Talking to new people can be nerve wracking , especially for teenagers. It’s hard to know what to say or what to ask. We’ve put our heads together and compiled the ultimate list of questions to use as you push through that first layer of awkwardness and help your students break the ice.
We tried to go deeper than your basic “what’s your favorite color” type question without going so far as “What’s your deepest darkest secret.” We’re confident we found that sweet spot somewhere in between.
These creative questions can be used in casual conversations or in more formal ice breaker type games.
Still nervous about how to get your students talking? Here are three ways we use ice breaker questions to build relationships in our youth group:
- 1: Toss and Talk- Pick a few questions and write them in sharpie all over a beach ball. Put students in a circle and have them throw the beach ball in the air. The person who catches the ball has to answer whatever question is closest to their right thumb. This game continues until everyone has caught the ball at least once. (If your group is large, think about dividing them into smaller circles so everyone gets a chance to answer a question)
- 2: Speed Relating– Similar to “Speed Dating”. Ask half of the students to sit in a circle facing out. Ask the other half of the students to find a partner to sit in front of. The leader will read out a question and the partners will have two minutes to answer. When the timer is up, the students on the outside get up and move clockwise to face a new partner. The leader then reads out a different question and starts the timer again. This continues until the outside circle has rotated all the way around and returned to their original partner.
- 3: Weekly Question– Display a different question each week for students to see and use as a conversation starter. You can display this question on a whiteboard, letter board or projected as part of your welcome slide.
There are tons more activities and games you can use these questions for but hopefully our examples can help you get started.
I guess it might help to give you the list, huh? Without further ado, here is our ultimate list of 100 icebreaker questions for teens:
Here’s to embracing the awkward moments and starting a conversation with someone new! Good luck!
- What is something you’re good at?
- What is something you’re excited about right now?
- What is the first app you go on in the morning?
- What are you scared of?
- Who is your funniest relative and why?
- What is your go-to karaoke song?
- What is one cool feature you would put in your dream house?
- Where would you go and what would you do on your dream vacation?
- What is your least favorite movie?
- If you could have coffee with a celebrity (alive, fictional or deceased) who would you choose and what do you think they would order?
- What makes you different?
- What is something you’re stressed about right now?
- If you could change your name, what would you rename yourself?
- What is your favorite lunch spot and what do you order?
- Who was your first friend?
- What’s your favorite smell?
- If you had to be in a talent show, what would your talent be?
- What was your best birthday and why?
- What is your dream job?
- What is your favorite thing to do on a snow day?
- What is your favorite commercial?
- What is one embarrassing thing that’s happened to you lately?
- If you had to eat the same food for a year what would you choose?
- What is your favorite kind of firework?
- What are three things you would put in a time capsule?
- What animal do you relate most with?
- What topping should never be on a pizza?
- If your house was on fire and you had to grab one thing to save what would you choose?
- What is your favorite movie series?
- Would you rather have WiFi or air conditioning in your house?
- What do you need prayer for right now?
- What’s something you wonder about?
- Who is the most virtuous Disney princess?
- What would you do if you weren’t scared?
- If you got to rename our state/country, what would you name it?
- What is your favorite family tradition?
- If you were starting a new civilization on a newly discovered planet what would you bring?
- What is your favorite sea animal?
- What do you do when people sing you happy birthday?
- What is your dream car?
- What’s better- being rich or being famous?
- What makes someone an “adult”?
- If you could adopt any animal as a pet, what animal would you adopt and what would you name it?
- What’s something you don’t understand?
- What’s your favorite food to eat on Thanksgiving?
- What was one of the best days of your life so far?
- What do you think will be the best day of your life in the future?
- What is your favorite kind of candy?
- What do you look for in a friend?
- What’s your least favorite taste?
Here’s to embracing the awkward moments and starting a conversation with someone new! Good luck!