Introducing new people into groups can be an awkward situation, especially when you’re unfamiliar with everyone. A great way to avoid this is by playing some group games like Group Juggle. This is a fast and easy icebreaker game that will have everyone remember the names of everyone in the room in a fun way.
Features of the Group Juggle Game
| ★ Game Name | Group Juggle |
| ★ Group size | small and medium |
| ★ Age | any (6+) |
| ★ Type | active / stationary |
| ★ Skill | memory/ reaction / throwing |
| ★ Place | indoor |
| ★ Time | up to 10 – 20 min |
| ★ Preparation | no |
| ★ Materials | balls |
The aim of the Group Juggle
The aim behind Group Juggle is to have your players pass a ball to another player while calling out the recipient’s name. This is a great icebreaker game, as your players must first introduce themselves to the group and memorize the names of everyone else in the circle.
Group Size and Age to Play Group Juggle
Ideally, you’ll want to have 4 to 12 players when playing Group Juggle. Bigger groups are always welcome, although you may want to separate the players into smaller clusters to make the game more fun.
You can play Group Juggle with players aged 6 and up.
Preparation and Needed Materials
Before playing Group Juggle, here’s what you’ll have to prepare:
- Large space so everyone can stand in a circle
- A few balls
- Name tags if you’re playing with a new group
How to Play Group Juggle
To play Group Juggle, your players must first introduce themselves to the circle. If you’re playing with a group of friends who are new to each other, giving everyone a name tag will help make the game easier. Once the introductions are over, you’ll be ready to play Group Juggle:
Step 1: Have all your players stand in a circle and raise their right hand. Choose a player to start the game and give them possession of the ball.
Step 2: The starting player must then pass the ball to another player by calling out their names. The recipient cannot be someone next to them. When the 2nd player catches the ball, they can then put their hand down.
Step 3: Players will repeat this step over and over until all the hands have been put down. Your players cannot pass the ball to someone who’s already been called on before, making it a great way to break the ice for everyone.
This is the basic level, the real fun starts now!
Step 4: During the second round, players have to throw the ball to the exact person they did before but they have to do it faster! (At this point there is no need to raise the hand. Just call the name and throw the ball).
Step 5: Once everybody can do it fast enough you can start another round. This time, when the group is halfway through, the second ball comes into play and players do the same thing.
Step 6: When it gets easy, add the 3d ball. Ideally, it should have a different color, so it won’t confuse anybody. This is a reversed ball, it means that players have to throw it in a reversed order starting from the last player.
Step 7: If you’d like to play the game even more competitively, you can any item (it can be the ball as well) to the game. The players have to pass the item to the person to the left (next to them) during all this juggling. Keep in mind that you also have to say the name of the person before you give it.
All in all, there are 2 balls are going forward, one ball is going backward, and the item is going one person to your left.
Finish this round without mistakes. If you’d like to play the game competitively, you could also include a 1-second rule for every player. When this rule is included, the players cannot hold the ball for more than 1 second, thus forcing them to remember the names of the other players on a whim.
This makes the game more challenging if you have new groups of friends coming together, but can be a lot more fun than regular Group Juggle.