Name of Activity: The Life Saver Icebreaker

Type of modality / Candy introduction game, get-to-know-you, active game, build-up exercise, team building
Type of play / Shared Cooperative
Interaction pattern / Inter-group
# of participants required / 12-30
Equipment/supplies /
  • 3 bags of Life Saver candy(must be with different variation of candy colors)
  • a board or flip chart paper with what the colors represent
  • Markers to write down directions
  • Scissors (optional)

Facilities required/environment / An open space for participants to gather in a big circle.
Precautions / Be careful when eating the candy because it may cause choking hazard. Be careful when using sharp objects.

Task Analysis

1. Read the candy introduction from in order to understand how the Life Saver Icebreaker works.

2. Write down what the candy colors represent on the board or on flip chart paper, but do not show them to the participants until they choose their candy colors. For example, red represents share something fun you did this summer, orange represents list your top three most favorite foods, yellow represents dream job, green represents describe your idea of what makes a really good friend, and purple represents Wildcard (tell participants anything about yourself)

3.The activity facilitator asks participants to gather in a big circle.

4. The activity facilitator will use the scissors to cut open and pass out the bags of Life Savers for participants to choose.

5. Participants reach out for the bag of candy from the activity facilitator.

6. Participants will pick 3 candy colors (depending on their favorite flavor of the candy) or choose 3 random candy colors.

7. After participants are done choosing their candy colors, throw the empty bag in the trash can or if there left over, put them on the table.

8. The group leader/facilitator will then show participants what the candy colors represent.

8.The group leader/facilitator will reveal what the candy colors represent on the board or flip chart paper. Then participants will look at the candy color in their hands.

9.The group leader/facilitator chooses a random participant to begin the game, introduces him/her, show other participants his/her candy color, and talk about the candy color. For example, if one of the participants has green candy (describe your idea of what makes a really good friend) in his/her hand s/he will say, “I’m a very loyal friend” or “I will never tell anyone your secret”.

10. After one of the participants finishes talking about the candy color, the activity continues until we reach the last participant.

11. Once the activity is over, participants can eat the candy.

Activity Analysis

Category / Skills
Primary body position / Standing
Part of the body required / A pair of legs to stand during the activity
Movement / Grasp: Pincer Grasp (holding a bag of Life Savers and pick a candy in the bag), Grasp: Scissor Grasp (use of scissors to cut the candy bag open), Pass the candy around to other participants, holding the candy, putting down objects (e.g., the left over candy), reaching out for the bag of candy from another participants)
Physical / Balance (Static standing), crossing midline, bilateral integration, visual-motor coordination & fine motor muscle coordination
Cognitive / Attention (selective & focused),initiation, insight, intellectual knowledge, judgement, sequencing, concentration, decision making: simple, recognition of shape/form/ color.
Social / Starting & ending a conversation, heterogeneity, physical contact, relating with equals, regulating behavior, relationships: forming, self-expression, social conduct, social cues, showing respects & warmth, & showing tolerance
Perception / Auditory, gustatory, olfactory, tactile, & visual functions
Communication/language / Reception to spoken language, expression of spoken language
Self-care / N/A
Psychological/emotional (possible) / Joy for getting to know each other during the activity, joy for choosing the favorite flavor, pleasure of meeting & developing new friends, shy of speaking in front of everyone, become nervous in front of everyone, & fear of speaking up

SIMPLIFYING AND COMPLICATING THIS ACTIVITY:

Ways to SIMPLIFY demands / Ways to make more COMPLEX
Cognitively / Ask participants to choose only 1 candy color. / Use participants’ first letter of their first name to think of their personality traits. For example, if a participant’s first name letter is H, participant’s have to think of a word similar to his/her personality traits, such as “Hilarious” or “Happy”. Then, say them out loud “Happy Hong” in front of other participants.
Physically / Have participants move around to get to know other participants (not someone s/he already knows, but someone they are unfamiliar with). / Instead of using candy colors for this activity, participants can use their physical appearance to command others. For example, one of the participants will be “monkey in the middle” of the big circle and will give out a verbal command, such as someone wearing glasses or someone wearing jean. Whoever has the same common physical appearance will have to move to different spots of the circle and they are not allowed to stay in the same spot. If all the spots are taken from others, the next participant will be the monkey giving commands for the activity.
Socially / Separate participants into two groups for this activity / Have participants make their own name tags on a 3x5 index card and tape them on their back without revealing it to others before the activity begins (i.e., participants can list hobbies, name of the person, or the place to travel). For example, participants will go around the room to ask others questions that are only answerable with yes or no.

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