The Ball of Yarn – Ice Breaker

Today, I will introduce a small but fun Ice Breaker commonly used in the world of agility: the ball of yarn. This activity offers an enjoyable moment and a playful way for participants to introduce themselves to the group.

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The Ball of Yarn

The goal of this Ice Breaker is to encourage participants to introduce themselves and establish any potential connections with others in the group. It is quick and highly effective, making it a popular choice for meetups and agile training sessions.

Preparation for the Ball of Yarn

Participants

You’ll need a minimum of 10 participants to carry out this Ice Breaker successfully.

Materials

Here’s what you’ll need to prepare for this Ice Breaker:

• Balls of yarn

Duration: 10 minutes

Step 1: The Ball of Yarn

The facilitator will explain the rules to the participants and hand a ball of yarn to one of them. If there are many participants, you can even provide a second ball.

The first participant will introduce themselves briefly, saying something like, “I am [Name], and I work as a [Job Title].” After the introduction, the participant will send the ball of yarn to another participant they know while holding onto one end. If they don’t know anyone, they should mention it and then toss the ball to a person of their choice.

Step 2: The Ball of Yarn

The second participant will introduce themselves and then pass the ball of yarn to another participant who has not received it yet, holding onto the part of the yarn that is now in their possession.

The Ice Breaker continues in this way until all participants have received the ball of yarn. At that point, all participants raise their arms to display the intricate web they’ve created.

Conclusion: The Ball of Yarn

In conclusion, this Ice Breaker is a lot of fun and allows for quick introductions among participants. It’s interesting for the facilitator to encourage participants to take the opportunity, at the end of the session (meetup, training, etc.), to connect with those who piqued their interest during this activity.