Broken Hearts
Whether you're looking for an ice breaker for a large group, or a new way to team up old companions, this is the perfect game. Players are each give one half of a heart and must find their missing half. Once players are paired up you can have them work as a team in future games, or just get to know each other. Any way you look at it, it's a great way to get the heart rate up!
- Construction paper or card stock (something with some weight to it) in different colors if you like
- Scissors
- Pencil (optional)
- Heart template (if needed)
- Bag or container large enough for an 8 1/2 x 11 piece of paper to lie flat
1. Cut out a bunch of hearts in different colors (and sizes if you like). You will want one heart for every two players.
How to cut out a heart:
A. To do so easily, simply fold a piece of paper in half longwise.
B. Place our heart template along the folded edge.
C. Trace the template.
D. Remove template and cut along the line.
E. Open the paper and you have a heart.
2. Cut each heart in half like a puzzle piece. Make some wavy, make some zig zagged, make some angular -- just make sure that each cut is unique in some way. Keep the pieces of hearts together until you have your player count.
3. Count out the number of full hearts you will need (1 per every 2 players). If you have an uneven number, one person will get two different heart halves.
4. Mix up all the hearts halves and place in a big container or bag.
1. Hand out heart halves to everyone in the room.
2. On "Go!" tell everyone to find their missing half. They will have to match color and cut exactly for the heart to be complete.
3. If a pair thinks they have found each other, they must show their heart to the team leader for verification.
4. Once verified, the pair sit down as a team. They can then get to know each other better by chatting about varied interests until everyone else has found their partner.
1. Pin the heart to each player's back (you'll want to make sure that you have lots of variety of colors, sizes, very simple cuts so it's obvious as to which hearts would go together). Have them ask other players about their heart, but only yes/no questions such as, "Is my heart blue?" Have players circulate, asking questions until they find their partner. Have the leader verify that they are correct. This is really good for an older crowd, say 12 and up.
1. Depending upon the age of your players, you may need to add words of encouragement, such as:
A. Find those with the same color heart as you....
B. Find those with the same size heart as you...
C. Make sure the pieces fit together like a puzzle...
1. Using logic and reasoning.
2. Spatial relations.
3. Learning how to mingle and share.