Icebreaker questions: 40 fun ones, plus games

First day at a new school, a new job or a party where you only know the host? I get shy too. But I learned that one good question fixes almost everything.

Here are 40 icebreaker questions sorted by mood, plus 8 icebreaker games that work anywhere.

Play Zabum! Play Stop!

Funny icebreaker questions

1. If you could have a useless superpower, what would it be?
2. What food could you eat every day without getting bored?
3. What is your most-used emoji?
4. If you were an animal, which one would you be?
5. What song do you sing in the shower?
6. What is the strangest thing you have ever eaten?
7. If you could live inside a video game, which one would it be?
8. Coffee or tea? Beach or mountains?
9. What cartoon did you watch on repeat as a kid?
10. What is your hidden talent?

Icebreaker questions for work or class

1. What is the best advice you have ever received?
2. What did you learn recently that you found interesting?
3. What is your favorite part of the day?
4. If you could master any skill in a day, what would it be?
5. What was your first job or dream job?
6. What app can you not live without?
7. What is your favorite way to recharge?
8. What book, show or movie would you recommend right now?
9. What place do you still want to visit?
10. What makes a work or school day really good?

Get to know you questions for kids

1. What is your favorite toy?
2. If you could have any pet, what would it be?
3. What is your favorite color and why?
4. What do you want to be when you grow up?
5. What is the best game at recess?
6. If you could fly, where would you go first?
7. What is your favorite food?
8. Which superpower would you pick?
9. What was the most fun day you ever had?
10. If you made a video game, what would it be like?

Deeper get to know you questions

1. What makes you lose track of time?
2. What is one small thing that makes your day better?
3. What achievement are you most proud of?
4. What would you tell yourself ten years ago?
5. Who has inspired you the most?
6. What would you like to learn this year?
7. When was the last time you laughed until you cried?
8. What does a perfect day look like to you?
9. What family tradition do you love most?
10. What dream do you still want to make real?

8 icebreaker games

1. Two truths and a lie: each person shares three facts, and the group guesses the lie.
2. Alliteration names: say your name with an adjective that starts with the same letter ("Joyful Jess").
3. Human bingo: a card with lines like "has been to another country"; find someone who fits each one.
4. Silent line-up: the group lines up by birthday using only gestures.
5. Desert island: everyone says which three things they would bring and why.
6. Common ground: in pairs, find three things you share that are not obvious.
7. Lightning round: in a circle, everyone answers one question from the list in five seconds.
8. This or that: give two options and everyone walks to one side of the room.

The blog also has full posts of never have I ever, would you rather and truth or dare questions.

Break the ice by playing

Nothing breaks the ice like a quick game. In Zabum!, a general knowledge quiz, everyone joins the same room and competes on a live scoreboard.

PolarzinhoAfter one round of Zabum!, nobody is a stranger anymore. Just a rival.

And in Stop!, every round is an excuse to laugh at each other's answers.

PolarzinhoI made friends with a whole group in Stop!. It was my "bamboo" answer for fruit.

FAQ

What is a good question to start a conversation?

Something light and open, like "what is your favorite part of the day?" or "what show would you recommend right now?".

What icebreaker works for a big group?

Human bingo and the silent line-up work well with lots of people.

How do you break the ice in an online meeting?

Use the lightning round or a quick game in a shared room, like Zabum! or Stop!.

Your turn

Pick three questions, save them on your phone and use them the next time an awkward silence shows up.

Play Zabum! Play Stop!