Games to Foster Connection
Games to Foster Connection
“We are like islands in the sea, separate on the surface but connected in the deep.”
The following are a collection of our favorite games to foster joy and social connection. Some are competitive, some are just for fun, and some are designed to be more personal though sharing of information (both silly and deep). None of them require materials other than paper, pen or pencil, a deck of cards, and a bowl for paper scraps, and so can be used in almost any setting and easily adapted to different audiences (adult friends, kids, co-workers, etc.) These could be used as an icebreaker, or among good friends or family.
The question Jar (2+ people)
Everyone writes questions on scraps of paper, and you take turns drawing them from a jar or other container. Everyone can respond to the question or just the person who drew it. You can play in one sitting, or have a question jar in the house that you can add to and take from whenever you want to play. At our house, we always ask guests to contribute questions, with a recommended fun to serious ratio of 2:1.
Sample questions:
Do you believe in aliens?
Do you live by any piece of advice or motto?
Where did you go on your first date?
What makes you feel at peace?
What was the best vacation you ever took and why?
Are there any natural spaces that are especially meaningful to you?
What is your faith or spiritual belief?
What did you want to be when you grew up when you were 10?
Have you ever had a paranormal experience?
What’s your favorite family tradition?
What's your most prized possession and why?
How have you changed in the past decade?
How was your bedroom decorated when you were a teenager?
What’s your favorite thing about your current job?
What is your definition of success?
If you had unlimited money to start your own business, what would it be
What’s the scariest thing you’ve ever done, and why did you do it?
2. The challenge game (4+ people)
Two people at a time draw a card from a deck. Whoever has the higher card makes up a challenge to be judged by the rest of the group. Whoever wins the challenge draws cards with the next group member. You can move in a circle, or the challenger can choose the next person.
Examples of challenges (when a winner is not easily quantified, the audience should vote):
Who can hold the longest plank
who can list the most in a certain category, for example, cities in your current state, fruits, car models, etc. (take turns, no repeats)
Who can tell the funniest joke
who can do the best cartwheel
who can write the best haiku in 3 minutes
who can win the chubby bunny game (requires large marshmallows, not recommended for young kids due to choking risk)
who can make a selected group member laugh first
who can draw the best __________ in 3 minutes. (judged without the group knowing who drew what)
3. Hotseat (5+ people)
One person sits in a chair in the middle of a half circle and a timer is set for two minutes. In this time the group asks the person as many questions as possible to learn more about them. The people on the outside hold their hands out or up when they have a question, and the person calls on people.
*If appropriate for your gathering and group, this can be turned into a mild drinking game by providing a shot that the person in the hot seat may drink if they do not want to answer a question.
4. Fishbowl (6+ people, even number is ideal)
SETUP: Each person writes down 3-5 nouns or very short phrases (no more than 3 words is recommended) on slips of paper that are folded and put into a hat, bowl, or fishbowl (if available). The group counts off to form two teams that sit alternating in a circle.
TO PLAY: A timer is set for 45-60 seconds as one person draws words and tries to get their team to guess what is on the paper while following the restrictions of that round (see below). The bowl is passed around, alternating teams, until all of the words have been used. Points are counted and then the words are RETURNED to the bowl for subsequent rounds. (You can play as many as you want/have time for.)
ROUND ONE: like the game of Taboo. You can say anything you want EXCEPT the words or any parts of the words on the paper.
ROUND TWO: Charades. You cannot say any words. (Sounds and humming allowed)
ROUND THREE: You are allowed to say JUST ONE WORD to try to capture what is on the paper.
ROUND FOUR: charades where the actor is covered with a blanket or sheet.
For more games that foster connection, check out the organization Authentic Relating Games.
“Let there be no purpose in friendship save the deepening of the spirit. ”