Group Juggling

A fast-paced icebreaker that helps students learn each other's names while connecting to the group. 

Topics: Boredom Buster, Ice Breaker Materials: 4 or more soft balls per group Duration: Approximately 10 minutes

What you will do:

Arrange the group in a circle. Depending on the size of your group, you may need to have the kids form one or more circles. Try to have approximately ten people in each circle. Kids should stand about an arm's length away from the person to the right and left of them. Include yourself in the circle.

The leader will choose someone who is across the circle from them to throw a ball to. As the person catches the ball, he or she will say his or her name, choose someone else from across the circle and throw the ball to that person. Play continues in this manner until each person has caught and thrown the ball once. The last person will throw the ball back to the leader.  Explain to the group that the pattern is now set; they will be throwing to the same exact person each time. Ask the group to repeat the throwing pattern several times until everyone is comfortable with the routine.

Introduce more balls and let the fun begin! If more than one group is participating you can add a level of competitiveness to the game by seeing which group can juggle the most balls without dropping them.