Icebreaker ball questions: 128 to print, cut and tape on a beach ball
- What job did eight-year-old you want most?
- Which old job taught you a surprising skill?
- Describe your theme music in three words.
- Your weekend in one word?
- What's a snack from your childhood you still buy?
- What's the best tip you got in your first month here?
Plus 18 more on the sheet. One letter page, with cut lines.
An icebreaker ball is a beach ball covered in questions. You toss it around a circle, and whoever catches it answers the question under their right thumb, which is why some people call it a thumb ball. Here is how to make one in 15 minutes, how to run it in a room or on a video call, and 128 short, work-safe questions to put on it.
How to make an icebreaker ball
A beach ball, a printed sheet, scissors and clear tape. That's the whole kit.
- Get a big beach ball. One 16 inches across or bigger is easy to catch and has room for every strip. Party stores and pool aisles sell them.
- Print a sheet of strips. Pick a mix and a count in the tool above and press Print. A classic six-panel beach ball takes 24 strips, four per panel. Use 32 for a bigger ball or a bigger group.
- Cut and tape. Cut along the dashed lines and cover each strip with clear packing tape, edge to edge, so it survives a lot of tosses. Spread them out so a thumb lands on one from any angle.
- Or write straight on the ball. A permanent marker works on the vinyl. It won't wash off, so only write questions you'll want again next time.
How to play the question ball game
Say the rules once, then throw the ball to whoever looks most ready.
- Stand or sit in a circle. Five to twenty people works best. For a bigger group, make two circles and two balls.
- Toss it gently underhand. Whoever catches it reads the question under their right thumb out loud and answers in about 30 seconds.
- Pass it to someone new. Toss to a person who hasn't had a turn yet, so the ball reaches everyone before anyone goes twice.
- Anyone can skip. If a question doesn't suit, the catcher says "left thumb" and answers that one instead. No reason needed.
- End on a high note. One full round is enough for a meeting. Twelve people take about 10 to 15 minutes.
6 ways to change it up
- Say the catcher's name before you throw, so a new team learns every name.
- The thrower answers the same strip too, so every toss gets two answers.
- The group guesses the catcher's answer before they say it.
- Second round, answer the strip under your pinky so new questions come up.
- In a meeting room, roll it across the table or hand it on instead of throwing.
- Quick picks only, and the answer has to come before the next catch.
32 get-to-know-you questions for a question ball
Easy, personal-but-not-private questions for a new team or a group that only knows each other from calls.
1. What job did eight-year-old you want most?
2. What's a snack from your childhood you still buy?
3. What's a skill an older relative taught you?
4. What's the last thing you fixed yourself?
5. Which song do you skip every single time?
6. What's a free local outing you'd recommend?
7. Name a place you've been twice and would visit again.
8. What would you build with a garage workshop?
9. Which school subject did you secretly enjoy?
10. Which dish do you make without looking anything up?
11. Which object near you has the best backstory?
12. What time of day does your brain work best?
13. What's a book you've given as a gift more than once?
14. Which month would you skip if you could?
15. What's your usual order at a bakery counter?
16. What's the oddest thing you've kept for years?
17. Which sport would you pick to be instantly great at?
18. Which app on your phone would surprise us?
19. Which school club or team were you part of?
20. What's the best view you've ever woken up to?
21. Which sound reminds you of summers as a kid?
22. What have you learned from a video this year?
23. What's a dish from another country you'd learn to cook?
24. What's your ideal first hour of a day off?
25. What's the tallest thing you've ever climbed?
26. What tradition would you never give up?
27. Which cartoon house would you move into?
28. What's a contest you'd love to enter just once?
29. What outdoor spot near home do you love most?
30. What game could you play for hours as a kid?
31. What goes on your perfect sandwich?
32. Which kitchen tool do you use for the wrong job?
32 work questions for an icebreaker ball
Questions about jobs, habits and how people like to work. Good for team meetings, offsites and onboarding days.
33. Which old job taught you a surprising skill?
34. What's the best tip you got in your first month here?
35. Which spreadsheet trick are you proudest of?
36. What task would you happily do all day?
37. Best ideas: on a walk, in the car or doing dishes?
38. How many minutes should a meeting last, at most?
39. What's a meeting habit you'd spread to every team?
40. What's a work win from this month?
41. What gets you back on track after an interruption?
42. What's your Monday morning ritual?
43. What made your best-ever team click?
44. Which job did you almost study for instead?
45. What's the most useful bookmark you have?
46. Which piece of your work would you frame?
47. What's your rule for an inbox that's out of control?
48. What school lesson turned out useful at work?
49. Which part of your workday goes fastest?
50. What gets you through a long afternoon?
51. Which training or talk stuck with you?
52. What's the best part of your commute, or of having none?
53. Which old boss or mentor do you still quote?
54. If our team got a new name, what should it be?
55. Which work phrase would you retire forever?
56. What's your best tip for a day full of calls?
57. Which meeting would you turn into a walk?
58. What did you do the day before you started here?
59. What's the best question a new hire has asked you?
60. Desk, couch or kitchen table: where do you work best?
61. Which task do you do faster than anyone expects?
62. What's the most useful feedback you've received?
63. When is the busiest stretch of your year?
64. Which conference or workshop would you love to attend?
32 light and silly ice breaker ball questions
Nothing to overthink. Use these for a party, a Friday or a group that's already warmed up.
65. Describe your theme music in three words.
66. Which animal would make the best office manager?
67. Which condiment would you take to a desert island?
68. What would a goldfish write in its diary?
69. What would you name a racehorse?
70. Which chore deserves its own robot?
71. What odd skill could you teach us in one minute?
72. Which kitchen gadget are you most like?
73. What's your catchphrase on a cooking show?
74. Which cartoon would you live inside for a day?
75. What was your best excuse for staying up late as a kid?
76. Pick a new name for Tuesday.
77. What's your superhero name if your power is being on time?
78. What would a flag for our team look like?
79. What would you name a new planet?
80. What goes in a time capsule from this week?
81. What's the strangest snack combo you love?
82. What would you call your robot assistant?
83. Which dinosaur would you ride to work?
84. What's the movie title of your last weekend?
85. What would your coffee mug's job title be?
86. Which board game are you suspiciously good at?
87. What would you sell at a stand besides lemonade?
88. Which everyday word trips you up when you type it?
89. What would you ban from every meeting?
90. Which celebrity voice should read your emails aloud?
91. What's the best name for a houseplant?
92. What would you rename the color beige?
93. What would you pack for a picnic on the moon?
94. Which vegetable is secretly a dessert?
95. What would you name a hot air balloon?
96. Which holiday needs a better mascot?
32 quick-answer ball questions for fast tosses
One-word or one-line answers, so the ball keeps moving. Best for big groups and short meetings.
97. Your weekend in one word?
98. Favorite gas station snack?
99. Best road-trip game?
100. Last thing you took a photo of?
101. Favorite thing to doodle?
102. Best season for a picnic?
103. First thing you check after waking up?
104. Your desk in one word?
105. Best smell in a bakery?
106. Most-used kitchen tool?
107. Best sound in nature?
108. Tabs open right now: under 10 or over 10?
109. Ideal office temperature?
110. Best soup for a cold day?
111. Best topping for popcorn?
112. Dream car color?
113. Favorite constellation or planet?
114. Best weather for a long walk?
115. Best day for a team lunch?
116. Favorite kind of cloud?
117. Favorite movie snack?
118. Best dumpling filling?
119. Funniest thing you saw this week?
120. Longest word you can spell?
121. Best thing about today so far?
122. Most-played game on your phone?
123. Favorite room in your home?
124. Best muffin flavor?
125. Best card game for two?
126. Ideal pancake topping?
127. Most useful knot you know?
128. One word for this team?
Ice breaker ball games on Zoom, Teams or Google Meet
Nobody can catch through a screen, so the toss becomes a name and the thumb becomes a number. The printed sheet is numbered for this.
- Pick-a-number: share the printed sheet on screen. The host calls a name, that person says a number, and everyone reads that strip.
- A real ball on camera: the host keeps the ball at their desk, gives it a spin on camera and reads whatever lands under their thumb for the next person.
- Chat toss: each person answers, then types the next person's name and a number in the chat.
- Hybrid: the room tosses a real ball, and the catcher can toss it to a remote person by name, who picks a number from the sheet.
Want a game with no ball at all? Our question games work in any room or call, these large group icebreakers handle 30 people or more, and the funny icebreaker questions are good for a crowd that’s already laughing.
Want a host to break the ice for you?
A ball works for a team meeting. For a bigger event, a live host can run a full hour of team games while everyone just plays. See our virtual trivia and virtual game shows, or get a free quote. Book at least 14 days ahead.
Three 60-minute games with a live host, on Zoom by default, or another platform on request. Today’s prices below.
