CATHOLIC SMALL GROUPS

ICE BREAKERS

Let’s face it, most men are reluctant to open up and share their feelings in a private setting, let alone a public or group setting.  Yet, as small group leaders, part of our task is to engage the minds and hearts of men with the Christ-centered material that we present to them. We know that in order to connect with men, we need to get them to open up, but the question is how?

One way is to get men to laugh. Humor is a great ice breaker. Another good starter is a game that challenges our ability to solve a problem. Men are great problem solvers.

Catholic Man.org has assembled a list of proven ice breakers for leaders of Catholic men’s groups. We encourage you to try them out, then adapt them to your own style and taste. If you manage to adapt them or if you can come up with some ideas of your own that work, please share it with us by emailing your idea to us This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . We will post your ideas for others to use.

1. DRESS THE MUMMY 

Required: Rolls of toilet paper Members: Small to large groups Set up teams with 2-4 men on each team. One guy on each team will be the mummy and each team will be given 2 rolls of toilet paper. They will have 5 minutes to complete the game. The team members are to circle around the mummy and pass the toilet paper to each other while wrapping the mummy in it. The leader of the group will be the judge and decide which team created the best mummy design. 

2. FAVORITE STUFF

Have all guys write on a piece of paper their answers to these questions: What is your favorite sports team, food, car, TV show, hobby, and color? Sign your name. Don't let anyone else see the answers. The leader then reads the answers to the whole group, and members try to guess who each set of answers belongs to. Award one point for each right guess. The man with the most points wins a prize.

3. BLINDFOLD

Equipment: 6 Pairs of old stockings, 2 blindfolds, 2 pairs of gloves, and 2 paper bags.  Ask for 2 men to volunteer. Ask them to remove their right shoe. Blindfold them, and have each put on a pair of gloves and give them a bag containing several pairs of old nylon stockings. Award a prize to the one who succeeds in getting all the stockings in the bag over their foot. It’s lots of fun because the gloves make it really tough to tell the top of the stockings from the foot. Everyone will get a good laugh.

4. BAG OF BEANS

Have a big bag of beans or skittles or something like that. Begin by passing out 5 beans (or more or less, depending) to each member. The members then mingle and talk freely. The object is to be the one who gets the most beans. Each time the other person says “Yes,” “No” or shakes or nods their head, they have to give you one bean. At the end of the time limit, whoever ends up with the most beans is the winner. 

Registered users can download a list of 82 ice breakers here