Frosh week is all about uniting students and getting them familiar with college and university campus life. These team building fun events forge new relationships and lay the foundation for productive learning experiences. But, for some, the thought of hundreds of new people and unfamiliar surroundings can be stressful.
Here Are 10 Great Activities That Can Help Break the Ice:
1. Drone Obstacle Course
Now this is cool. Drone racing is trending and picking up steam. Frosh week will love the inclusion of this activity which requires a great deal of concentration, great reflexes, and maybe some gaming experience. Corporate sponsors of Frosh Week will appreciate the branding space on both the drones and the obstacles.
2. Scavenger hunt
This classic group activity encourages diversity. Segment groups to include athletes, intellectuals, creatives, and socials. A great scavenger hunt requires all of these skillsets to succeed. This is a fun way to work together, and may introduce people who otherwise would never have interacted. This paves the way for successful academics and career dynamics.
3. Inflatable Obstacle Course
Students love putting their heads together in an effort to get through an obstacle course the fastest. This age group tends to get a little bit too competitive at times, so the added layer of safety that an inflatable brings is much appreciated.
4. Poker Hand
You don’t have to be overly complicated or obscure to successfully break the ice. Keep it simple with a few decks of cards. Pass them around randomly and instruct the students to seek out others with the same card. The first conversation is the most difficult part of starting any relationship. Empowering students with harmless questions and some common ground is a surefire way to get the ball rolling.
5. 72 seconds of fun
Here, students have exactly 72 seconds to introduce themselves to as many people as possible. Compacting basic details like name, age, residence, favourite movie, or best memories into short bursts takes the stress away and helps to get through those first awkward moments. When time is up, everyone will be loose and ready for more!
6. Birthday game
Common ground is the easiest way to start a conversation. Facilitate this by having the students find others who were born in the same month and line up together, from January to December. A simple conversation about “how difficult it is to have a birthday so close to New Years” is a stress-free way to start fostering a relationship.
7. Team building
Many college and university courses hinge on group performance. Many students will be isolated, having recently departed from their high school cliques and encountering a new environment for the first time. Standard group games such as tug-of-war and egg-and-spoon races are great ways to bring people together and into the habit of working with a team.
8. Straw Towers
Team efforts are fantastic, but feats of athleticism may not be for everyone. Challenging teams to create the largest or most creative drinking straw structure is sure to get the collaborative juices flowing and set your group off to an academic state of mind. This team challenge if fun and allows every member to contribute.
9. Musical Chairs
This birthday classic doesn’t lose appeal when you get older. Update the game with modern music and watch as teams and individuals fight over the last seat. Without fail, someone will sit on a stranger’s lap. It’s impossible not to laugh, and impossible not to break the ice.
10. Branded Ice Cream Carts
Ok, so this isn’t exactly an activity, but ice cream never fails. Ice cream carts are highly visible – another win for corporate sponsors – and offer up a delicious break from all of the fun and activities where students can get to know each other even more.
Frosh week is a fantastic way for a great event to bring people together. Putting all of this in place takes a lot of time, resources, and fresh ideas so you may want to enlist a full-service events company to help facilitate these ice breaking activities or trend setting virtual reality games.