by Sarie (Belgium)
Group Size: Medium (5-20)
Group Abilities: All abilities
Icebreaker purpose: Creativity, Getting to know you
Materials: Pipe cleaners, bell, watch or timer
Time: 20 minutes
Instructions:
Provide each participant with three pipe cleaners (or other flexible wire).
Give them five minutes to use the pipe cleaners to create a symbol that represents them. It might represent their profession, a favorite hobby, a person, and so on.
At the end of the five minutes, set up a sequence of 45-second “speed dates” during which each person tells the other what their symbol is and why they made it. (Sound a bell to indicate when they should switch chairs.)
Alternately, you could simply go around the room and have each person identify and explain their pipe cleaner creation.
With the “speed dating” element, this game is suitable for small groups of up to 30 people. Eliminating the “speed dates” makes it feasible for larger groups, so long as you don’t run out of pipe cleaners!