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Do you have a diverse age span in your small church women’s group? Are you struggling to find ways for them to connect, that seemingly bridge that span? Are you trying to find common ground for women of all ages in your group to build relationships on?
Then these intergenerational icebreakers could be just the thing to spark connection in your small group!
Why icebreakers?
Icebreakers are a fun and non-intimidating way of encouraging conversation between people. They offer a chance for us to share part of our life story and give others an insight into our lives. Most icebreakers are simple questions or challenges that are easy to answer, even if you are a bit of an introvert. When we encourage the women in our small groups to take the time to listen to others and their stories, we see more connections being made, empathy starting to develop and an environment forming where women of all ages are being valued and heard.
Can Fun Icebreakers Really Bridge The Generational Gap?
The simple answer to this question – YES!
As we mentioned most icebreakers are based on simple questions or challenges, for example:
What was one of your favorite toys or games to play when you were a child?
Just think of the vast amount of answers this one question could have. From those who grew up decades before us and those who grew up at the same time, that’s a broad range of answers! This one question is an opportunity to look into someone’s personality, the influences of their childhood, and a glimpse into their likes and dislikes. An answer from a woman who is much older, can help educate younger women as to the environment of when their sister in faith grew up. It can illuminate things you have in common or vast differences, all of which are great fodder for conversation starters.
Just think, two women who both enjoyed playing with dolls when they were a child could discuss the different kinds of dolls they had, what dolls would have cost them, and what kinds of fashion their dolls would have. That’s a lot of things to talk about, to share, and what fun it would be to see both the differences and similarities in simple hobbies and how free time was spent throughout the generations.
So here are 10 Icebreakers for you to use with your women’s small group and we hope you see an appreciation for each other as you laugh and connect together!
10 Intergenerational Icebreakers For Women’s Small Groups
1. My First-My Last-My Hardest Job
Supplies/ Materials Needed:
- No materials are needed at the beginning of your meeting!
Icebreaker Instructions:
Ask each woman to think about this question and be ready to share when asked.
- What was your first job?
- What was your last (or current) job?
- What has been your hardest job?
Our workforce experience is an interesting insight into our lives. Many times we are unaware of the experiences that other women have had in our group. It’s also very interesting to identify stay-at-home mothers, homeschool teachers, and full-time caregivers.
2. If Money Were No Object
Materials/ Supplies Needed:
- Cardstock
- Tape
Icebreaker Instructions:
Print out square cards (we used 3 x 3-inch pieces of cardstock) on the computer with situational questions. Tape a question to each chair and the guest that sits there will have to answer that question.
Explain to the group that the beginning of each question starts with…
“If money were no object…”
This is a fun way to hear the dreams and thoughts of the ladies in your group. Who knows you might share a dream with someone, a great thing to converse about!
You can make up your own or use some of these:
“If money were no object…”
- …I would buy this gift for this person in my life.
- …I would take a trip to this place and why.
- …I would give this gift to the church.
- …I would support this mission/missionary work and why.
- …I would take my family to this place and why.
- …I would go on a shopping trip and buy _____.
- …I would take my ladies’ group to do _____.
3. Famous Family Sweets & Treats
Materials/ Supplies Needed:
- Cupcake liners
- A small basket to fit on each table
- A pen or marker
Icebreaker Instructions:
Use Cupcake liners that are flattened out for your paper. Write or copy and print the following questions on the cupcake liners.
Option 1:
Place a basket of the liner questions on each table. Instruct someone at each table to draw out one of the liners and ask the question to everyone at the table–give everyone at the table a chance to share.
Option 2:
You could place a cupcake liner at each place setting or distribute them to each attendee as they come in. Invite those who would like to share their answers with the group.
Question Examples:
- What was a favorite treat as a child that you only had once a year?
- Who was known in your family for making everyone’s favorite treat?
- What treat or sweet did you have on your birthday growing up?
- Did your family have a favorite dish that you did not like?
- Did you learn how to make sweets or treats from your Mom or Grandma?
- Did you ever go to a particular store just to buy a certain sweet or treat?
Tips For Success:
It would be fun to invite a few people to bring a special treat to share with the group for refreshments.
Bonus – Provide large index cards for people to share recipes with others if they would like to.
4. Decades Of Five Famous Faces
Materials/ Supplies Needed:
- Construction paper
- Markers or crayons
Icebreaker Instructions:
Hand out construction paper and markers or crayons to all the attendees. Instruct them to be ‘artists’. They must choose any 20-year period in their life (2 decades) and draw 5 influential famous faces (assure them that stick figures & cartoons are fully acceptable) from that time period. They must have the following represented in their drawing:
- A political figure
- An entertainer (singer, actor, etc.)
- Someone who was in the news a lot
- Someone you knew personally, who was an inspiration
- Someone you wished you could be more like
Make sure to have everyone identify the faces in their ‘portrait’. Then have each person share, or if you don’t have time for all to share, you could have everyone write their name on a masterpiece and post it on the wall. Give time for everyone to stroll the ‘exhibit’.
This engaging activity gives others insight into the ‘world’ state that each of your women experienced at one point in their lives.
Tips For Success:
Allow the ladies to use their phones to look up prominent figures in their chosen time period if they can’t remember, but they still have to draw them!
5. Your Favorite Fashion Statement From Your Youth
Materials/ Supplies Needed:
- Printouts of different fashion trends throughout the ages
- Dollar store frames (optional)
Icebreaker Instructions:
This icebreaker really turns into a party theme. Invite the ladies to your ‘fashion party’ and give them the challenge to make a collage of the favorite fashions from their youth that they would wear. They can have pictures cut out of a magazine, or catalog, printed from a computer search, or even more fun a photo of them wearing the styles of clothing.
Have each person bring their collage to the meeting and have a display area to hang them without putting their names on them.
For decor, print out some ‘fashion trends’ from different time periods and post them around the room or in dollar store frames on your tables. You could even put up a clothesline and hang some vintage clothing pieces up as decoration.
Give women in your small group a chance at the start of the meeting to look at all the collages and photos, trying to guess who may be represented by each collage.
Then invite each woman to come up and take down their collage and share with the group, why they loved that fashion, when they wore it, and how it made them feel.
This exercise really shares a lot of our personal stories with others and it’s a fun insight into how someone grew up or you may even notice some ‘repeat’ trends through the different generations–which is a great connection point.
6. History In Her-Story
Materials/ Supplies Needed:
- The only supplies needed are paper and a writing implement for everyone at the meeting.
Icebreaker Instructions:
You will ask the following questions and then allow time for sharing with their table or with the group as a whole.
Questions to ask:
- What are 3 important events from history that you were ‘witness’ to, meaning you saw it live on TV, you were physically present, participated in, or visited a memorial or monument about that event?
- What is something that impacted you?
It’s very enlightening to know what people have been through in each of the generations. It’s interesting to hear first-hand accounts of things that perhaps we have only read about. This activity can help us grow in respect, compassion, and empathy for others when we know their background and how it has impacted them.
7. Technology Frontiers
Materials/ Supplies Needed:
- Something to create signs (i.e. paper, whiteboards, framed paper, etc.)
Icebreaker Instructions:
Place the following signs (could be accompanied with a picture too) on tables or in different areas of the room, (taped on the wall, or placed in acrylic frames, on a bulletin board, etc.).
Signs To Have:
- Cordless Phones
- Color TV
- Computers
- Cell Phones
- Remote controls
- Texting
- Internet
- Social Media
- Electric Typewriters
Instruct the group that, as you read the following statements or ask the questions, they should stand up if the statement describes them or if the answer to the question is yes.
If you have people with mobility issues, you could have them just raise their hand to identify.
Here are some examples of statements and questions you could ask. Think of your group dynamic and make up your own as well!
- I remember watching Black & White TV.
- I still struggle with using Social Media to my advantage.
- As a kid, we owned a cordless phone.
- I can name 10 different texting abbreviations.
- We used computers/iPads/ laptops in my high school regularly.
- I believe the Internet has ‘shrunk’ our world.
- When I was growing up you had to change the channel by hand.
- I remember my first cell phone (encourage them to share what it was & looked like)
Take your time and use this activity as a way to bridge your generational gaps. If some of the women in your group are older and express frustrations with using technology, this might be an opportunity for younger women to step up and offer to help them. Spend time with each other teaching skills and sharing a connection that way.
8. Welcome To The Design Decor Space
Materials/ Supplies Needed:
- No materials are needed, just three chairs and an optional, pretend (or real) microphone for your host!
Icebreaker Instructions:
Use this as an icebreaker or have a Potluck and use it as part of the entertainment.
Set up as a fun TV interview-type type show focusing on a popular TV subject today Home Design.
Make an area for your ‘guests’ (3 women from different generations or ages) and a chair for your MC/host. Decorate your set if you want to go all out.
Choose 3 ‘guests’ ahead of time and give them a copy of some of the questions you will be asking so they can have time to think about answers. Choose some that you’ll want impromptu responses!
Play this up big! Introduce your ‘guests’. Find out some fun facts about them that you can share with the audience as you introduce them (where they were born, hobbies, etc.).
Here are some sample questions:
- Describe to our audience your current ‘Design Decor’ Style. Are you a country farmhouse, traditional formal, modern clean lines, or eclectic, a little bit of everything, Grandma Chic, etc.?
- Tell us your favorite source for your decorating decor? (You could even make these as signs for the women to hold up) Is it Walmart Wise & Wonderful, Target or Tar-jay Hey!, Ikea is my Friend, Homey at Hobby Lobby, I’m a Wayfair Woman, or Thrifting All The Way!
- Describe to us the wonderful world of your teenage room. We want to know your style then, colors. What was on display? Wall decor? Cleanliness?
- The worst painting mistake I ever made was…
- The most recent home decor item I purchased was…
- Describe your Design style when it comes to entertaining: “Come on Over-Get Comfy-It’s Paper Plate Time”, “Please Join Me For Fine Dining & China”, “Hey Y’all Pizza Party Time (shoes optional)”, “Manja-Manja I Love To Cook For A Crowd”, “BBQ & Backyard Entertaining For Sure”, “Small Gatherings-Cozy Conversations”
- If I were to give you this piece of furniture (have a printed photo of a ‘rough’ looking drawer or table), what would be your design makeover magic?
You can think of other questions, or challenges especially knowing the character of the women in your group. If you use this as an event, it might be fun to have a simple home decor craft that everyone makes to take home.
9. My Shopping List Last Week
Materials/ Supplies Needed:
- A fun and silly prize for the winners!
Icebreaker Instructions:
Ask ladies before your meeting to bring with them a shopping list – either found on their phone, on a piece of paper in their purse, or a receipt from a store. It just needs to be a list from a recent trip to the grocery store.
Have women shout out something on their list. Anyone in the room who has a matching item should stand. They each get a point.
Add up points at the end of the game and give a fun silly prize to winners.
Commonalities even over grocery items can spark conversations and discussions in your group!
10. 2-4-6 Search-Sign-Pick!
Materials/ Supplies Needed:
- Pens or pencils
Icebreaker Instructions:
Print out the sheet that follows and distribute it to the women in your group. Pre-determine your time limit. If you have a larger group, account for more ‘searching’ the room time. On average I would say give them 3 minutes to work on it.
There are 36 boxes on the sheet, each with a different category. Women must search the room and have someone sign the square that fits that category (i.e., I have visited another country). They can have each woman sign 2 of the squares, but no more than that! All pens down when the timer sounds!
Count up signed squares at the end of the game and see who got the most signatures.
This is a fun and active way to get to know little facts about the other women in your small group. It also brings out commonalities that we might not know about with those in the group.
Tips For Success:
If you have women with mobility issues, allow them to stay at a table and have people come to them.
Cultivate A Welcoming Atmosphere
So there you have it 10 different ways to break the ice and connect over the generational ages. These simple tools allow us to connect, find things in common, have conversations, laugh together, and start to build community!
Provide the atmosphere for sharing, find common ground, invite connection with fun and simple icebreakers, and encourage developing relationships beyond the group walls.
We would be thrilled to hear if you tried any of these games or icebreakers and how it went. Take some pictures and share them with us in our Facebook Community. You could be the inspiration that someone else needs!
Read More:
Effective Tips For Intergenerational Ministry In Your Church
