SOME ZOOM ICEBREAKERS, COMMUNITY BUILDING, IMPROVISATION GAMES

from J Borrus

Many of these games involve some form of “improvisation” -

Definition - making it up on the spot, not planning - they have all improvised in their lives
already - any time something goes wrong and they have to think fast to problem-solve

GO AND FETCH - easy competitive physical game - they must be on video camera

They leave their camera where it is (THIS IS VITAL- you need to see who is first) and have to
go and get items from around the house, racing against each other.

The first one back onto camera wins.

Try
- A spoon
- A roll of TP (if someone is in bathroom and they can’t get in it gets funny)
- A notebook
- A sock/slipper that someone else (other than them) is wearing -
- Something that makes noise without being struck against something else (water bottle
works, keys, any instruments, many things work)
- A living thing (can be another person, a plant, a pet)

We gave 3 points for whoever was back first

2 points for whoever was second
1 point for whoever was third

The one with the most points at the end wins -

but you could also give them a few points extra credit or the privilege of deciding who goes
first next, who will be “it” in a game, or just play for the fun of it

An Alternative Version/Buzzing Bees Alternative

- Give them a letter and they have 50 seconds to find the most interesting thing they
can in their house that begins with that letter
- If you get in after the 50seconds you can disqualify them (if cruel)
- Winner choices the next letter
- Good when participants get really abstract

TRANSFORMAPROP imagination, physicality, pantomime,

This could be a quick extension activity to Go Fetch or a way to give extra points, or just do
another day as a separate activity.
Everyone finds a household object - on your command as above, or they pick their own
Now they are going ing to use their imagination to come up with a different thing to use this
object as, for a purpose other than what it is mean for, based on its shape -
For example, a brush can be used as a microphone (they act out using it as Mic),
an empty paper towel roll can be used as a telescope or rolling pin for baking (act it out),
a spatula or big spoon could be used as a baseball bat, a frying pan can be a tennis racket
a ruler could be sword, a book could be a waiter’s tray,

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I made my kids come up with 3 diff ways to use theirs. attached to email is video example

ANYONE WHO - players must be able to switch themselves on-off camera quickly
Purpose of game is to see what we have in common - community building
(riffed off of a game played in circle in real class)

First, make sure all your kids know how to turn camera off and on - practice that
Then you start with someone who is “it” and they are the only one with camera turned on
The say “Anyone who”...and then one thing that applies to them that might apply to others
for example “anyone who who stayed up past 1 am last night” OR
anyone who has brown eyes
anyone who likes rap music….
anyone who has had their heartbroken….
anyone who reads Manga
anyone who eating too much in lockdown
After they say their sentence “anyone” in the class who shares that characteristic then
clicks on their video on too - and you see how many have that in common

For the next person to be “it” you can call out a name randomly, call the name of the first or
last person to click on video, or can use the order of the class participants list that appears in
the participants box so everyone starts the game once
It really doesn’t matter who starts it, it’s just fun to see what you share and don’t

FYI- kids tend to focus on the physical and it can be good when you are playing with them to
take it to a more internal level as you go

FUNNY FACE - just a quick goofy icebreaker- need to be on video

All are on camera in GALLERY VIEW (and everyones gallery view is a bit different)
You count 1, 2, 3, and tell them to point in one direction to person up, down, to their right
or left

From your gallery perspective you tell them who everyone is mostly pointing at - and that
person must make a funny face (you can fudge this since they can’t see your screen)
Then count down again and they point in diff direction - repeat a few times so several must
make funny face

OBSTACLE COURSE - a physical warm up - need to be on camera - at least waist up

(usually played in circle in class with leader i middle)
There is a call by leader and players need to make physical action in response
Leader (you) says BLADE and everyone must DUCK as if a blad is swiniging at their heads,
you say LOG and everyone JUMPS as if a log is rolling toward them
You say WATERFALL and they ROW as fast and hard as they can so they don’t go over falls

BLADE - DUCK
LOG- JUMP
WATERFALL - ROW

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2 TRUTHS AND A LIE - getting to know each other , acting

Each person has to come up with three things about themselves - two are true and one
is a lie. Everyone else has to guess which one is the lie.

You could ask them to prepare this before you meet online or you could give them 5
minutes to think of something before sharing. Tell them be sure not to always leave the
lie for last.
You could also theme it - ‘something that happened to you in the last week’ or
‘something to do with school’ .

WHAT’S NOT WRONG WITH YOUR LIFE? way to count blessings, be positive during

Model this first with you answering

It’s done in pairs - and a 3rd person can be the timer who sets (phone) timer for 1 minute
Have someone ask you “whats not wrong with your life?
And you tell them something positive about your life - can be really small or big
like “I get to sleep later now that I don’t have to be at school by 7:30”
Then they ask you again - you come up with something else on the spot
They ask again, you answer again…and keep going for a minute, trying not to think too
much about answers first thing that pops into head, can be simple or silly
“My coffee tastes really good this morning”
“ I get to see my husband/family more during the day”
“I’m learning so much about technology”
“I saw a funny show last on Netflix called ___”
“ My cat, she’s so cuddly”
“I love the sunny weather”
“I got exercise yesterday/ went for a walk/worked out”

You put them in pairs in Breakout rooms randomly and they can do this on their own,
each taking a turn and then come back to main room for discussion of whether it was hard if
they feel any different
Or breakout rooms of 3 with one person as designated timer - tho one of the pairs can just
set their phone too for timing so works fine in 2s also
Or you can have 2 people do it in front of whole class if you don’t trust them to do it solo

OUT MY WINDOW - Using descriptive language and it can also be a guessing game
do not need to be on camera, but must be on audio
Tell each to look out their window and find something beautiful, appealing, pretty, cool
(it can be anything but fun to keep positive and it narrows down if guessing game)
Tell them to come up with a description for this thing using as much detail as possible -
colors, size, shape, if it moves, and how, if it has a use

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Now one at at time they describe what they see in detail and others guess what they are
seeing...continued on next page

Or you can just make it about about description with focus on writing details - not the
guessing. instead of “a table” it might be “an old red plastic picnic table with one of the
seats broken” “ Or “a fluffly white flower that has lots of petals and a yellow dot in the
center, with a long sknny green stem)

WHO STARTED THE MOTION - Good for teamwork, observation - physical silent
guessing game all must be on Video waist up visible

You manually put one person to be “it” and put in a break out room so they cannot
hear/see the rest of group - must use manual breakout room for this

While they are in that room, the group selects one person to lead

Once chosen, everyone follows the actions or movements of the leader without any
talking, and you let in the kid who is “it” Leader periodically, sneakily, changes
movement as others follow silently

Kid who is it observes while others follow the leader and tries to guess who is it.
Gets three guesses then whoever was leader goes into breakout room
So... leader MUST change the movement periodically but does it sneakily so guesser
cannot tell who they are. In a live classroom the movements are full body but on
Zoom they can be small, from waist up, but clear - for ex.
tapping head, tapping nose, rotating hand in circle, pulling out ears, snapping both
fingers, hiking up shoulders, swaying from side to side

WAVING - Good for focus, collaboration, listening and watching, improvisation

All are on screen in video, in gallery view

TelL everybody to wave at the camera
Now tell them you will play a game where someone will be waving at all times but
you will call out how many can be waving at once and they will have to drop out or
come on to make it so that only that number is waving.

Say everybody wave, now arms down

Say one person wave - don’t pick one person - if more than 1 person waves, some
must drop out - if no one waves, someone must jump in to - they must improvise -
encourage them to jump in and give and take - keeping it moving - they can eave or
not any time they want don’t have to wait for your command but they after you say
it but they must adjust so only one person is waving at any one time

One they have that, say Two people wave at a time - don’t designate 2 people, just
let them figure it out - If more than 2 jump in to wave one must drop out and if only

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 one is waving another must join. Remind them to keep going, jumping in to wave or
not

Then say 3 people wave - -

Then mix up the commands

Then stop and say was that hard?

How can we make it easier? They are allowed to make sounds and talk
Could say I’m in, or I’m out
Try mixing up the commands with sound for a final round

MORE ON NEXT PAGE!!

RED BALL - Focus warm up, can incorporate feelings check in - must be on video, visible
from chest up , gallery view
Eye contact, focus, name game with a little pantomime (using imaginary object)
Need at least 5 players and you
You look at someone, say their “Name”to make eye contact, then say “Red Ball” and
pantomime throwing a ball to them. They pantomime catching it and say “Red Ball,
thank you”
Then they say someone else’s name and “Red Ball”, pantomime throwing to them and
that person catches, says “Red Ball, thank you”
You pass around several times
Players must say the person’s name first to get eye contact, then throw and they must say
Red Ball after the name, and Red ball, thank you.

Extension: You can have them say how they are feeling today after they catch the ball and
say Red Ball thank you, before tossing it on... They can use an emotion work to say how they
are feeling or they could say a number from 1-10, with 1 being terribly low and down and 10
being ecstatically happy

TIGER, ALIEN, SALESMAN (OR COW) they need to be on video

Goal is to listen, get in sync with one another and find the “group mind”
also to laugh at what you see onscreen! Must be willing to act out

I’ve played this way - you teach each kid the gesture/sound for each
Tiger - hands up with claws out and saying big loud “Roar”
have everyone do this to camera on count of 3 - it looks goofy
Alien - hands up above head making little antenna and say “Bleep, bleep, bleep”
have everyone do this to camera on count of 3
Salesman - handout to shake and says confidently, “Hi there, how are ya!”

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 (if you want to do Cow instead they can put hands on side of head and say
Moo or fingers out on belly like udders and say Mooo)
have everyone do this to camera on count of 3

To play: You can lead whole group or one group of 3 you select. You count 1, 2, 3
then everyone jumps in to act out one of the 3 right to camera - see if the group
every gets to total sync - the “group mind” and all do the same gesture/sound

Usually, some will see others are doing one thing, and will change so they can all be
doing same...you can play with the goal of trying to do that or just to be random and
see if it works

PHASE 2: put them in breakout rooms of 3 and one of them counts 1,2, 3 a bunch of
times AND they do it, then they return to main room for discussion of whether any
could all do the same at once - hit the jackpot

Here are videos that show you how the game is played live in person - it may help
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?
q=tiger+alien+salesmen+improv+game&docid=608055467657530764&mid=B0991
ACD3128DDC2DECAB0991ACD3128DDC2DECA&view=detail&FORM=VIRE

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?
q=tiger+alien+salesmen+improv+game&docid=608005233726524910&mid=E761D
AB7E98DA8D1840CE761DAB7E98DA8D1840C&view=detail&FORM=VIRE

LAST LETTER: Focus is listening to someone closely...improvising conversation

FAMOUS PEOPLE or MOVIE/FICTIONAL CHARACTERS: Good for vocabulary, letter

recognition, relies on some common cultural references

You would play this game in a circle in class but can use the order of students in participants
box - they can see this on their screen or if not, you can share screen so they can, or you as
leader can just call out a name and see who comes up with response fastest - they then call
out their name and others come up with one

Player one says name of famous person

Player 2 must say name of famous person that begins with the first letter of that last name

For example:
Miley Cyrus
Camilla Cabello
Charlie Puth
Paul McCartney

FORTUNATELY/UNFORTUNATELY - vocabulary, storytelling

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where they go round in a 'circle' or in chat room order telling a story, but they flip
between starting each part of the story with Fortunately then Unfortunately.

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