Icebreakers: Get the Party Started

When you are introducing people from various aspects of your life, there can be a level of discomfort, as people try to start up a conversation with others, who they do not know.  You can ease this with silly and short icebreakers, which force those in attendance to speak with the people who are unfamiliar.

The Middle Name Game This first icebreaker involves handing each guest a small card with a name on it sealed in an envelope.  Each of these names is the middle name of another guest attending the party.  This game works best for large gatherings, because it is most fun when played as teams.  All the guests to form teams of four or five, depending how many there are. Once the teams are formed, give the signal for everyone to open their envelopes and start searching for the people who belong to those middle names.  One by one, the teams should find the person belonging to one of the middle names, write down the corresponding first name, and move on to the next.  The first team to finish wins a small prize.

Little Factoid Bingo Create bingo cards, with each square on the board being an interesting fact about one of the party guests.  Hand out a card to each person, as the guests arrive.  When everyone is there, read the directions of the game aloud.  Each person must walk about the room, speaking with people, writing down the appropriate name on each block of the board, until he or she has completed a row.  Calling out Bingo means winning a prize.

Secrets Discovered If you are having a smaller gathering, of a dozen or so guests, then consider this game. Under the plate of each place setting, leave a card with a little secret about one of the guests. After people have taken their seats, have them pull out the cards.  One by one, have the guests walk about the room, trying to guess who the secret belongs to.  They must whisper it to one person at a time until they find the person who had the secret to share.  The person found then becomes the seeker.