Icebreakers are a great way to begin any first aid course / session, especially if the members of the group don’t know each other. Often, during first aid courses, participants have to practice various skills on each other (e.g: bandaging, the recovery position etc.). Some people may be more comfortable doing this if they know each other first!

So here’s a collection of icebreakers that you can use:

The Name Game

Ask the group to stand in the circle. Ask one person to introduce themself to the group (“Hello, my name is Mike”). The person to their right then has to introduce the person that has just spoken  (“Hello this is Mike…”) then themselves (“..and my name is Chris”). This continues around the circle, with the person speaking introducing all the people before them.

Obviously this game gets harder as it goes around the circle! You can try it in both directions and see if you can complete the circle. This is a good game to help people remember names.

Rather Than

Get all the people to sit in a circle so that they can all see each other. The first person to start the game should state something that they like to do, and the person who comes after that should repeat what the first person said and then add something they like to do themselves.

This way, every team member should mention all the things the others like to do and, lastly, mention their own, and the game continues.

It gets really fun, especially in the end, when the last person remaining is asked to remember the members’ favorite activities before mentioning what they enjoy as an activity.

Two Truths and a Lie

This is a fairly simple game. Every person is required to make three statements about themselves, of which two are true, and one is a lie. The others have to guess which is the lie, and the game keeps continuing.

Tall Tales

In this game, the members are required to create a story. The person who starts the game will say, “Once upon a time,” and add something to the story. The next member is required to add further to the story, and that’s how the game continues.

This way, by the end of the game, the participants will have an elaborate and possibly funny story to laugh at.

Human knot

Make a circle of 8 – 10 people (If you have a group larger than this, consider two circles). Ask them to place their right hand into the middle, and grab another person’s hand. Then ask them to place their left hand into the circle and grab a different person’s hand. The group should now be in a ‘knot’. They have to unwind themselves so that everyone is holding hands with the person next to them. The key is that they are not allowed to let go. This will involve them stepping over/under various limbs! You may find several people end up facing outwards, and some inwards.

For extra difficulty you can set a time limit, or make the group do the activity in silence.

Remember to watch this activity carefully and brief the participants first, you don’t want any broken limbs!

Introduce Each Other

A very simple activity! Split the group into pairs, give them several minutes to chat and find three interesting facts about one another. Then ask each person in the pair to introduce the other to the group.

Make a Line

Another very simple icebreaker. Ask the group to make a line in height order (smallest to largest / largest to smallest). Then ask them to rearrange themselves based on:

• Age
• First name
• Last name
• Star sign
• etc…

For extra difficulty you can add a no speaking rule, meaning participants have to resort to writing / mime.

Post-It Note Game

Write the names of famous people on post-it notes. Stick the post-it notes on the participants so they cannot see what is written on their note (forehead is good, or try chest/back).

The aim of the game is to work out which famous person is on your post-it note. You can see everyone else’s post-it notes but not yours. You are allowed to ask the other participants yes/no questions only (e.g: Is my person a musician?).

Obviously in order for this game to work people need to stick to the rules, it can be a very entertaining way to kick-start a group session.

Infection Control Icebreaker activity

Many thanks to tonyht for submitting this infection control icebreaker activity via our comments box below.

Items required:
> Citrus Acid.
> Litmus test strips 1 strip per person.
> Plastic cups 1 per person.

Instructions:
> Fill each cup about half full with water, Add half a tea spoon of Citrus Acid to one of the cups (do not let the group see which one)
> Give each person in the group a cup.
> Ask them to choose 3 people and find something out about them
> Each time they speak to someone pour some of the water into their cup and then the other person pours some into theirs.
> Set a time limit if you have a limited time.
> Give everyone a Litmus strip and get them to test the water in their cup
> The strip will turn red if their water is infected.

This icebreaker activity is a great way to show how and why infection control is so important.

Icebreaker Activities for Kids

There are certain icebreaker activities that will be more suited to the younger team members or children in the group. Some of those activities to include in your training session are as follows:

Candy Bowl Game

For this game, keep a bowl filled with candy. Make all the kids sit in a circle, pass the bowl around, and ask each kid to pick up somewhere between one to five pieces of candy and pass the bowl to the next person.

Be sure to tell the kids not to eat the candy after picking it up. The game will begin with each kid sharing one piece of information about themselves based on the number of candies they have picked up.

For example, if a kid picked up two candies, they would convey two things about themselves, and so on. The game will continue until every kid has had a chance to say something about themselves. Once everyone is done, all the kids can enjoy the candies together.

Telephone Game

Make the kids sit in a circle. The child who begins the game will be given a phrase that they have to whisper in the ear of the kid sitting next to them. The second kid will have to whisper it to the one seated beside them, and so on.

The last kid to whom the phrase gets whispered will have to say it out loud to the group to see if it matches what was initially said. This game is fun since the phrases always get mixed up, and the kids enjoy it.

Guess the Animal

Make all the kids stand in a circle. Pick one kid from the group, whisper the name of an animal into their ear, and have them move to the middle of the circle. The chosen kid will have to enact the animal’s name whispered to them.

The first kid to guess the animal being enacted will take the kid’s place in the centre. They will then enact a different animal whose name will be whispered to them, and that’s how the game will carry on.

Match the Baby Picture

Before you begin this game, make sure to collect childhood pictures of every kid in the group or have them printed out. As the game begins, show each picture to the group and have them guess who the kid is.

Every child feels special and included in this game, and the guessing game can be entertaining.

Find a Friend Bingo

Since Bingo is a popular game as it is, you can turn it into something where the kids can warm up to one another. Fill the sheets where every square entails finding someone with the stated attribute, and pass a sheet to every child.

For example, a square could be about finding someone in the group who loves to read. The goal for every child is to find a person who fits that statement, keeping in mind that they can use a person’s name for just one of the squares.

This allows everyone to get a chance to have a conversation with one another. The kid who completes a Bingo first wins the game.

Crocodile Race

For this game, divide the kids into groups of about four to nine. Make all the kids in each group form a straight line and appoint a leader for every group. This game works perfectly if you have many people to include.

The other group members are required to stand behind the leader while placing their arms on the shoulders of the person in front of them. Once the game begins, all team members are required to crouch down like a crocodile.

Keeping that position intact, each team should attempt to reach the finish line. The team that makes it to the finish line first wins the game.

Beach Ball Game

Get an inflatable ball for this game and use a permanent marker to write down a question in each section of the ball. The questions will be crafted in a way that allows all the team members to get to know one another, such as their favorite color or a beloved childhood memory.

Begin the game with the kids throwing the ball at one another. When a kid catches the ball, they will have to answer the question facing them on the ball and then throw it to another child, thereby continuing the game.

Name Relation Game

Ask all the kids to sit in a circle. The kid starting the game will say their name first and then say the name of a food item that begins with the same alphabet. The one seated next to them will then have to repeat the name of the child who played before them and the food they mentioned.

They will then say their own name and the name of the food as the first player did, and that’s how the game continues. Towards the end, it becomes more fun as every player will have to mention all the names and food mentioned till that point.

Icebreaker Activities for Adults

When your first aid course primarily consists of adult members, there are many interesting icebreaker activities to play around with. This will make the members more comfortable in each other’s presence.

A couple of those activities include:

Never Have I Ever

This always serves as a very interesting icebreaker. Prepare glasses for each team member and fill them up with juice or any other beverage that’s easily available.

Make all the members sit in a circle. Every person will have to mention something they have never done before in their life. For instance, someone could say, “Never have I ever boarded an aircraft.” The people in the group who have done that activity will have to take a sip of their beverage.

That’s how the game will keep continuing, and towards the end, you can see who finishes their drink the most.

Marooned

This game allows the members to get to know one another a little better. Start the game by asking everyone in the group to name five things they would carry with themselves if they were marooned on an island.

The participants can either name the things out loud or write them down on a piece of paper. To make things more fun, you can also ask them to read out each other’s answers.

If You Had a Magic Wand

Make all the participants sit in a circle so they can all see each other. Begin the game by asking all the team members what they would do if they had a magic wand. You can also keep an object that can act like a wand so that the person answering it can hold it before passing it on.

The responses could range from something simple, humorous, and personal to something that causes a positive change.

Two-Minute Mixer

For this game, divide the members into groups of two where they face each other. Keep a buzzer with you and commence the game by pressing the buzzer. As soon as the individuals hear that sound, they will have two minutes to tell each other as much as they can about themselves.

When the buzzer goes off again after two minutes, they will move on to another person and repeat the game. The intention is for everyone in the session to learn as much as possible about each other.

Hopes and Fears

Before this game begins, have every participant write down their hopes and fears on a piece of paper and put them in a bowl. As the game starts, have the first person pick up a chit and read out the hopes and fears written down by one of the people in the group.

The others in the group will then discuss their hopes and encourage them while guiding them on how to deal with their fears. The game will conclude once the hopes and fears of every member have been discussed.

Jenga

Collect all the Jenga bricks and write down a question on each of the bricks. Stack all the bricks in groups of three until a proper tower has been created. Ensure the tower stands firm by pressing all the pieces together.

The game will begin with each member pulling a brick from the tower and making sure it doesn’t topple. Answer the question written on the block and place it on top of the tower.

Ask the players to continue with the game until the Jenga tower falls.

Mean Face

Split the members into two groups of four to five people. Make them all sit together, with one member from each team facing all the others. Have them crack jokes or make silly faces. Keep a timer for about two minutes for each round.

If one of the members of a team can’t keep a straight face and ends up laughing, the other team wins a point. If they can all maintain a straight face, then their team will receive a point, and that’s how the game continues till one of the team has collected the most points.

Quotes Game

Depending on the number of people there are, divide the members into two groups of about three to five people. A member from each team will say a quote out loud from a movie or TV show, and the other team has to guess where the quote is from.

If they guess it right, then they win a point. Keep repeating the rounds until one of the teams wins.

Conclusion

First aid training requires people to be serious and take in a lot of crucial information. The team members spend quite a lot of time together learning about various things related to first aid.

During the training period, they are required to perform activities that require the team members to trust one another. Icebreaker games and activities are a great way to build trust among people of various age groups

Feel free to leave a comment if you know any good icebreaker activities. You will be credited! 🙂