Leadership & Involvement
Involvement on campus
Orientations
Group Activity Builder ideas
We want to ensure that, as a UBC Orientations leader, you are well-equipped to greet and engage all the students that you work with. Take some time to check out the Group Activity Builder (a.k.a. “Icebreaker”) videos that some of our student staff and volunteers put together for your reference.
| Video | Description |
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Two Truths & A Lie Are you so good at discerning fact from fiction that people refer to you as the “human lie detector”? In this activity, you will test these skills. Each participant shares three things about themselves – one of them is a lie. Your task is to spot the lie. Number of participants Unlimited, as participants are simply put into groups of two or three. Risk level Medium – While participants share information about themselves, they are able to choose what they are willing to share, making the risk level in this activity flexible. |
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Move Your Butt Are you looking for an activity that will energize your group after a heavy lunch? Well, look no further! In this activity, participants sit in a circle. One person sits in the middle of the circle and instructs participants to “move your butt if ...” they possess a certain characteristic. All participants who possess that characteristic must then get up and find a new place to sit. The last person standing must now sit in the middle of the circle. Number of participants Ideally, there should be six or more participants. The maximum number is limited only by the amount of space available and how loud you can yell. Risk level High – Individuals must stand up in front of the group, and there is no way of ensuring that those who are shy will not end up in the middle of the circle. Participants must also share information about themselves. |
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Dance Break Just as each individual has a unique fingerprint, all humans are genetically programmed to have a signature dance move. Participants stand in a circle. The first person says their name and demonstrates their dance move. The second person says their name, demonstrates their dance move, then introduces the first person and demonstrates that person's dance move, and so on. For large groups (or time constraints), participants may demonstrate only the two dance moves before theirs. Number of participants Unlimited Risk level High – Although we are all genetically programmed to possess a signature dance move, not everyone is at peace with theirs. |
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Evolution (a.k.a. “Egg, Chicken, Super Human”) Your mission is to evolve from an egg to a chicken to a Super Human, using only your “rock, paper, scissors” skills. Tip: The avalanche technique – rock, rock, rock, rock – does not make you unbeatable. Throughout, you must act out the evolutionary stage that you have reached. Eggs are curled up and remain low to the ground. Chickens have their elbows out and squawk. Super Humans yell “I'm a Super Human!” and bask in their own glory. Number of participants The more, the merrier. Risk level Low – Becoming a Super Human is not that important (to some). |
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Knights, Maidens, Cavaliers This activity is perfect for those who enjoy posing or have an interest in the days of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Grab a partner and learn the poses. When the poses are called out, you must pose as fast as you can. The last team to strike a pose is cut. Number of participants A minimum of two, but with more participants the competition will be more intense. Risk level High – This activity requires partners to strike poses together. |
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We've Got the Rhythm Follow the leader as they clap a rhythm to a song (see the video). Keep up as the rhythm gets faster and faster. If you can't keep up, bad things will happen: you won't win the game. Number of participants A minimum of two, but more if you want it to be fun. Risk level Low |
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The Object Game This activity works particularly well for people who are shy, yet extremely greedy. Participants are given the opportunity to take as much of a given object, such as toilet paper, or candy, and then are asked to share one piece of information about themselves for every object they have taken. For example, if a participant takes nine squares of toilet paper, they must share nine things about themselves. Number of participants Between six to ten – It is possible to play with more than ten, but this game can take some time. Risk level Medium &ndash This activity requires individuals to share information about themselves. However, people are able to decide what kind of information they share, which allows them to choose their level of participation. |
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Vis-à-vis Ever wonder what it would feel like to have someone's elbow on your head when you are not in an Ultimate Fighting Championship ring? In Vis-à-vis, the leader calls out two body parts, and each team (of two participants) must put those two body parts together. When the leader calls out “switch”, new partners must be found. The last group to partner up is cut. Number of participants Unlimited – just as the fun is unlimited! Risk level High – This activity requires a fair amount of touching, sometimes between people who have never met. Leaders should take care when selecting body parts to call out. |
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Zip, Zap, Zop Learn everyone's name while also remembering this complex formula: you must point to the right when you say “zip”, you must point to the left when you say “zap”, and you must point across the circle when you say “zop”. It may sound easy, but it's not! (Trust us. We're not even sure if we got the directions right in this description. Let the video guide you through this activity. It's far too complicated for your friends at Orientations.) Number of participants You need enough people to make a decent circle. Risk level Low – Although the Orientations staff cannot get this activity straight, most people will. |
If you have questions or comments, please email imagine.info@ubc.ca or call 604.822.8698.
