Coaches Round Table

Any ideas for Ice breaker games for international college students?

I am hosting monthly get togethers for a group of international students from all over the world. I need ideas that will be fun and non-threatening since many of them will not be super comfortable in English. The main idea is to have fun and get to know each other. Any ideas?

Public Comments

1. I don't know if this would work, but you could pair up the students. Have them interview each other by asking basic questions like their name, major, goals in life, hobbies, etc. Then they will get up in front of the entire group and take turns introducing their partner using that information.
2. Try a game of bingo. You could have different sets of boards for different get togethers. One set could have family information (2 sisters; oldest child; five aunts; divorced parents; married; single; etc.). Another could have holidays from around the world (diwali; eid al fitr; St Patrick's Day; O-bon; etc.). Another could be jobs; one with majors; you get the idea. By playing bingo, they'd get to know some vocabulary without having to speak too much to begin with. However, the topic of the boards that week could be a topic to start conversations with. Another fun activity can be an information jig saw. You can do this in a couple of different ways. Basically, each person or group can't have all the information. Each has a part that they then take to another group until they figure out what the whole story is. This can be done orally or in writing. Another version of the jig saw has stories that you've broken into parts. The students get to read the pieces and try to reorganize. I find this works best when I actually type out the story and give myself extra space between parts so that I can cut it up without the cut marks showing how the pieces fit. The easiest of all? Food! People seem so happy to start talking if they can also eat, but you'll want to be careful to consider the limitations of diets for students from some cultures. Just a few thoughts. You could work out crosswords and other puzzles, too. I hope this helps.
3. A good idea is for the group to make one line - for example of their birthdays from Jan to Dec - the catch is they are not allowed to talk! This can be also extended to their birthdates as well. It can be adapted to be about heights, shoe size, member of their families, favourite colours etc. With this icebreaker they are learning and getting to know about each other, there is also no massive emphasis on English and they are being kinaesthetic (actively involved and moving). All the best :)