get to know and feel
comfortable with one another.
∑ Transition to Content exercises can be used to move the program into discussions of the
subject being covered.
∑ Team Building does exactly what it says—through experiential activities participants explore
team characteristics and gain experience working as a team.
∑ Energizer exercises can be used anytime during the training to wake up fading participants.
∑ Closures present opportunities for participants to bring a workshop to an end through sharing
ideas and appreciating each other’s contributions to solidify learnings and bonds made during
the training.
Thanks very much for your contributions. Please enjoy the results of our collaborative efforts in
gathering and distributing this collection of Favorite Peace Corps Icebreakers.
Category: Introductions
Name “Creating Words”
Type: Icebreaker
Purpose: This is a “getting to know you” activity that is fun for a new group.
Time: 1020 minutes
Size of Group: Any size
Materials: Sheets of paper or note cards at least 4” x 6”
Pens or markers
Description:
Prep Prepare sheets of paper (or note cards), one per participant. On each sheet draw a
different letter of the alphabet, in large type.
Distribute Give one sheet of paper to each participant (either as they walk into the room or
distribute after they are all present).
Directions Each person should have a piece of paper with a large letter on it. Walk around the
room, get together with three other individuals to form a team that creates a fourletter word.
Variations:
• Insist that the words have to be related to the theme of the training workshop.
• Allow groups and words to be any length and give a prize to the team with the longest
legitimate word.
• Insist that words be in languages other than English (i.e., such as a local language).
Submitted by: Duane Karlen, Staff Development Specialist, Peace Corps/Washington
Credited to: I don't know where this one originated, but I have used it for many years.
It is fun, and it allows many variations depending upon group size, cultural
context and training content.
Name “Animal Introductions”
Type: Icebreaker
Purpose: To lighten the mood of unfamiliarity in the group.
Time: 1015 minutes (depending on group size)
Size of Group: Unlimited
Materials: People with imaginations
Description:
Every one stands in a circle. The first person says their full name and then does their impression
of an animal that starts with the first letter of their first or last name. At first people might be a
little nervous to look like an idiot, but once a person really gets into it, the rest of the group will
let loose! I've done this with kids ages 815 years old, and we all know how selfconscious
teenagers can be, but the activity was a hit!
Submitted by: Andy Lambert; Student Aide in the Minneapolis Regional Office
Name “What's Your Sign/Symbol?”
Type: Icebreaker
Purpose: Namememory game
Time: 1015 minutes depending on size of group and memory requirements
Size of Group: Appropriate for a group of more than five but less than 20. If more than
20, either smaller groups can be made or participants shouldn't need to
repeat everyone's name, maybe just half the group.
Materials: No materials required
Description:
Everyone stands in a circle. Someone starts (the smartest person!) and says, “My name is
______ and my symbol is _________.” They could give a peace sign, a thumbs up, some body
movement, some facial expression, etc. The next person introduces the first person and redoes
his/her symbol, and then that person introduces him/herself and does his/her symbol. The next
person does the first two people and his/her own. And so on around the circle until the last
person has repeated everyone's name and symbol, plus his/her own. This is a good introductory
icebreaker and sometimes people are remembered for their symbol throughout all of training.
Submitted by: Noelle Smith, PST Director, Peace Corps/Uzbekistan
Credited to: Borrowed from Tondi Mahaman, CrossCulture Coordinator, Niger
Name “Name Tags”
Type: Basic, introductory icebreaker
Purpose: To help group members to meet each other and feel more comfortable
with each other. Limitations in implementation can result if the group does
not share a common language, though the activity can still be used in an
abbreviated format.
Time: 5 to 10 minutes
Size of Group: Most appropriate for larger groups (35 plus) who do not know one another
Materials: Preprinted name tags for every person are required
Description:
Introduce the activity with a preamble about how diverse and fascinating the group is. Distribute
all name tags randomly, making sure that no one has drawn their own name. All participants
must seek out the person whose name tag they have and engage in an introductory conversation
for several minutes. Each person thus has a conversation with at least one or two group mates,
and meets a few more along the way. Finish the exercise at your own discretion. Asking a few
participants to introduce to the group one of the people they met often works well for closure.
Submitted by: Areta Lutsyshym, Language Coordinator, Peace Corps/Ukraine
Credited to: This is probably the oldest activity in the book. Author unknown.
Name “Living Sculptures”
Type: Extended icebreaker, closure, or training activity.
Purpose: To encourage group work, increased intimacy, and to demonstrate (often
hidden) talents. A common language spoken by the majority of the group
helps in implementation.
Time: Works best if planned for 3045 minute
Size of Group: 5 to 40, with the ideal in the 2025 range
Materials: No materials required, though a few numbered strips of paper can be used.
Description:
The group must be divided in the following manner. Three to five volunteers should be solicited
to tell the group a short story based on their life experience. A theme for these may be selected,
such “small decisions that changed my life,” “meeting a famous person,” “magic moments,” etc.
The remaining participants must be divided into a number of groups corresponding to the
number of volunteers (i.e., if there are 30 participants to begin with and five volunteers are
selected to tell stories, the remaining 25 participants must be split into five groups of five persons
each).
Assign each of the volunteers a number, position them in front of the remaining group and tell
the listeners to pay close attention to the stories. Have the volunteers tell their brief stories. Next
assign each group a number. No one outside of the small group should know this number.
Now give the small groups 10 minutes to invent a “living sculpture” depicting the story which
corresponds to the number they were given. These “living sculptures” should involve all
members of the small group in a still life in which it is possible to “see” one of the stories. The
sculptures can be presented either one after another or all at once. If all at once, then the story
tellers are the ones who must decide which group is depicting whose story; if one after another,
then the remaining groups join in the guessing. The experiences and the feelings raised should be
debriefed, and a vote can be taken for the best story/sculpture combination.
Submitted by: Chris Mrozowski, Training Director, Cherkasy, Peace
Corps/Ukraine
Credited to: Based on actor training exercises
Name “Introduction and Establishing Group Similarities”
Type: Icebreaker
Purpose: Introduction exercise for participants and establishment of similarities
within the small groups to prepare for later group activities
Time: 30 minutes for a group of 20
Size of Group: 2030 people
Materials: Depends on the facilitator's choice, but whatever is chosen must be an
assortment of some kind. These are generally items representative or
symbolic of the topic to be discussed.
Description:
1) Pass around the basket with the assorted items.
2) Ask each participant to carefully pick one item of his/her choice.
3) Group together participants of the same items.
4) Ask them to respond to the following:
a) In your group, share why you picked similar objects.
b) Identify the similarities existing among members of the your group (e.g., interests,
birthdays, family, hobbies, etc.).
c) Introduce members of your group to the large group in the most interesting way.
Submitted by: Shirley Byakutaga, Assistant Training Manager, and Simon Njure,
Training Manager, Peace Corps/Uganda
Name – “Ambassadors’ Assembly”
Type: Icebreaker
Purpose: This is good during a conference/workshop where there are participants
from different countries. The purpose is to get them to know each other
better and tell the group about their countries.
Time: 25 30 minutes.
Size of Group: Groups of 5 up to maybe 30.
Materials: Small paintings or pictures of nature, one for each participant. Put them
up on a wall before the activity begins.
Description:
The activity starts with the facilitator announcing “Let's imagine that we are all ambassadors
from our country and we're here for a some sort of meeting. Come to the wall and pick a
painting (a picture) that you think represents your country the best.” Then ask for volunteers to
explain why they think their paintings (pictures) represents their country. Give every volunteer
who speaks applause. It is a good idea to allow the participants to keep their paintings (pictures)
if possible.
Submitted by: Kazbek Aubakirov, Economic Development Assistant, Peace
Corps/Kazakhstan
Credited to: I learned the activity during Overseas Staff Training in February 1999.
The person who suggested the activity is Anna Maria Castro, Youth In
Development coordinator, Peace Corps/Ecuador
Name – “Proverb Game”
Type: Icebreaker
Purpose: To help participants get to know each other.
Time: 20 40 minutes, depending on the size of the group
Materials: Small pieces of paper to write the proverbs and enough proverbs to match
half the number of participants
Description:
Participants will each be given a piece of paper that has half of a common proverb. The
participants then try to find the person with the other half of their proverb. Once they've have
found that person, they spend some time getting to know each other. Back in the large group the
partners read their proverb and introduce each other to the group.
Submitted by: Rhonda Maronn, PCV/Education, and Kimberly Coy, PCV/Education
Peace Corps/Tanzania
Name – “Human Treasure Hunt”
Type: Icebreaker
Purpose: Getting to know each other
Time: 20 minutes
Materials: Treasure hunt list of facts, listed below
Description:
Each person gets a treasure hunt list and a pen. The task is to circulate within the group and
identify a different person for each fact on the list. If one person fits “born in the same month as
you,” then you can't use her name for another fact. Players attempt to complete their entire list
using different people. Specify that you must meet people individually if you write their name
next to a fact.
Variation: If you know a few things about your group before their arrival, you can create the list
with specific fact about the participants. If you can generate a list of one fact per person, then
each person must meet each other person to complete the list.
List:
__________ is born in the same month as you.
__________ can speak a foreign language (not English or the local language).
__________ has been on TV, radio, or in the news. (why: )
__________ has performed on stage anywhere.
__________ has been elected to a political position.
__________ has been in a parade. (why: )
__________ has a unique skill or talent. (what: )
__________ has the same number of sibling as you.
__________ wrote a letter to the editor. (why: )
__________ has traveled outside the country. (where: )
__________ established a record.
__________ can play a musical instrument.
__________ climbed a mountain over 10,000 feet.
__________ has lived outside their own country for more than a year.
__________ knows someone famous. (who: )
Submitted by: Rhonda Maronn, PCV/Education, and Kimberly Coy, PCV/Education,
Credited to: from Quicksilver: Adventure Games, Initiative Problems, Trust Activities
and a Guide to Effective Leadership, by Karl Rohnke and Steve Butler
Name – “The Celebrities”
Type: Icebreaker
Purpose: To create an icebreaking opportunity
Time: 15 30 minutes depending on size of group, physical space for movement,
familiarity of participants with celebrity names, etc.
Materials: Name tags
Description:
1) Brainstorm a list of famous people (and/or creatures such as Mickey Mouse, Superman, E.T.,
etc.) sufficient to cover the number of expected participants. Celebrities might include
famous singers, politicians, actors/actresses, musicians, Peace Corps staff, and PST staff.
Names may be drawn from a variety of fields, or may all have a common thread connecting
them, such as celebrities related to the nature of the group, all names starting with the same
letter, or all people who were popular during a particular area. In addition, if you personally
know the participants in advance, you might decide to match the assignment of celebrity
names to individuals who have a similar characteristic.
2) Write these names on stickon or pinon name tags.
3) When participants arrive, present them with their task (to identify who their celebrity is) by
asking questions that can be answered by “Yes” or “No” of other participants. Then fasten a
name tag to their back and encourage them to mill around with other participants.
4) When everyone has identified the celebrity on their name tag, instruct them to sit down and
ask the question “What did you learn about each other through this exercise?”
Submitted by: Paz B. Meman, Asst. Training Officer, Peace Corps/Philippines
Credited to: Karen Honer, Australia Post, Melbourne, Australia. Barbara Crowell,
Phoenix, AZ.
Name – “A Metaphor for Participation”
Type: Icebreaker
Purpose: This activity is appropriate at the beginning of a cycle and asks trainees to
look at how they think, how others think, how much we assume about
other's thinking, and how much our own personal frames of reference
affect the way we take in new material.
Time: 3540 minutes
Size of Group: 15 people maximumworks well in small groups
Materials: About two random small objects per trainee. Examples might be a feather,
a leaf, a rubber band, a hair clip, a spoon, a tea bag, etc.
Description:
1. Ask trainees to sit in a circle on the floor or around a large table. Place the objects in the
center. Everyone must be able to see all objects and the object each person has taken.
2. Explain that the activity will be done in two parts. First, begin by picking an object and
placing it in front of you. Then ask the trainees each to pick an object they associate with.
Have them go around the circle taking objects until everyone has two.
3. Ask the trainees to take a moment to imagine why other people have chosen the object that
they did.
4. Second, going around the circle in order, have people explain their choices.
5. Lead a discussion on the meaning of the activity using the following questions as a guide:
What does it mean to know someone else? How much can you understand someone
without hearing the reasons behind that person’s actions?
How does this activity relate to the way people learn in groups? How do ideas build from
one person to the next? How much do you need to understand to build on someone else's
thoughts?
What did you learn about yourself and others from this activity? What are different ways
that people connect to information? What kind of role might culture play in how people
connect to information?
Submitted by: Rain Donohue, APCD Education, Peace Corps/Kenya
Credited to: Leslie Turpin, Brattleboro, Vermont
Name – “Two Truths and a Lie”
Type: Icebreaker
Purpose: To get to know one another. Usually used during the retreat when
Trainees first arrive for Peace Corps staff and Trainees to get to know
each other.
Time: Depends on the size of the group. Approximately 5 minutes per person
Size of Group: Size 315. If more than 15, can break up into smaller groups.
Materials: None
Description:
First, explain the purpose of activity: to get to know one another as we'll be spending lots of
time together over the next twelve weeks in training and two years in service. Have each person
think of unique and interesting personal information about him/herself that no one in the group
knows yet. Two of the things should be true, and one of them should be false. Let the
participants know the group will try to guess which one is false. If participants are having
difficulty thinking of things, you can suggest that they think of their childhood, strange things
that have happened to them, trips they have taken, pets they have had, accomplishments, unique
characteristics of their families, personal characteristics, etc.
Then, ask for a volunteer to go first, sharing the three things with the group. The rest of the
group tries to guess which is the lie. The facilitator and/or the participants can ask the Trainee to
expand on the two things he/she shared to learn more about him/her. Go around the circle until
everyone has shared.
This is a good icebreaker as it permits everyone to share in a fun way.
Submitted by: Sarah Moran, Training Director, Peace Corps/Costa Rica
Credited to: It was borrowed from another source, but am not sure where.
Name “Learning to Do Things Differently”
Type: Introduction to a discussion on cultural adaptation
Purpose: To bring the audience into the topic, illustrate the speakers point
Time: Seconds
Size of Group: Any size group and any age group
Materials: No materials necessary
Description:
The speaker asks the audience to fold their hands . . then asks everyone to fold their hands the
other way.
The speaker draws everyone's attention to how extremely odd it feels to do something so
automatic differently. The speaker then makes a transition into describing how Peace Corps is
about learning how to adapt to another culture, learning to do things differently that at first felt so
uncomfortable and strained. This can be a lesson in flexibility, as demonstrated in changing the
way they folded their hands.
The speaker in this case was a Peace Corps Fellow at Florida International University studying
English as a second language. This illustration is important, especially when thinking about
ESL, because it means asking your students to think and act differently when learning a new
language. There is resistance of habit that needs to be overcome.
Submitted by: Ann Perrelli, Public Affairs Specialist, Atlanta Regional Office
Credited to: An RPCV who gave this demo

Name – “Changing Places”
Type: Icebreaker
Purpose: To see things from the other side, to explore cultural behaviors
Time: About 20 minutes
Size of Group: Groups of 45
Materials: None
Description:
This is especially effective with Trainees or Volunteers training with their HostCountry
Nationals. Be cautious, however, as to how the HCNs might react to it.
Separate into groups of four or five people. Have two people volunteer to be the actors,
preferably an American and a HostCountry National. The others are their audience. Have the
actors recreate their first meeting, a work session, or any events that might happen. Give them
about five minutes to create a scene.
Have the group discuss the performance. What did they observer about the way the Trainee
acted? What were the HCN’s responses? How would they suggest improvements?
Then have them switch the roles: The Trainee is now a HostCountry National and the HCN an
American Peace Corps Volunteer. They perform the same act, each taking the other’s role.
After the “performances” the group discusses their insights into the roles as different
nationalities, and their perceptions of each other’s behavior.
This can also be done with all one nationality to get different ideas of how other people think.
Submitted by: Mary Akers, Consultant, The Center, Peace Corps/Washington
Credited to: I developed this for acting workshops I led many years ago, and adapted it
for Peace Corps training.
Category: Transition to Content
Name “Condom Toss”
Type: Combination of icebreaker, energizer, and closer
Purpose: To answer questions/start discussions
Time: Unlimited but 15 minutes or so is good
Materials: Condom, not lubricated is best
Description:
I use this at the first health session, the day the trainees arrive in country, and again at the last
health session of training. I start by blowing up a condom as folks are settling into their places in
the room. Then, I introduce the activity saying I know that people have questions and to be able
to ask one they must be holding the condom. Then I bounce the condom off my hand and have
others bat it around like a balloon to move it around the room. People may call for it to come
their way, others may try to avoid it if they do not have a question or just bounce it along. It is
funny either way and can continue until the questions from the group are answered. I usually
have a few topics I want to cover—such as jet lag for the new arrivals—and may call for the
condom if things seem to be slowing down.
Submitted by: Beth Rosenstiel, Medical Officer, Peace Corps/Mongolia
Name “Helping Hands”
Type: Energizer
Purpose: This is an activity that can be used at any time, but is particularly effective
after a break or after lunch to get participants talking and laughing. It is
useful as a tool for summarizing the points made in the previous session,
expressing opinions on a topic being discussed, or even as a lead in to the
next session or topic
Time: 1015 minutes
Size of Group: 2,4,6,...
Materials: None
Description:
This activity can be used with 2, 4, or even 6 participants. Have the participants come to the
front of the room in pairs. Let's say that you have just finished a session discussing
issues/challenges in your community. You ask for volunteers to come to the front of the room in
pairs to talk about a particular issue, for example, unclean water.
Here's the hitch: One person stands behind the other person and inserts his/her hands through the
front person’s arm openings. The front person has her hands held behind her. The place where
the elbows bend is where the back person slides his arms. You then ask the pair to “talk” about
the particular topic (such as unclean water). The front person speaks while the back person
provides arm and hand gestures to complement the scene. You can have a number of pairs
“discussing” the issue. Try it, it can be pretty funny.
Submitted by: Frank Wagner, APCD Education, Peace Corps/Tanzania
Credited to: Adopted from Parker School, Hawaii peer advisor program
Name – “Burying Mr. I Can't”
Type: Icebreaker and energizer (mental, not physical)
Purpose: To establish a positive and optimistic mindset
Time: About 20 minutes
Size of Group: Any size group would work
Materials: Blank pieces of paper (one sheet per participant); a shoebox; a hole dug in
the ground (the space should be open enough that the whole group can
gather around the hole).
Description:
• Pass out a piece of paper and ask participants to write down as many sentences as they can
saying things that prevent them from reaching their dream. (e.g., “I can’t organize teachers
meetings because I’m afraid no one will show up.” “I can’t improve my school because we
are overcrowded,” etc.)
• Give participants a few minutes to write their sentences. Ask participants to share one or two
of their sentences.
• Pass around a small box and ask participants to put their papers into it.
• Invite everyone to go outside and gather around a hole which has been dug in the ground.
Place the box in the hole and read the eulogy below as the box is covered with dirt.
“Friends, we are gathered here this morning to bury the memory of I Can’t. I
Can’t was with us for a long time and was especially present when things were
difficult. He affected the way we do things, the way we lived, and the way we
worked. It is not easy to let I Can’t go, but it is time for us to move on. He is
survived by his brothers I Can and I Will and his sister I’m Doing It Right Now.
Although his siblings are not as well known, we hope that they will become more
important as time goes on. Today we lay him to rest. Let us all try to get on with
our lives without him. Amen.”
* adapted from the book “100 Ways to Improve Selfconcept in the Classroom”
Submitted by: Greg Roche, Program Specialist/Education, The Center, Peace
Corps/Washington
Credited to: I was first introduced to this activity when a PCV/South Africa used it at
the workshop; the activity itself is adapted from the book 100 Ways to
Improve SelfConcept in the Classroom. I'm sorry that I don't remember
the name of the PCV who used the activity.
Name – “The Worm!”
Type: Icebreaker to introduce a medical session
Purpose: To introduce Trainees to the most common diseases in a more effective
and motivating manner
Time: 5 minutes
Size of Group: Any size, e.g., PST training group.
Materials: Clear jar with lid filled with water; Masking tape.
Description:
1. Make a model of the worm by using the masking tape. Make the two ends be pointed as
is the normal worm.
2. Put the worm into the jar with water and close. It should look like a preserved
real worm.
3. Use this as an introduction to your session on the common health diseases by
pulling it out of the jar and showing to the class.
4. Since most Trainees will not have seen a real worm, this is a big motivation for the
session and it helps capture their attention. They are normally scared of it.
Submitted by: Edith Mpangala, PCMO, Peace Corps/Tanzania
Name – “Newspaper Art”
Type: Icebreaker or Energizer
Purpose: To get attendees involved, focused on a topic of the training, and
interacting with each other. This activity can be done as an icebreaker at
the beginning of a training or as an energizer just before introducing a new
topic during the training.
Time: 10 15 minutes
Materials: One sheet of newspaper for each participant. This is an environmentally
friendly activity, using readily available recyclable materials.
Description:
Before the training session begins lay a folded sheet of newspaper on the table in front of each
participant or on his or her chair. They will wonder what is the purpose of the newspaper sheet
and often discuss this with their neighbors. This increases communication and excitement.
Choose an object with a simple outline that represents a topic of the training or helps to introduce
a speaker. Show an example of this object or draw it on a flip chart or chalk board. (For
example: a symbol of the country's currency for an economic training; a palm tree or fish for an
environmental training; an outline of the host countries boarders for a group of new trainees; the
profile of the country director wearing an ethnic hat—he or she needs to pose for the group—for
Volunteers and counterparts; the letters “P C” for an informational meeting on the Peace Corps;
a local historical building for a crosscultural training—the possibilities are endless.)
Give instructions to the group. Say “Today in training we are going to be discussing ___ (insert
topic of training). To begin focusing our thinking on this topic and have a little fun I would like
you to stand up, hold your sheet of newspaper behind your back and tear the shape of the object I
will indicate. You can make the shape as large as possible or use only part of your paper. But
all the work needs to be done behind your back and with no help from others in the room. You
have three minutes to complete this task, then we will share our creations with other
participants.” (If participants speak more than one language the instructions need to be
translated, but doing the activity does not depend on language ability.)
Have participants stand, hold their piece of newspaper behind their backs and tear the shape of
the chosen object. Be sure to clarify what shape they are attempting to copy by pointing to the
shape drawn on the flip chart or chalk board or to the actual object.
People enjoy this activity. Watch their faces: some will close their eyes to concentrate better,
some smile, others feel the need to talk while they are tearing.
Give everyone about three minutes to complete the task, depending on the difficulty of the
object. Watch to see when almost everyone is finished, then ask them to hold up their
"Newspaper Art" for the group to see.
Prizes are optional. If you wish to give prizes for the best “Newspaper Art” and/or top
contenders, have an honored guest be the judge. Or have pairs choose one “Newspaper Art” of
the two, then groups of four choose the best of the remaining two and so forth until you have a
winner or several winners. This takes longer, but encourages communication between
participants. Or simply have the group vote by applause as each participant holds up their
creation. Award small prizes to winners.
If winners are not selected, end the activity by all applauding each other's artistic talents before
you commence with the training topic.
Submitted by: Ava Allsman, Program Specialist, The Center, Peace Corps/Washington
Credited to: My sister, Karen Baruth Kingman, Kansas
Name – “Mirroring (nonverbal)”
Type: Icebreaker or energizer
Purpose: To work on focusing and becoming a more sensitive listener to/observer
of others
Time: 1015 minutes works well, depending on how long it takes for people to
get the hang of this
Size of Group: An even number of people
Materials: None
Description:
Stand face to face with your partner. One person guides while the other follows. Move with
your partner as if you were a mirror image of your partner. From time to time the facilitator will
say “switch.” You and your partner change roles without a break in the motion you are doing. A
person watching should not be able to tell who is leading or who is following...or when the
switch occurs.
Submitted by: Tammy Bewitz, Peace Corps Recruiter, RPCV Sri Lanka, 19941996.
Credited to: Borrowed from Improvisation Through Theater Sports; and Truth in
Comedy.
Name – “The Stone Game”
Type: Transition to content
Purpose: Team building
Time: 30 minutes
Size of Group: 2040
Materials: Small stones, blindfold
Description:
Ask for a volunteer and for the other participants to form a large circle. Explain that the
volunteer represents “a program” and that the circle represents “the environment.”
At one side of the circle, explain to the volunteer that s/he wants to start at point A and make a
straight line with the stones on the ground to point B at the other side of the circle. Explain that
this is the objective.
Before the volunteer begins, blindfold him or her and spin the volunteer around several times.
Explain that when doing some activities we often cannot see where we are going and we can
become disorganized.
The volunteer should then try to place the stones in as straight a line as possible from point A to
point B.
Then discuss these questions with the group:
What happened? Why does this happen?
What was the objective of the volunteer?
Was the volunteer able to make a straight line? Why not?
How does this exercise relate to evaluating our activities?
Does this happen in this community?
What do we need to do?
Submitted by: Ana Coghlan, Evaluation Specialist, Peace Corps/Washington, DC
Credited to: From the TASO Community Initiatives Trainer’s Manual
Name “Blind Square”
Type: Extended icebreaker or training activity in its own right. We have used it
in TOTs (staff development) but it can be used with PCVs too.
Purpose: To share leadership, communicate effectively, and keep all team members
effectively aligned toward a collaborative solution to the problem that
confronts you. With people who do not know each other well, this is a
great teambuilding exercise. For staff members who work together, this is
a great communication and leadership exercise.
Time: 45 minutes and 10 minutes for debriefing
Size of Group: Works well with around 25 people
Materials: Space, rope, and blindfolds. Facilitator watches the group so that
participants do not fall.
Description:
Assignment for the group is to create a perfect square out of the loop of rope. There are just four
rules:
1. Participants can't take off their blindfolds (or peek!).
2. Participants can't let go of the rope at all—both hands must stay in constant contact with
the rope.
3. Participants may not pass anyone on the rope.
4. Participants stop when they reach consensus about success, lay down the squared rope, and
check their work.
Debriefing is crucial in this activity: some people will be frustrated, some will be physiologically
tired. Discuss the process. Ask who was a decision maker, why some people followed the
directions of others and who did not. How did they arrived at a consensus. And ask how the
activity relates to the group or the PCV community.
Submitted by: Areta Lutsyshyn, Training Manager, Peace Corps/Ukraine
Credited to: Peace Corps workshop in Moldova in September October, 1996
Name “The Line Up”
Type: Icebreaker
Purpose: Promotes Group Interaction/Team Building
Time: 1520 minutes
Size of Group: Any size up to 20
Materials: Pen and one tiny slip of paper for each member of group. A room with a
cleared space in the middle.
Description:
The session leader writes a number for each member of the group on a tiny piece of paper, one
for each participant. The slips of paper are mixed up and each participant takes one. They look
at their number and are not to tell or show anyone what their number is.
Participants then gather in the center of the room. The session leader, who is not a participant,
instructs everyone to close their eyes (they must be honest in keeping their eyes closed for this
exercise) and explains that they are not allowed to talk. Participants are then told to line up in
numerical order based on the number they were given. The session leader monitors the exercise.
Without seeing or speaking, participants will struggle to find a way to communicate so that they
can line up in the order based on the numbers they were given. Eventually they may try
stamping their feet to the beat of numbers they wish to communicate or using touch to tap out the
number on each other's arms or legs, but the leader should not give them these hints. They must
figure it out on their own.
The leader can keep it going or call it off at any time based on the group's efforts to succeed. But
they should at least be given 10 minutes to try and figure out a system of communication. When
a line forms and they have opened their eyes, they can tell each other what number they had and
see if they got it right.
The point of this activity is to get people working together and relaxing with each other. It is a
fun activity and there is usually a lot of laughter. It is also an excellent activity for discussing
crosscultural communication issues (i.e., what happens when our usual forms of communication
that we take for granted are suddenly not there anymore? What skills can we use and develop to
try other ways to communicate?)
Submitted by: Costa Christ, Country Director, Peace Corps/Uganda
Credited to: I first came upon this activity in a prototype form while working at the
school for international training. Over the years that I have used it, it has
evolved into the full activity described here.
Name – “Team Brainstorming”
Type: Icebreaker
Purpose: This is a “teambuilding” activity that helps participants contribute to a
common task and have fun. I have used this one many times. It is fun,
and it helps build a sense of team.
Time: 15 minutes
Materials: None
Delivery:
Groups Divide the community into small groups of four to six people.
Directions Ask groups to brainstorm one of the following:
• things that are round,
• things associated with a holiday,
• things that are red,
• things you can make out of old tires,
• anything else you, as facilitator, can come up with.
No discussion, just list items! Give group 5 minutes to brainstorm.
Note: The team should pick a recorder before beginning the brainstorm.
Recorders write the list and share with other groups in community after
the brainstorm period is ended. Lots of fun!
Submitted by: Duane Karlen, Staff Development Specialist, Peace Corps/Washington

Name – “Team Mottos”
Type: Icebreaker
Purpose: To reenforce a team bond. To motivate participants
Time: About 20 minutes total
Size of Group: Any size group, but subdivided into “teams” of 3 5 people. Ideally, the
teams will have some natural “bond” that makes them a “natural” team
(e.g., they work at the same school, in the same community, in the same
geographical region).
Materials: One piece of paper per team; flipchart and marker to list mottos
Description:
1. Divide the participants into groups of 3 5 per group; make the groups in a logical fashion,
i.e., a team that works in the same geographic area, on the same project, in the same village,
etc.
2. Tell participants that they will have 5 (or 10) minutes to make a positive/inspirational team
saying/motto/proverb using words that start with the first letter of each team member's first
name. Other small words can be used (a, the, and, etc.), but the main content words should
be made from the initials. (Example: Bob, Dana, Joseph and Pam make the motto: “Don't
Judge! Be Positive!” or “The Best People Just Do It!” or ???)
3. Go around the room and have groups present their mottos/sayings/proverbs; they can also be
posted around the room.
Note: The training team can also do this while the participants are working; it also builds the
team spirit of the trainers!!
Submitted by: Greg Roche, Program Specialist/Education, The Center, Peace
Corps/Washington
Credited to: The activity was codeveloped by Claudia Liebler of the GEM Initiative
and Greg Roche of Peace Corps at the Peace Corps/South Africa
Appreciative Inquiry workshop, July 1998.
Name – “Comedy Act, Peace Corps Style”
Type: Icebreaker or closer
Purpose: To get participants more relaxed, get rid of inhibitions and start the
training in a humorous mood. That certainly augers well for an ideal
training atmosphere. In addition, this activity could be used as a closer
ensuring that no one leaves the training activity tense, frustrated, or angry.
Time: 10 15 minutes
Materials: Pieces of paper.
Description:
Write the letter J on 10 pieces of paper and place these in a bag. Add enough blank pieces of
paper so that all participants will get on.
Do not describe the activity at this stage. Ask each participant to reach in the bag for a piece of
paper explaining that some pages will be blank and others will be marked with the letter J.
When they all have a piece of paper, ask all people holding the letter J to move to one side of the
room. Once they are divided like this tell them that the ones with the J are obliged to share at
least one hilarious Peace Corps related experience. If they have not encountered any then they
are free to tell a (clean) joke. If the nonJ holders want to contribute, do encourage them if time
permits.
Submitted by: Jacintha Lee, APCD/St. Lucia, Peace Corps/Eastern Caribbean
Credited to: Original Idea!
Name – “Pig”
Type: Icebreaker or energizer
Purpose: To lighten the tone of a session. Provide “insights” of fun and spoof
nature.
Time: 5 7 minutes
Materials: One sheet of plain paper (any size) for each participant and a pen or
pencil.
Description:
Clarify that this is not an art contest (groans). Have everyone spend a minute or two drawing a
pig on a piece of paper. After that is completed have them hold up their pig drawing and show
them off (lots of giggles and silliness). Then read the guide sheet. Usually good for a lot of
laughs and really raises the noise level!!
1. If the pig is drawn on the top portion of the page: you are an optimist and a very positive
person.
2. If the pig is drawn in the middle of the page: you are realistic and factual.
3. If the pig is drawn toward the bottom of the page: you are a pessimist or tend to have a
negative outlook.
4. If the pig is facing left: you are traditional, friendly, and remember birthdays and dates.
5. If the pig is facing straight ahead: you are direct, like to play devil's advocate, and don't avoid
issues.
6. If the pig if facing right: you are innovative, action oriented, but not family or date
orientated.
7. If the pig is very detailed : you are analytical, cautious, and suspicious.
8. If the pig has very little detail: you are emotional, bored with details, naïve, and a risk taker.
9. If the pig has 4 feet: you are secure, stubborn, and have firm beliefs.
10. If the pig has less than 4 feet; you are insecure or going through major changes in your life.
11. The larger the pig's ears the better listener you are.
12. And last.... the longer the pig's tail, the better your sex life!!!
People enjoy this activity. Watch their faces, especially for the final line!
There is no need for prizes as “everyone is a winner” in this game. This does not demand
anything out of the ordinary and is a very nonthreatening game. The only caution would be on
the side of culture appropriateness.
Submitted by: Jane Laycock, PCMO Peace Corps/Vanuatu; Bob McClendon, CD, Peace
Corps/Poland; Karen Anderson, Office of Medical Services, Peace
Corps/Washington; Leanne MacCullach, Medical Coordinator, Peace
Corps/Zimbabwe; Lee Ann JeanLouis, PCMO, Peace Corps/Haiti.
Name “It's a Puzzlement”
Type: Icebreaker before a session on problem solving, and/or teamwork
Purpose: To put the group in a situation where they have to solve a puzzle so that
you can then talk about working styles and problem solving or creativity
and working beyond the normal boundaries
Time: Session Total = 1 hour
10 minutes to explain the activity
15 minutes to work on solutions
35 minutes to debrief: 15 minutes for solutions, 20 minutes for discussion
Materials: A large piece of chart paper with the puzzle written on it (or you can
simply tell the story). Simple paper cutouts of a chicken, a bag of rice,
and a dog,with tape on the back of each cutout so that the facilitator can
tell the story and the participants/facilitator can demonstrate the
solution(s).
Description:
The facilitator begins the session by talking about the group, why they have come together, and
how they will be working together and undoubtedly will be facing many situations where they
have to problem solve. The facilitator says that just to get into practice they will start off with a
puzzle. The facilitator should not say anything other than to present the puzzle. The facilitator
does not say whether they should work together or separately. If asked, the facilitator just says,
“Whatever works best for you.”
The facilitator can customize the puzzle to fit the situation. For example, in the Philippines the
boat would be a banca with a sail and the farmer aboard would be going from one little island to
another. In China the farmer would be in a small boat with a pole and going across a large river.
Puzzle: One day a farmer decided that he had to move his farm to the other side of the river. He
carefully took all his possessions from one bank of the river to the other. It took him a long time
because he was a very poor farmer and his boat was very small. Finally, in the late afternoon, he
had only three things left to transfer: his chicken, his dog, and a bag of rice. But, because his
boat was so small, he could take only one thing at a time. He knew that if he left the chicken
with the bag of rice, the chicken would eat all the rice. He also knew that if he left his hungry
dog with the chicken, the dog would eat the chicken. How could he ensure that he could get all
three of his possessions safely across to the other side?
The facilitator tells the group they have 15 minutes to come up with a solution. The facilitator
gets into a place where s/he can observe the members of the group and take notes that can be
used to remind him/her about key points during the debrief.
The facilitator asks the group for their solutions. If there is someone with the “right” solution,
the facilitator calls on them last. People will come up with very creative solutions. Participants
can use the cutouts to demonstrate their solutions or simply tell the group.
(“Right” Solution: The farmer takes the chicken over first, leaving the dog with the rice. He
goes back to the other side and picks up the dog and takes him to the other side. He picks up the
chicken and takes her back, leaving her while he takes the rice to the other side where the dog is.
He goes back to pick up the chicken and takes her across.)
The facilitator spends time debriefing the group and brings up the key points that s/he wishes to
make. For example: Note that no one said that people had to work together and yet some chose
to do so. Why? Why did other people choose to work alone? Comment on different work styles
and note that sometimes “two heads are better that one.” If it is a multilingual group where
some do not speak the language of others, the facilitator may note that some people were left out
and could not contribute their ideas. What can the group do to ensure that everyone is getting the
benefit of each person's ideas/skills? The facilitator can note that some people talk out the
solution (audio), while others prefer to work with paper and pencil (visual), while others use
actual representations of the chicken, dog, and rice (kinesthetic). The group can comment about
roles that they played: leader, thinker, experimenter, time keeper, gatekeeper, etc. Someone may
have had the answer all along, but may not have been allowed to share it with the group. Why?
The facilitator can also talk about creative problem solving and how the “right” answer may not
necessarily be the best answer. “Group think” or the advantages of having a solution that the
group takes ownership in versus the answer that is in a book can also be discussed.
As a conclusion, you can have the group come up with a list of principles or norms that they
want to use to maximize their strengths during times when they need to problem solve.
Submitted by: Ann Conway, Country Director, Peace Corps/Turkmenistan
Credited to: The puzzle is in many brain teaser books.
Name – “Telephone”
Type: Icebreaker, energizer, closer activity
Purpose: To introduce aspects of communication, demonstrating how information
can be distorted when passed from one person to another verbally. AND
to just have fun and energize the group.
Time: 10 minutes depending on the number of people
Materials: None
Description:
Participants are arranged in a circle facing the center. One participant starts by whispering a
message to the person sitting next to her. The person who listened will turn to the person next to
her and whisper the same message. Continue this until the message reaches the last person in
the circle. The message should be said only once to each person. The last person in the circle
announces the message to the group and the first person announces the original message. The
original and the final message will most likely be different.
Submitted by: Kimberly Coy and Rhonda Maronn, PCV/Education, Peace
Corps/Tanzania
Name – “Resource Identification”
Type: Icebreaker: Group introduction through resource identification
This activity is suitable for use with a group who know each other well,
and the purpose therefore is to reaffirm colleagues perception of the
person as a member of the team and instill a sense of belonging to each
person. I used it with a TOT team that had members very familiar with
each other as they had served together on more than one PST.
Purpose: To review participants strengths and get to know each other better through
self reflection and perception by other team members.
To create group bonding and appreciation of each person’s (social and
professional) talents as a flavor to the team.
To make a quick review of the strengths that exists within the team.
Time: Variable, 1.5 hours (maximum) depending on group size
Size of Group: To be more effective as a one session activity, the group should not be
more than 20 people so that the activity will finish within the 1.5 hour
time slot. More than that it becomes dragging and may loose its flavor.
Materials: Paper and pen for each person; artistic materials may be provided in case
some people want to use visuals.
Description:
1. The facilitator says “Each person take three minutes and reflect on yourself as a member of
this PST team. Some of you have come back the fifth time, some the second time, so you
have gone through the screening process and are happy to be working for Peace Corps again.
Since many of us know each other well, it is important to reflect on the strengths we bring to
this team, some of the things that have made us come back for the third or fifth time
(whatever applies) and appreciate those as our strengths. These will be important to carry us
through the hard times. We also know the range of resources that we have and can bank on
during the course of PST.
2. “Please take three minutes and write down all the strong areas or attributes that you possess
that has made Peace Corps hire you (back) as a trainer.
3. “Form pairs and share your strengths with your pair. In sharing make sure your partner is
well conversant with your strengths because she/he is the one to introduce your strengths to
the larger team.” [5 minutes for sharing in pairs]
4. Come back to the large group and let each pair introduce the other. Start with one person
reading what their partner described as her or his strengths (this will certainly be a very small
list).
5. When that person is finished, let the audience add other attributes they know this person
possesses. The partner should write all the additions from the group.
6. This process turns into a lively activity as the group tries to appraise each person. When
finished, change places and do the same for each other.
7. At the end of the session, all the scripts are collected and typed. They may be distributed to
each participant as reference if desired, but certainly be part of the TOT report.
Submitted by: Margaret K. Rugambwa, Training Officer, Peace Corps/Tanzania
Credited to: Very original from Margaret K. Rugambwa,
Name – “The Human Spider Web”/”Human Knot”
Type: Energizer
Purpose: To warm up a new group and break down their inhibitions. To provide an
opportunity for participants to work as a team and explore the dimensions
of teamwork.
Time: About 15 minutes + discussion time
Materials: None
Description:
Select 68 volunteers from a large group to participate in an exercise or divide the entire group
into teams of 68 individuals. Have each group move to a location that allows them to stand in a
small circle.
Instruct members of each group to extend their left hands across the circle and grasp the left hand
of the other members who are approximately opposite them. Then have them extend their right
hands across the circle and grasp the right hands of other individuals.
Inform them that their task is to unravel the spider web of interlocking arms without letting go of
anyone's hands. They either will be timed as a way to place pressure on them, or will be
competing with other groups to see who finishes the task first.
Discussion Questions:
What was your first thought when you heard and or saw the nature of the task? What were some
of the behaviors you observed that helped the group solve the problem? What detracted? What
lessons as a group have you learned?
Submitted by: Elizabeth BeachHacking, Former PTO, Peace Corps/Slovakia; Veronique
Kaboui, Secretary/Travel Coordinator, Peace Corps/Burkina Faso; Paz B.
Meman, Asst. Training Officer, Peace Corps/Philippines.
Name – “Newspaper Art as a TeamBuilding Activity”
Type: Teambuilding
Purpose: To work together as a group towards a common goal, to examine decision
making processes in groups, and to identify important elements in
facilitating a positive working relationship
Time: Approximately 45 minutes
Size of Group: A minimum of 6, to form at least 2groups of 3, but best with larger groups
of about 20.
Materials: Stack of newspapers, roll of masking tape, and marker per group, prizes
(optional).
Description:
First, explain the purpose of activity: to work together as a group to produce a piece of
interesting art. Give the instructions: we will break up into groups of approximately four
people. Then each group will be given a short stack of newspapers, masking tape, and a marker.
Each team will have about 15 minutes to create an interesting object or piece of art with those
materials. At the end of the 15 minutes, each team will present their creation to the rest of the
group to determine which one is the most interesting.
The facilitator should then divide the group up into smaller groups of about 4 people. As Peace
Corps/Costa Rica has used this activity on Counterpart Day during PreService Training, we
have tried to put Trainees with their future counterparts in the same groups so they can get to
know each other and begin to work together.
Once the groups are divided, the facilitator should distribute the materials: a short stack of
newspapers, a marker, and a roll of masking tape. Once each group has the materials, the
facilitator should tell the groups to begin, reminding them they have only15 minutes. During the
15 minutes, the facilitator should wander around the room to observe how each group is making
decisions and working together. The facilitator should announce when there are only five
minutes left, two minutes left, and when the time is over.
The groups then come back together and, one by one, present their creation to the other groups.
Once all have presented, the facilitator should ask for applause for all the groups, and pass out
prizes to all (i.e., candy).
Then the facilitator should lead a discussion with the entire group to process the activity. Here
are some possible questions:
What happened?
How did each group determine what object would be made?
How well did the group work together?
Did some individuals dominate more than others?
Did some members feel excluded?
How did the group divide up the work of actually creating the object?
What helped or impaired the group's work?
What did you learn about your own style of working with a group?
What did you learn about others’ styles?
How can this be applied to your future relationship as Peace Corps Volunteers and
Counterparts?
What are some important elements that must exist to help facilitate a positive working
relationship?
The facilitator can wrap up the activity by encouraging Volunteers and counterparts to put into
practice some of the important elements identified in the activity.
Submitted by: Sarah Moran, Training Director, Peace Corps/Costa Rica
Credited to: I am not sure where the activity originated, but I learned about it from the
Center for Human Potential training center in Costa Rica.
Category: Team Builder
Name – “Reflections”
Type: Team building/CoTraining
Purpose: To get attendees involved in getting to know the power of nonverbal
communication, different peoples training styles, establish trust and
confidence in others, how to interact with others nonverbally and to be
able to apply the results of this activity to concepts of Team Building and
CoTraining.
Time: 510 minutes
Size of Group: Unlimited, but must be in pairs. If there is an odd number, the odd person
out can serve as an observer.
Materials: None
Description:
As an introduction to the activity, the facilitator can explain that the purpose of this activity is to
demonstrate the importance of communication both verbal and nonverbal in cotraining
situations and to get to know the leadership style of your cotrainer.
Give instructions to the group as follows: Ask the group to pair up, preferably with someone
they will be involved with in a cotraining situation in the future. Each pair should face each
other at a comfortable distance that allows them to place their hands in front of them with their
palms facing the other person and the palms of the other person held out closely but not actually
touching the opposite person’s palms.
When everyone is in position, instruct them that they must begin to move their hands in any sort
of motion with one person leading and the other following the other’s motions. There must be
no verbal discussion as to who will lead or when the lead shall or does change or what sort of
motions will be made..... in other words... NO TALKING.
Give everyone about 3 minutes to do the activity.
After they stop, process with the group what they felt and how the activity went for them. Some
good questions to ask include the following:
Who took the lead first? Where there any struggles between the two of you? Did you feel there
was good coordination? Was there an even amount of give and take? Did the other person try to
trick you? How could you apply what you learned to the concept of team building or co
training?
Submitted by: Tom Larson, Training Officer, Peace Corps/Ecuador
Credited to: SIETAR, CoTrainer workshop, Curacao, The Netherlands, 1997
Name – “Mirroring (verbal)”
Type: Icebreaker/energizer
of others.
get the hang of this.
Size of Group: An even number of people
Materials: None
Description:
As partners one person begins to speak, while the other person echoes/repeats (actually at the
same instant) the words spoken by your partner. A facilitator will say “switch” or blow a whistle,
and the partners change roles. However, the partner should continue the story where the other
person had left off. Again, it should be a smooth transition with a smooth flow.
Comedy.
Name – “Tick Tock”
Type: Icebreaker/energizer
of others
get the hang of this
Size of Group: Works well with 610 people
Materials: Simple objects (i.e., a spoon, a book, a cup, etc.).
Description:
Members are in a circle. One person is appointed “focal person” (person A) and given an object.
He/She is to hand this object to the next person (person B) and say “This is a_______” or “These
are ______.”
Person B replies, “A what?”
Person A answers, “A_______.”
Then person B takes the object and turns to his/her next person (person C) and says, “This is a
_______.”
Person C asks, “A what?”
Person B turns to Person A and asks again, “A what?”
And Person A repeats, “A _______.”
Person B says this to C, and then Person C turns to person D and says “This is a _______.”
......and so on and so on.
Remember the “A what?” question always has to go back to person A. When the object makes it
around the circle, the last person says to person A “This is a _____.” Person A asks “A what?” It
goes back around the circle until it gets back to person A who answers with “A ______.” The
answer travels back around the circle to Person A who accepts the object. That is how you teach
the game to the group.
The real fun begins when you give the focal person two objects—one goes to the right and one
goes to the left.
Comedy.
Name “Making Beautiful Music Together”
Type: Opening or closing
Purpose: To celebrate the team and talk about teamwork
Time: 2030 minutes
Size of Group: Any size, the more the merrier!
Materials: One small cheap plastic play instrument per person. You can get
instruments at children's stores or party stores: kazoos, whistles of
different kinds, siren blowers, party blowers, trombone whistles,
Halloween twirlers, etc., 2 or more of each instrument. You may have to
get these in the States, or, in your country there are everyday instruments
that people use, like whistles, drums, string instruments, scratching
instruments, etc.
Musical score: The score is made by representing each instrument with a
symbol. For example: asterisk for kazoo; check for party blower; spiral
for Halloween twirler, etc. Each symbol is done with a different color
magic marker. Before the session, the facilitator maps out the score.
Description:
Before showing the score and handing out the instruments, the facilitator asks the group how
they are like an orchestra. The group may make comparisons on how each is a unique
instrument that has a part to play; how they have to listen to each other, pay attention to the
conductor/leader; how they compliment each other even though they are different, etc. More
analogies can be made as the session progresses.
The facilitator hands out an instrument to each participant. They play their instruments in mass
pandemonium until the facilitator stops them and points out that to make music together, each
person has to know how to play his/her instrument (staff development, skill building). The
facilitator has each “section” play their instruments for practice (kazoos all at once, then
trombones, etc.) If they don't get it quite right, they practice. The facilitator, now acting as the
conductor, can direct them to play softly or loudly by using hand signals. After practicing, the
conductor presents the score (or the work plan). The conductor notes that each person has a part
to play during certain points in the process (just like in the office).
Finally, it's time for the performance! The conductor, with pointer in hand, leads the orchestra
through the score. The group will undoubtedly want to play the score more than once. They
may even want to play it backwards. The facilitator and/or group can make any other comments
about teamwork and end the session on a high note.
Credited to: About twentyfive years ago I participated in a music workshop for school
teachers. The facilitator introduced the activity, but we used spoons,
clapping hands, snapping fingers, stomping feet, etc., to demonstrate how
a class can make music that sounds like nature, i.e., thunder and rain. I
changed the activity to musical instruments and used it at the end of a
Peace Corps staff retreat. The staff loved it, practiced the “piece” several
times, and took the instruments home with them. The instruments were a
nice “momento” or reminder of the conference.
Name – “Secret Hat Trick”
Type: Team building
Purpose: Getting to know each other better
Time: 20 minutes
Materials: Slips of paper, pencils, hat.
Description:
Each person places a “secret” about themselves on a slip of paper placed in a hat. These slips are
drawn from the hat and the rest of the participants must guess who that person is. Process the
meaning of what we often don’t know about each other.
Submitted by: Shari Howe, Technical Training Specialist, Peace Corps/Washington
Category: Energizer
Name – “Everyone Who __________”
Type: Energizer
Purpose: To get people out of their seats
Time: May last 1015 minutes. The facilitator may end it at any time.
Size of Group: 5 – 30+ people
Materials: Chairs arranged in a circle are needed for all people except one (i.e., there
should be one less chair than the number of participants).
Description:
The activity begins by everyone seated in a circle except the facilitator who is standing. The
facilitator thinks of something that identifies at least one person of the group and says “Everyone
who has/is ________, find another seat.” This could be “wears glasses,” “is wearing a white
shirt,” “is from Minnesota,” “has a younger sister,” “speaks Uzbek,” etc. Everyone this pertains
to plus the facilitator rush to find an empty seat. One person will inevitably be without a seat and
that person is the next to call an identifiable feature to the group. And it continues until the
facilitator decides to call the last round.
This is a great exercise for a midafternoon slump to get people up and moving. It is also a great
language practice exercise as participants learn vocabulary words and learn to form sentences.
Submitted by: Noelle Smith, PST Director, Peace Corps/Uzbekistan
Credited to: Borrowed from Bachir Tidiani, Language Coordinator, Peace Corps/Niger
Category: Energizer
Name “A Noisy Story”
Type: Icebreaker or reconvene after a break
Purpose: Increase concentration. Works well when used after a break, late in the
day when concentration is waning and with children or adults who are not
used to being in workshops. Helps to quiet down and focus a group.
Time: 5 minutes
Size of Group: 440 people
Materials: A good imagination
Description:
The group is sitting in a circle. The facilitator tells a story. Each time the facilitator mentions
something in the story that makes a sound, he/she points to someone in the group. That person
must make the sound.
For example: I was walking down the road, and I passed a house that had a pig (points to
member of group), and a chicken (points to another member of the group). Then I knocked on
the door (points to another member of the group) and heard someone inside the house making
tortillas (points to another person). etc. etc.
Submitted by: Anne Lifflander, MD, PCMO, Peace Corps/Nicaragua
Credited to: Learned when working with the Comisiòn de la Sociedad Civil Contra el
SIDA.
Category: Energizer
Name “Tune In”
Type: Either an icebreaker or an energizer. The activity is especially handy
when used before another activity requiring small group work.
Purpose: The activity is great for lowering barriers, encouraging movement and
expression, providing a fun way to break into small groups, and can often
be adapted to match thematically with a conference topic, location, or
seasonal holiday. Difficulties in implementation can be experienced with
groups of radically culturally diverse participants.
Time: Proportional to group size, but shouldn't take much more than 10 minutes
Size of Group: Between 10 and 80 participants
Materials: Strips of paper with the titles of songs, one strip per participant
Description:
The activity requires careful preplanning. The titles of songs must be known by a majority
(hopefully all) of the participants, hence the difficulties with radically culturally diverse groups.
Each song must be assigned to more than one participant, giving you control of how many, and
what size groups you will end up with at the end of the exercise. Make sure the songs are
appropriate for the group and the occasion.
The facilitator distributes the strips randomly, one per participant. Each participant must then
move about the room humming or singing the song he has drawn. The activity continues until all
participants have found their songgroup.
The versatility of the activity is now evident, and it is up to the trainer how to take advantage of
it. Options include group introductions, small group assignments/discussions, singing contests,
etc. The activity can also be continued as a “bookend,” and if there was a group assignment,
perhaps “winners” or “losers” can sing their song for the entire group as a session closer. We
used it with Christmas carols because of the conference timing, and it was a first class mood
elevator.
Submitted by: Modifications were made by Natalia Chaban, Technical Training
Coordinator, and Chris Mrozowski, Training Director, Peace
Corps/Ukraine.
Credited to: The basic activity idea came from an unaccredited, Xeroxed collection of
icebreaker ideas that can be traced as far back as far as University of
Wisconsin/Madison, but whose real origins are unknown.
Category: Energizer
Name – “Group Juggling”
Type: Energizer
Purpose: To foster group cooperation. To develop throwing and catching skills.
Time: 10 minutes
Size of Group: Groups of 5 7
Materials: A supply (a few more than one per person) of relatively soft, throwable
objects—tennis balls, nerf balls, bean bags, etc.
Description:
If you have a large group of people, ask them to break up into smaller groups of 5 – 7. Have
each group stand in a circle about 1215 feet wide.
A designated thrower in each group keeps the throwable objects nearby and throws one to a
person across the circle. That person then lobs it to the person in the circle next to the thrower.
The ball should go around the circle in sequence. Continue this as long as possible, until
everyone is comfortable with it.
Once everyone has developed some knack, the thrower starts the ball again, but this time another
ball, then eventually another, until there is a ball being kept up simultaneously for each person in
the circle. Try reversing the direction of the balls, i.e., throwing to the person you formerly
received from.
Try keeping one more object in the air than there are people. Now that’s juggling.
Submitted by: Jim Russell, Training Specialist, IAP, Peace Corps/Washington
Credited to: From Silver Bullets, by Karl Rohnke, p. 112
Category: Energizer
Name “Chair Dance”
Type: Energizer/Warmingup
Purpose: To get the energy flowing. It's not always possible to build in a break in a
tight training schedule. After lunch people tend to slow down.
Time: 1015 minutes
Size of Group: Unlimited—
Materials: Tape player, cassette with music, chairs
Description:
After lunch, form a circle of chairs with the seats on the outside. Number of chairs: according to
the number of participants, but minus some (4 or 5 ) chairs, depending how long you want to go
on with the game, until one person is left. Play nice music (for best results: local music).
Participants will dance around the chairs in a circle while the music is playing. At a certain
moment (after 2 or 3 min) you stop the music. Everyone should find a chair to sit. The ones who
did not find a chair are out. You take some chairs out and repeat playing the music. You repeat
taking chairs out and playing the music until one person is left.
Submitted by: Carmelita Hoogvliets, APCD\Training, IAP, Peace Corps/Suriname
Credited to: No one in particular: It's an old game that I learned at school when I was
young and again it worked very well during our last IST training with
counterparts!!!
Category: Energizer
Name “Sending Letters”
Type: Energizer
Purpose: To wake everyone up
Time: As little or as long as you need
Size of Group: 10 or more
Materials: Enough chairs to seat everyone but one person
Description:
All participants sit in a big circle around the instructor. The instructor stands in the middle of the
circle and states, “I have a letter for everyone in the room who. . .” and s/he fills in the blank
with some thing like “. . . is wearing shoes.” or “. . .likes icecream.” Something along those
lines. Everyone in the circle, including the instructor, who matches the that description must
stand up and run to find another chair. The person who is left without a chair needs to stand in
the middle of the circle and begin the process all over again, but with a different description.
The energizer continues until the instructor sees fit to stop it.
Submitted by: Dawn Chism, Peace Corps Volunteer Coordinator, Peace Corps/Honduras
Credited to: Claudia Romagosa, Health Trainer
Category: Energizer
Name – “Animal Guessing Name”
Type: Energizer
Purpose: To energize people, get them involved in a fun activity and attract their
attention.
Time: 20 minutes or more if desired
Materials: None
Description:
Start out with people standing in a circle. One person starts by acting out physically or making
sounds of one of the animals. The rest of the participants have to guess the name of the animal
being imitated. Once the name is guessed correctly, another person gets a turn to act another
animal and this next person is chosen by counting two people to the right of the one who guesses
it right. This way, there is good motivation for participants to guess the name early enough and
avoid having to be called on for the acting.
When done in a mixed group of Americans and HCNs it is interesting to see the type of animals
being imitated by the two groups.
Submitted by: Terry Murphree, Admin Officer, Peace Corps/Tanzania. (Former PST
Training Manager with CHP International.)
Category: Energizer
Name – “Buzz Fizz Game”
Type: Energizer
Purpose: As an energizer to get minds working, or an introduction to a seemingly
easy, but very important activity or task. It can also be used to do
language drills with numbers.
Materials: None
Description:
People stand in a big circle. The objective is to count up to 50 by calling out the numbers 150.
However, for every 5 or a multiple of 5 (i.e., 5, 10, 15, 20, ...), one should not call out the
number; instead just say “Buzz.” For the numbers 7 or multiples of 7 (i.e., 7, 14, 17, 21,
27, .....), they should say “Fizz.” For numbers that share both 5 and 7, such as 35, one says
“Buzz Fizz.”
If a person makes a mistake, or hesitates to respond when it is that person’s turn, the counting
starts all over again. The game can continue until at least people have had some fun in making
mistakes and are just about to master the rules.
The facilitator can decide to stop the game at any desired time.
Submitted by: Joel Wallach, Country CoDirector, Peace Corps/Tanzania
Category: Energizer
Name – “Elephants and Giraffes”
Type: Energizer
Purpose: Physical exercise and team work
Materials: None
Description:
People stand in a big circle. The facilitator demonstrates how three people can make elephant
and giraffe formations using their body parts (hands, legs, bottoms, etc). As they practice, the
facilitator then calls to different people in the circle and two people next to the pointed person
have to get into a group and make a giraffe or an elephant. If the group is currently in an
elephant formation, they switch to giraffe and vice versa. This activity gets them physically
involved as they change from one form to another and try to make real shapes of these animals
by mere positioning and body formations of the group members.
Once they have mastered the game and formations, the facilitator moves fast appointing people
to make formation fast. They soon get confused—then its time to stop the game.
Submitted by: Joel Wallach, CountryDirector, Peace Corps/Tanzania
Category: Energizer
Name – “Going to a Zoo” (Roles and Responsibilities)
Type: Energizer
Purpose: This is a fun activity, may be used to have everybody get up, walk around,
laugh and smile. It can also illustrate the importance of team work.
Time: 15 to 20 minutes
Size of Group: Anywhere from 10 to 30 people
Materials: Room for the group to comfortably stand in a circle
Description:
Everybody stands in a circle. The facilitator is in the center, and explains that the choices are a
squirrel, an elephant, and a tree. Then the facilitator points to somebody in the circle and names
squirrel, elephant, or tree. The person pointed to becomes the center of the animal or the tree.
Two people to his/her sides will be the sides of the animal or tree.
The group of three now imitates the animal/tree. If they are squirrel, the center person imitates a
squirrel eating a nut. The side people provide for ears (with hands to the center person’s head).
To imitate an elephant, the center person imitates a elephant's head and the trunk with the hands.
The side people show the ears waving. To show the tree, the center becomes the trunk (hands up)
swaying to a breeze. The side people provide branches with their hands. Whoever fails to do
his/her part becomes the facilitator.
Submitted by: Kazbek Aubakirov, Economic Development Assistant, Peace
Corps/Kazakhstan
Credited to: The idea came from Peace Corps seminar on Project Design and
Management, the session on roles and responsibilities.
Category: Energizer
Name – “The Winds Are Blowing”
Type: Icebreaker and energizer
Purpose: To energize the group and to allow participants to get to know each other a
little better in a fun and active manner
Time: Unlimited
Materials: Very strong chairs
Description:
Participants sit in chairs arranged in a circle facing the center. One participant will not have a
chair and will stand in the center of the circle. The person in the center of the circle will say
“The wind are blowing...” and add something like “... for anyone who has a birthday in March”
or “... for anyone under 25 years old.” All participants who fit this description must stand up and
move to a new chair. The participant in the center must also find a chair. However, there will
always remain one participant who does not have a chair. This person will stand in the center of
the circle and continue with a new “The winds are blowing...” statement.
To make it more of a gettoknowyou activity, advise participants to use gettoknowyou kinds
of statements (e.g., about family, likes/dislikes, etc.) as opposed to statements about observable
qualities (e.g., “... for anyone wearing red shoes.”)
Submitted by: Kimberly Coy, PCV/Education, and Rhonda Maroon, PCV/Education,
Category: Energizer
Name – “The Standing Ovation”
Type: Energizer
Purpose: To provide a bit of levity to the beginning of a session.
Time: 3 5 minutes
Materials: None
Description:
1. Walk into the room in which participants are assembled.
2. Invite everyone to stand up and spread out (approximately an arm’s length apart).
3. Tell them that to make sure they are awake and receptive to the next session, you will lead
them in an exercise designed to help them get their blood circulating, and stimulate the nerve
ending in their hands.
4. Direct them to stretch their arms at their sides (horizontally from their bodies). Then ask
them to rapidly bring their hands together in front, then back to their side, repeating the two
step sequence about 10 times in rapid succession.
5. Conclude by telling the group that you are not sure how much better they feel now, but that
you feel really good, because this is the first time in all your years of training that you have
begun your session to a standing ovation!
Credited to: Lee Beckner, UT
Category: Energizer
Name – “Accentuate the Positive”
Type: Energizer or closer
Purpose: To offer trainees an opportunity to identify the strengths or positive
qualities of one another
Time: 15 minutes
Materials: One sheet of paper for each participant and a variety of crayons and
markers plus some tape
Description:
This is a great activity to use with a group that has established a relationship. It is also a good
activity to use at the end of a tough week. As trainees enter the classroom, tape a piece of blank
white paper to their backs. Explain that the purpose of the activity is for trainees to circulate
amongst each other and using a marker or crayon of their choice, write something on the backs
of the other trainees that is positive. Explain that the objective of the activity is for trainees to
take note or recognize each others strengths. While they are circulating it is nice to play some
fun music.
After trainees have finished writing, ask them to find a partner. The partners remove the paper
from each other's backs. Ask all of them to read their own piece of paper and discuss with their
partner how it makes them feel. Ask the large group if anyone has any thoughts or responses to
share. I have found that a lot of trainees actually save this paper and take it with them to their
sites!
Submitted by: Rain Donohue, APCD Education, Peace Corps/Kenya
Credited to: I think me.
Category: Energizer
Name – “Build a Machine”
Type: Energizer
Purpose: Team building
Time: 20 minutes
Size of Group: Any number
Materials: None
Description:
The first person is asked to come to the middle of a circle and find a position and a motion with
noise. She/he begins the start of the machine. Another person joins in. She/he must touch the
first person, take another position with movement and noise. And so on. The facilitator can ask
the machine to speed up and to slow down. Process how we work together for a finetuned
machine.
Category: Energizer
Name “The Storm”
Type: Icebreaker and energizer
Purpose: To focus the attention of a group, to spend some energy
Time: Less than 5 minutes
Size of Group: From 10 to infinity
Materials: None
Description:
Your group can be sitting in just about any formation (circle, rows, or groups), in chairs or
standing. Stand in front of the group and explain that you are all going to make some sounds
with your bodies and coordinate them to make a storm. There are four sounds involved, which
you should demonstrate one by one and have the group repeat:
- rub your hands together (wind)
- snap you fingers (drizzle)
- slap your thighs (rain)
- stamp you feet (thunder)
Now that the group has done the four sounds together, explain that you are now going to do the
sounds one following the other. When you pass in front of them, they must make the sound that
you are making. Say that you will start at one end of the room or circle, and members should
remain silent until you pass in front of them, at which point they should imitate you. Explain
that they should continue making the sound that you are making until you pass by them again,
making the next sound.
Now do it.
Stand in front of the first person or group of people and begin rubbing your hands together. Pass
slowly in front of all participants until each person is rubbing his or her hands together. Stand in
front of the person that you started with and begin snapping. Pass in front of the group in the
same manner for each sound. The end result should be that every one is stamping their feet. At
this point make the storm die down by reversing the order of the sounds. Pass by slapping your
thighs, then snapping, then rubbing your hands, ending in silence.
If it worked, you will have created the sound of a raging thunderstorm and participants will be
energized from the effort . This is a great activity for all ages, group sized from 10 members to
giant auditoriums.
Submitted by: Nora Lyons, Peace Corps Volunteer, Peace Corps/Costa Rica
Credited to: Trainings that I have given and received over the years
Category: Energizer
Name – “The Hokey Pokey”
Type: Energizer or closer activity
Purpose: To get participants refreshed and active. It is also used for group bonding,
very popular with HCNs if one has to reciprocate a cultural activity with a
US cultural activity. This can be used as an energizer during the
workshop, and if the workshop is two days or more where there are
opportunities to practice more than once, then it turn into a bonding
activity. You can then use it at the end of your workshop as a closure.
Time: 10 minutes
Size of Group: Unlimited, but perhaps enough to make a complete circle within one room
or location
Materials: Only people willing to participate
Description:
Just do the Hokey Pokey!
This is a very common game/song in the States, so if you have a mixed group of participants,
(HCNs and PCVs), you can pull this off spontaneously with very little practice. HCNs can
follow very easily by copying from the Americans. It is particularly effective when people are in
a happy mood and have done a local community song or dance. It is then nice to introduce them
to a similar American community song or dance as a cross cultural exchange or just to balance
things off.
Words of The Hokey Pokey:
“You put your [right foot] in. You put your [right foot] out. You put your [right foot] in and you
shake it all about. You do the Hokey Pokey and you turn yourself around. That's what it's all
about.”
For subsequent verses use other parts of the body: left foot, head, backside, whole self.
Write the words down on a board.
Demonstrate the song and actions.
Use this at any appropriate time, as an energizer or closer.
Submitted by: Margaret Rugambwa, Training Officer, Peace Corps/Tanzania; and
Kimberly Coy, PCV/Education, Peace Corps/Tanzania
Credited to: Whoever invented the Hokey Pokey song/dance.
Category: Closure
Name “Say Nice Things Behind My Back”
Type: Closing of a workshop or segment of training (e.g., end of TOT, last
session before Trainees split up to go to their respective training sites after
onetwo weeks together, end of a staff retreat)
Purpose: To acknowledge contributions/attributes of others, to say thank you
Time: About 3040 minutes. Sometimes groups do not want to stop.
510 minutes introduction and set up
20 minutes writing
510 minutes reading
Materials: One sheet of white or light colored paper per person; one writing utensil
per person (preferably pen and more fun if there are different colors of
pens in the group); pieces of masking tape per person to tape one piece of
paper on the back of each person. (It's best if the pieces of tape are already
cut to shorten the setup time.)
Description:
The facilitator opens the session by talking about what has been accomplished during the
workshop/conference, the importance of the participation of each person, the final product as a
compilation of many contributions from many people, etc. The facilitator then says that we all
need to take time to acknowledge the contributions of others and today they are going to say nice
things behind each other's back. The facilitator demonstrates by taping a piece of paper on the
back of one of the participants. Facilitator makes the materials available to the rest of the
participants. Participants will naturally begin snaking lines around the room.
At the close of the session, the facilitator encourages all participants to keep their sheets and
refer to them when they need a lift.
You will find that staff members pin their sheet to a bulletin board in their office. I have seen
Trainees who thought that they were not liked by the members of their group cry when they read
the nice things that people said about them. The activity ends any experience on a real high, and
even the “hardest” people break into a smile.
Credited to: I originally experienced this activity during OST in 1997. Thanks to
whoever introduced it! I have used it with staff and trainees.
Category: Closure
Name – “Treasure Box”
Type: Closure activity
Purpose: To share last thoughts and memories that weren't said during the workshop
Time: Depends on size of the group approximately one minute sharing per
person
Size of Group: Most appropriate for groups of up to 45 people
Materials: Select an item of “value” or handicraft of the host country, i.e. wooden
bowl uniquely carved by mountain people of Carpathian Mountains in
Ukraine.
Description:
Start the activity with a staff member who shares what he/she gained from the group to put into
the treasure box and what he/she shared with the group. If it’s a COS workshop, you might say
while describing and showing the treasure box “This is an Ukrainian treasure box. The design
on the outside is simple. You wouldn't know what valuables are inside unless you looked. On
the inside of the box you will see all the carvings and etchings, carved with special care.
Because this box is so special Ukrainians will only put items they value in it, and will take out
something from the box only for special reasons. What I took from your group and put into the
box is the appreciation for your individual talents and diversity of experiences and unique ways
of expressing them which enabled me to be more flexible in how I interacted with you
(Volunteers), etc. . . . . . .”
Note: participants may choose not to say anything but its okay. Sometimes the silence expresses
what they are unable to say in words.
The box is then passed to the person on the left. The box is passed around the circle until it
returns back to the originator. The originator may say “Now the box is full of treasures. . . . . .”
Submitted by: Adapted by Valerie Ibaan, PTO, Peace Corps/Ukraine
Credited to: Closure activities used at other Peace Corps workshops
Category: Closure
Name – “Volley Ball Stickers”
Type: Closer activity
Purpose: To give a chance for every one to share goodbyes or comments at the end
of a training activity
Time: 1.25 hours
Size of Group: Up to 50 people
Materials: Volleyball, masking tape, marker pen or pen
Description:
Write names of all the participants on pieces of a masking tape. Stick these names around the
volley ball. At the end of the training activity, let everyone stand in a big circle. As the
facilitator or anyone who may be selected to start the ball rolling, pick some one's name and pull
it off from the ball. Pass the ball over to this person. It is that person's turn to say goodbyes or
share remarks. When this person is finished, she or he picks the next person by taking a name
sticker off the ball. This continues until there is no name on the ball, which means everyone has
had a turn.
There could be some interesting group dynamics discovered during this activity. For instance,
the last person to speak might be of a certain character or commanding a degree of group respect
and is given the chance to say the last words.
Submitted by: Terry Murphree, Admin Officer, Peace Corps/Tanzania. (Former PST
Training Manager with CHP International.)
Category: Closure
Name – “You're OK!”
Type: Closer
Purpose: To ensure closing a seminar on a positive note
Time: 1520 minutes
Materials: Plain sheets of paper (to be environmentally friendly, use scrap paper with
one side unused)
Description:
Distribute a sheet of paper to each participant. Each person writes her/his name on the top of the
paper. The papers are then passed around the group, at which time everyone writes one positive
comment about the respective individuals. When the time is up the papers are returned to each
person.
Submitted by: Rhonda Maronn, PCV/Education, and Kimberly Coy, PCV/Education,
Credited to: from: Still More Games Trainers Play by Edward E. Scannell and John
W. Newstrom
Category: Closure
Name – “PST Massage/Closure”
Type: Energizer/Closure
Purpose: To bring to a close a PreService Training while at the same time giving
the Trainees the opportunity to show appreciation to each other for all the
support they got from their fellow Trainees and staff during the PST.
Time: 30 45 minutes
Materials: A copy of the PST daytoday schedule with all the generic sessions.
Some posts have the practice of posting an enlarged copy of the schedule
on a bulletin board for everyone to see. It would be best to use this same
copy for the session.
Description:
Before starting this activity make sure that there is an open space for everyone to mill around or
form a circle.
1) Since this would probably be the last big group session before the SwearingIn, call the
attention of the group by walking them through the PST schedule.
Mention the highlights of each week, e.g., start of the homestay, courtesy calls made,
community simulation to test language proficiency, field trip to a waste management project,
beach cleanup, technical presentations, language proficiency interviews, etc.
After you have given the highlights, ask the Trainees for additional comments.
Post the question “What’s the best thing that happened to you in this PST?” or “What
adjective could you give to describe this PST?” or “What’s your greatest accomplishment in
this PST?” These questions should help them accomplish the written PST evaluation to be
given later on.
Depending on the creativity of the facilitator, oneword responses may be written on a sheet
of paper using different colors of markers to produce an art work. Ask for last comments.
2) Ask the Trainees and staff to stand and form a circle and then make a 90degree turn to the
right. If there’s too much space in between them, you can ask the participants to make a step
to the left. Just make sure that everyone is able to touch the shoulders of the person in front
of them. Tell everyone to give each other a massage. After 3 minutes, instruct the group to
make a left about face (180degree turn) and do the same thing to the person to their front for
another 3 minutes.
3) Get the attention of the group and tell them to mill around and show appreciation to each
other by giving a hug, a handshake, or a peck on the cheek. After 5 minutes, tell everyone to
go back to their seats. Ask two or three participants to give their comments on the activity.
Close the session by thanking them for their participation and give final announcements, if
any.
4) Tell the staff that they can now leave the room while the Trainees complete the Final PST
Evaluation questionnaire.

Notes:
1. This session would be facilitated best by the Project Director.
2. For some cultures, Activities 2 and 3 may not be acceptable. Facilitator should modify the
activities according to what is appropriate in the local culture.
Credited to: Except for Activity #2, all other activities are original
Category: Closure
Name “Candle Circle”
Type: Closer: for a workshop on selfesteem
Purpose: To increase selfesteem
Time: 3040 minutes
Size of Group: Two or more
Materials: Candles and matches
Description:
The group is divided into smaller groups of no more than five people with a leader in each small
group. Each group is given a candle and matches, as well as a dark, quiet place to sit (preferably
on the floor) in a circle, knee to knee. The leader will light the candle and hand it to a random
member of the circle.
S/he will then talk a little about selfesteem and making people feel good. S/he will go on to
explain all the hard work that went into the workshop and all the benefits they got out of it, one
of those benefits being each other. The leader will describe the dynamics as one which increases
others’ selfesteem. . .the person holding the candle will close his or her eyes for the duration and
the other members of the circle will go around, starting with the leader, and state why they
appreciate the member who is holding the candle. When everyone is finished, the candle will be
passed to the next member and the process will continue until everyone has had a boost in their
selfesteem.
Submitted by: Dawn Chism, Peace Corps Volunteer Coordinator, Peace Corps/Honduras
Credited to: University of Washington Newman Center, Seattle, WA
Category: Closure
Name – “Trimming the Tree”
Type: Opening and closing
Purpose: An excellent affirmation exercise
Time: 2030 minutes, depending on size of group
Materials: Lots of bits of paper, colors, glue, glitter, yarn, etc.
Description:
At the beginning of the conference there is a participatory session on affirming positive steps in
each Volunteer’s placement. This is done by creating a tree as a symbol of your positive steps
thus far. As you present your ornament to the rest of the group before placing it on the tree you
quickly discuss what the ornament means to you as a Volunteer at this time in your service. At
the end of the conference in a wrapup session each person removes the ornament and makes a
statement about what the conference meant to them.
Category: Closure
Name – “No Name”
Type: Closure
Purpose: Great for selfesteem building
Time: 15 minutes
Materials: One sheet of paper (11x14) for each participant and a variety of crayons
and markers plus some tape.
Description:
They are asked to decorate this with artwork, etc. any way they like. They put their name on the
paper. This is then passed around and each person writes a positive comment about all the others
at the conference. (This can also be done by hanging up the individual sheets to be filled in.) At
the end there is a strong affirmation of who we are and what we brought to the conference.

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