You can rightly say that icebreakers are activities designed to relax students, introduce them to one another and also energize them. The icebreakers help to make the environment informal and warm up the session. In addition, icebreakers help the students to form random and informal groups to break up the cliques in a fun way.

The term “icebreaker” is borrowed from a ship which “break the ice” in the arctic region. The icebreaker ships help in clearing the ice to make way for the other ships to travel smoothly. Similarly, icebreaker activities help the students to interact with one another and also enhance learning through series of games and activities and teamwork.

Icebreaker activities also help in creating a bond between students and teachers. Classroom icebreaker activities on the first day of school help the newcomers to mix with the old students and also help to make them comfortable and settle in.

Today, icebreakers are a part of creative thinking, strategic thinking, positive thinking, problem solving and learning strategies, not only in business organizations but also for students of all age groups. The reason is classroom icebreaker activities help to develop various soft skills such as interpersonal skill, communication skills that include written, verbal and non-verbal and team building skills. Icebreakers activities are used in a form of learning known as problem-based learning, a novel mode of imparting education to the aspiring students. Read the rest of this entry »