Leadership Games &

Activities

By Katherine Beggs & Lacey Solheid
Interns at Montana State University Billings
Summer 2013
Ice Breaker Games

 Two Truths & A Lie

 Ask each person in the group to think of two true facts about
themselves, and one lie.
 Each person in the group takes a turn telling the group their
three items.
 The group then has to agree on which fact they think is a lie.
Once the group announces their decision, the speaker tells the
group the correct answer. The group then can talk about any of
the interesting things they just learned about the new person.
 Variation: Each person writes down their 2 truths and a lie on a
piece of paper and hands it in anonymously. Read each card
randomly one at a time. The group has to decide who the person
on the card is, as well as the lie.
University of South Carolina. University 101 Seminar Faculty Resource Manual.
 Speed Dating

 The leader has the group randomly pair up. Once introductions between partners
are made, the leader gives the group a topic to discuss with their partner for 30
seconds or so.
 At the end of the time, the leader will call for the group to switch partners and call
out a new topic.
 Try to choose topics that are both fun and insightful. Examples include:
 If you could have lunch with anyone from history, who would it be?
 If you could be granted one wish, what would it be?
 If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
 If you could be any animal, what would you be?
 Describe your perfect day.
 If you could eat one type of food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
 If you were stranded on a deserted island, who are three people you would want with
you?
 Where’s the prettiest place you’ve ever been?

http://www.ultimatecampresource.com/site/camp-activity/face-to-face.html
 Beach Ball Game

 Students stand in a circle. Leader has a beach ball that has a
bunch of different questions written on it. Someone starts by
throwing the ball to a random person in the group.
Whichever question your right thumb lands on the ball is the
question you must answer. Student then throws ball to next
random person until everyone has answered a question.
 Examples of questions written on beach ball:
 What is your favorite color?
 What is your favorite beach or mountains?
 First email address?
 Horror or comedy movies?

University of South Carolina. University 101 Seminar Faculty Resource Manual.

 Picnic Name Game

 Students sit in a circle. One starts by saying their
name and a food that starts with the same letter as
their first name that they would bring on a picnic
(James would bring juice).  
 Each person next in the circle must say their name
and picnic item, and the name and picnic item of
each person before them.
 True That, Double True

 Students stand in a circle. One student in the circle says
something about themselves (it can be anything; their
favorite food, favorite tv show, etc.).
 For any student who agrees with the statement, they step
into the circle and yell “True that!”. For any student who
really agrees with the statement, they step into the circle
and yell “True that, double true!”.
 Each student says something about themselves until
everyone has participated. The more enthusiasm with the
chanting of “True that, double true,” the better!

University of South Carolina. University 101 Seminar Faculty Resource Manual.

 Silent Line-Up

 Students are standing and must form a straight line that is
alphabetical by middle name without talking. They can
make hand signals, but cannot say anything to one
another. Once they’ve formed the line, they each say their
middle name in order to see if they’ve gotten it correct.
 Variations
 Birthdays (by month or by oldest to youngest)
 How far they have traveled
 Place they were born
 Human Scavenger Hunt

 A human scavenger hunt is just like a regular scavenger
hunt, but the students are looking for others with
various traits, all the while learning a bit about their
classmates and getting out of their comfort zones a little.
Tell the students they have 10 minutes to find someone
who fits the following categories and each person can
only sign your paper once. They cannot sign their own
sheet.
Source: http://smallstrokesbigoaks.com/2010/08/11/getting-to-know-you-human-scavenger-hunt-edition/
 Human Scavenger Hunt

Likes broccoli ______________________________________________________
Ate breakfast before school this morning ________________________________
Likes to work out ___________________________________________________
Can recite the alphabet backwards (prove it!) ____________________________
Is a Sox fan _______________________________________________________
Is the oldest child ___________________________________________________
Is the youngest child ________________________________________________
Is a middle child ____________________________________________________
Is an only child _____________________________________________________
Has a pet (what kind?) ______________________________________________
Can speak another language other than English __________________________
Has been out of the country (where?) __________________________________
Has been out of the state (where?) ____________________________________
Is wearing socks that aren’t white _____________________________________
Eats Hawaiian pizza _________________________________________________
Read more than one book over the summer _____________________________
Watches or reads the news every day __________________________________
Reads his/her horoscope every day ____________________________________
Plays a musical instrument (which one?) ________________________________
Plays a sport (which one?) ___________________________________________
 Completed Thought

 The group leader begins by stating that this learning experience is designed to explore
the participants’ thought processes. After giving each participant a pencil and a piece
of paper, the trainer explains that the group members will be listening to a series of
incomplete statements.  The participants will be writing down the statement and then,
using their own words, completing the thought.  For example: “If I could be anyone, I
would be ____.” 
 The leader then reads the first incomplete sentence to the participants.  After giving the
group members one minute to copy down and then complete the thought, the trainer
proceeds to the second statement, continuing the aforementioned process until the
participants have completed all 10 statements.
 When the participants have finished, the trainer rereads the statements one at a time
and asks each group member to share his or her responses with the group.  At any
interval, the group members may discuss or question the rationale for a participants’
response.
 The trainer may conclude the activity by discussing the similarities and differences
among the group members’ responses.
 Completed Thought

Statements to be Completed List
 Today I wish I were _____.
 The main reason I am here is _____.
 My dream vacation is _____.
 I choose friends who are _____.
 I think my best quality is my _____.
 This week I am hoping to learn _____.
 A pet peeve of mine is _____.
 My favorite pastime is _____.
 The rest of the summer I am _____.
 If I could have any job, it would be _____.
http://voices.yahoo.com/group-activities-ice-breakers-help-people-to-43517.html
 We’re All Connected

 Students can be sitting or standing in a circle.
 One person starts out holding the ball of string and a
piece of the string. They say their name and two things
they like or are passionate about. They then throw the
ball of string (while still holding the string) to a new
person.
 That new person says the name of the previous person
and their two interests, and then says their own name
and their two interests. They hold onto a piece of string
and throw the ball to a new person. Eventually, there is
a web of string that shows that connects everyone
University of South Carolina. University 101 Seminar Faculty Resource Manual.
 Notecard Activity

 Give students a note card and tell them to write
down three interesting facts (characteristics,
significant events, accomplishments, etc.) about
themselves.
 They should not write their names on the cards.
When they are finished, collect the cards. Have the
students randomly choose one of the cards and have
the group guess whose card it is based on the facts.

University of South Carolina. University 101 Seminar Faculty Resource Manual.

Energizers

 “Transformation” Rock, Paper Scissors

 Everyone starts out as an egg by squatting down low and waddling


like an egg. "Eggs" find another egg and play a game of rock-paper-
scissors. The winners turn into a chicken.
 Chickens move on to find other chickens, and eggs continue to play
against other eggs. The losers of each round go down one level
(Chickens go back to being eggs, Dinosaurs go back to chickens,
ultimate beings go back to being dinosaurs).
 Each time a player wins a r-p-s bout, they transform into the next
stage. The game can continue for as long as you would like it to.
 The "transformations" and actions are:
 Egg: squatting down low near ground
 Chicken: putting thumbs under armpits and flapping elbows
 Dinosaur/Raptor – arms out and walking like a raptor
 Ultimate Being: Arms up in the air like you just won a race

Adapted from: http://www.ultimatecampresource.com/site/camp-activity/evolution-aka-ultimate-person-or-transformation.html

 Minute Mysteries

Present clue to the group. They can only ask yes or no questions to solve the mystery.
Mystery 1
Clue:  A man pushes his car in front of a hotel and says “I’m broke and I’m out!”. What
happened?
Answer: He is playing monopoly
Mystery 2
Clue: A body is found in the middle of a field with a ring on his finger. How did he die?
Answer: The ring is a rip cord, but the parachute didn’t open.
Mystery 3
Clue: Two men go to visit a female friend. She offers them soft drinks, which they accept. The
drinks are identical in every way. One of the men dies after drinking his drink, but the other
man does not. Why did one of the men die?
Answer: There was poison in the ice cubes of both drinks. One man chugged his drink, so the
ice didn’t get a chance to melt and release the poison. The  other man sipped his drink and was
poisoned.
http://www.ultimatecampresource.com/site/camp-activity/minute-mysteries-i.html
 Minute Mysteries

Present clue to the group. They can only ask yes or no
questions to solve the mystery.
Mystery 4
Clue: Two bodies are lying in a puddle of water and there is
broken glass all about. How did they die?
Answer: The bodies are two fish, whose tank has fell and
broke.
Mystery 5
Clue: Fifty people are in a cabin having a snack. Now they
are all dead. What happened?
Answer: It was an airplane cabin and the plane crashed.
http://www.ultimatecampresource.com/site/camp-activity/minute-mysteries-i.html
 Never Have I Ever

All players start by standing in a circle with their shoes off to mark
their “place” in the circle. One person should be standing in the
middle without his or her shoes in front of her.
The player in the middle states a sentence beginning with the
words “Never have I ever…” For example they might say “Never
have I ever been on a roller coaster.” This statement should be
completely true and preferably something that other players do not
know about the person.
The other players must listen carefully. If they HAVE done the
action or sentence that the person in the middle has not done, they
must run across the circle to another players spot that is open.
A player cannot step to the side to an open spot. The player must
move at least two spots away. The game continues for as long as
http://www.ehow.com/how_4450702_play-never-have-ever.html

you would like.

 Scream Machine

 Everyone stands in a tight circle, with their heads
down looking at their shoes.
 When ‘Heads Up’ is called, everyone looks up and
stares at someone else in the circle.
 If that person is staring right back at you, then you
scream real loud and jump back out of the circle.
 If the person you’re looking at is not looking at you,
put your head back down and wait for the next round.
 Keep going until there are two players remaining.

http://www.ultimatecampresource.com/site/camp-activity/scream-machine-or-screaming-toes.html
 Hand Game

 Everyone must either lie on their stomachs with their hands in front of them or
sit at table with their hands in front of them, in a circle. Either way, have your
hands ready to slap a flat surface.
 Once everyone places their hands directly on the table or ground in front of
them, move your right hand in between the person to your right's hands. This
create an alternating hand pattern. So, looking down onto the group the hands
would look like this:
 (From left to right) My LEFT hand, then the person on my left's RIGHT
hand, then the person on my right's LEFT hand, then my RIGHT hand, and
so on. Although it is hard to describe, it's a really simple set-up.. 
 To start, one person calls out the tapping direction, either Left or Right, and
starts slaps their hand once on the ground/table. The hand closest to the first
slap, in the named direction, slaps the hand, then the next closest, and so on.

http://www.ultimatecampresource.com/site/camp-activity/the-hand-game.html
 Hand Game

 If hand A slaps, hand B can either single slap or double slap. A single slap
keeps the slap going in the correct direction, a double slap sends the slap in the
opposite direction.
 If someone slaps out of turn, they must remove that hand. All other hands stay
where they are. When both hands are out, that person is out of the game.
 The game is over when there are two people left.
 Try and go faster as the game progresses. If you make a mistake, then you leave
the circle.

http://www.ultimatecampresource.com/site/camp-activity/the-hand-game.html
 Toe Fencing

 A pair faces each other, holding the other person’s
shoulder.
 They then try to tap each other’s toes, while
simultaneously trying to avoid having their toes
tapped.
 Assure that players are equally armed, bare foot to
bare foot, or shoe to shoe
 Once a player has had their toes tapped three times,
they trade partners with the losing player of another
pair.
http://www.ultimatecampresource.com/site/camp-activity/toe-fencing.html
Teambuilding Games

 YouTube Karaoke
Performance

 Challenge each group to create a dance/performance
and karaoke to a song. Each student takes on a role
in the band (drummer, lead singer, guitarist, cowbell,
etc.)
 The lyrics can typically be found on YouTube. This
exercise helps students to learn how to be fun and
crazy and not to worry about what others may think
of them.
 Newspaper Fashion
Show

 Split into small groups of students. Give each group
a bunch of old newspapers and a roll of duct tape.
 Have each group create a costume of some sort using
just the materials they are given. The look must be on
one of the members of the group.
 Give each group 15 minutes to complete their look
and have a fashion show at the end of the time.
 Human Knot

 Have the group make a large circle. (This game also works
well as a race between several circles in larger groups.)
 Have everyone put their left hand in the middle, and hold
hands with someone in the circle, not directly next to
them. Repeat with the right hand, and be sure to hold
hands with a different person, who is not directly next to
them. You can use 1-foot “buddy ropes” to reduce arm
twisting if you like.
 Then the group must use teamwork to unravel themselves
into a circle again without coming disconnected.

http://www.ultimatecampresource.com/site/camp-activity/human-knot.html
 Magic Stick
 Have the group of 8-12 divide into two lines and face each other.

 Explain the technical rules to the group (very important):
everyone's index fingers MUST remain in contact with the stick
at all times, and the stick must rest on top of their fingers at all
times (no grabbing, finger curling, etc.)
 Have the group extend their index fingers at waist level. Lay the
stick across the group's fingers.
 At that time, the group must work together to lower the stick to
the ground.
 Inevitably, the stick rises almost instantly - causing laughter,
frustration, or confusion. The rise is caused by the small ripples
of upward pressure as individuals each try to remain in contact
with the stick.
 After refocusing, the group will be able to lower the stick.

http://www.ultimatecampresource.com/site/camp-activity/helium-stick.html
 Magic Carpet

 Start with a small tarp or rug that allows all of the
group members be able to stand on. Tell the group
that they are now on a magic carpet and cannot step
off.
 The group must work as a team to flip the tarp or
rug over without having anyone step off. If a group
member falls off the carpet, the team must start
over.
Self-Reflection
Activities

 Leadership Quotes

 Post a variety of leadership quotes around a room.
Have each student stand by one that speaks to them
or shows their leadership values. Have them explain
why it is relevant to their lives.

http://www.collegegrazing.com/counselors/guidance-activities
 Get Real

 Purpose: Students are able to explore their own values and what is
important to them. Additionally, through sharing students are able
to see that others have different values.
 Preparation: Cut up 8 ½ x 11 sheets of Blue, Pink, Purple, Green &
Orange paper into approximately 3x3 inch squares. Each participant
will receive four sheets of paper from each of the five different
colored stacks.
 Once the students have all of the materials have them sort them in
rows by color. Set ground rules, and let participants know that this
is a very personal activity. Ask them to try to keep talking to a
minimum. Tell them to reflect personally and professionally on
their values.
 Get Real

 Next you will guide the participants through the process.
 Blue - Think about four material items/personal possessions that you value the most. Write
down one answer per piece of paper.
 Pink - Write down the four people that are the most important to you. They can be family
members, friends, mentors, professors, etc. Only ONE person per paper (i.e. can’t say
“parents,” “friends,” etc… on each paper)
 Green - Think about four memories that you always want to have and write them down.
These memories can be good or they can be a tough memory that you have learned from.
However you may want to define them. Things that have made you the person you are
today.
 Orange - Think about four goals that you find important to set for your future. Write them
down.
 Purple – Write down four places that are important to you. It could be your hometown, K-
State, your residence hall, your high school, the home you grew up in; just any physical
place.
 Take a few minutes to look over these values that you have in front of you and think
about why they are important to you. Think about the good times and the tough
times that come along with some of these.
 Get Real

 Now that you have thought about these values, take six away. When you take these
away, that means that they are no longer a part of your life (i.e. you never met that
person, went to that place, have possession of that item, or are not working towards that
goal). Take five more away. Take four more away. Take three more away. This should
leave you with your top three values in life. The top three things that influence who you
are on a day to day basis.
 Debriefing Questions
 What values are you left with?
 Why are they important to you?
 Did you find this exercise to be easy?
 What values did you find to be the easiest to eliminate?
 What did you learn from this activity? About yourself?
 How will these values that you wrote down affect your life? Future?
 Do you think in life, you may have to make such difficult choices
 Do you think you will make the same choices as you did today?
 What pressures in life could make you choose between things in your life?
 How might you prepare to deal with such choices in your future?
Melanie O’Laughlin
 Is what is important to you today going to be as important to you in 5, 10, 20 years?
 Leadership Values

 Explain that it is important that leaders clarify their own sense of leadership values.
 Ask participants to reflect upon the values that define their role as a leader?  Then
ask participant to individually circle five values listed below that best complete the
following sentence:
 " _________________ is a ‘cornerstone’ in my approach to leadership."
 Have the group discuss how values drive leadership behavior.  Ask them for specific
examples.
 Variation: You may want to pool participant responses to see if there are some
common denominators in the group.
 Leadership Values to include: ACHIEVEMENT COMFORT RESPONSIVENESS
ADVENTURE CONFORMITY POWER
CHALLENGE COOPERATION RECOGNITION
CONTROL DIRECTNESS RISK
CREATIVITY EXPERTNESS SELF-RESPECT
ECONOMIC BALANCE FLEXIBILITY VARIETY
FAIRNESS FRIENDSHIP SECURITY
FREEDOM HELPFULNESS TRADITION
HAPPINESS INDEPENDENCE TRUST
HARD WORK INTEGRITY WISDOM
HONESTY LEADERSHIP SERVICE
HARMONY MORALITY/ETHICS AWARENESS
http://www.workshopexercises.com/Leadership.htm#L1
INVOLVEMENT LOYALTY PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
 My College Interview T-
Shirt

 Students may enjoy creating a “College Interview T-Shirt.”  Ask
students to imagine that they are going to interview at their top
college choice.  
 Their task is to create an interview t-shirt that announces the one or
two things that they want the interviewer to know about them.
 Students may add relevant or symbolic images.  
 You may want to enlarge a t-shirt graphic so students can write their
messages on a t-shirt picture or, if you are really ambitious, you may
actually provide t-shirts and magic markers for a hands-on activity.
 Variation 1: Can also be done with pillowcases or other cloth-like
materials
 Variation 2: Have other students in the group write about things that
they like about the owner of the pillowcase or t-shirt.
http://www.collegegrazing.com/counselors/guidance-activities
 Key Words

 In this exercise leaders think about their daily roles and then quickly write down key words
that come to their mind when they think of those roles.  These key words should reflect how
they perceive of themselves performing each role.  Complete the chart below and then use the
key words to write a leadership statement that characterizes their approach to leadership.
 Problem solver  
 Referee (settles interpersonal conflict)  
 Process Manager (ensures that goals are met)  
 Procurer (finds and manages resources)  
 Visionary  
 Crisis Manager (puts out everyday fires)  
 Motivator  
 Task Master  
 Counselor (helps reports with personal issues)  
 Risk Taker  
 Expert  
 Variations: You may want to give each participant a blank chart and have the group determine
the everyday roles of the leader.  Also, you may want the participants to talk about their
personal observations rather than write them. This activity is a good springboard to discussing
http://www.workshopexercises.com/Leadership_continued.htm
each of the leader roles in more depth.
 Other Resources

 What Are Good Leadership Skills:
 http://www.what-are-good-leadership-
skills.com/activities-for-leadership-workshops.html
 10 Minute Leadership Lessons from 4-H:
 http://4h.missouri.edu/projects/curriculum/10minu
teleadershiplessons.pdf