Five Stress Relief Games for Groups

It’s perfectly normal to be a little anxious when you lead a group. Everybody who’s in the group is probably a little anxious as well. Whether it’s an educational group, a social group, or a support group, it’s good to break the ice and put people at ease before getting on to business. These quick, easy stress relief games for groups will allow you to start off any group with a bang.

Stress Relief Games for Groups #1: If I Were A…

Have the group sit or stand in a circle. The leader should start the group off by turning to the person on his or her right and saying something like, “If you were an animal, what kind of animal would you be?” That person answers the question and asks the person on his or her right another question in the same vein, such as, “If you were a famous writer, which writer would you be?” Game continues until everyone has gotten a chance to answer and ask a question. No fair repeating categories!

Stress Relief Games for Groups #2: Who Likes What?

Give everyone a piece of paper and a pencil. Then list five categories such as “foods” or “musicians.” Everyone should list their favorite thing in each category. All the slips of paper should then be given back to you (the leader). As you read each list aloud, the other members of the group try to guess whose list you are reading.

Stress Relief Games for Groups #3: Liar, Liar

Have each member of the group take turns making three statements about themselves. Two of those statements should be true; one should be false. The rest of the group then has to guess which statement is a lie.

Stress Relief Games for Groups #4: Gossip

This is a great game to play if your group has anything to do with communication. To work best, the group should have at least ten people, and no more 20. The leader starts by whispering a long, convoluted sentence into the ear of the person on his or her right. That person then whispers what he/she heard to the next person, and so forth. When the whisper has gone all the way around the circle, ask the last person who heard it to tell the group what they heard. Then tell the group what you originally said. The two sayings are all but guaranteed to be very different!

Stress Relief Games for Groups #5: Ethics

This game works well for a small group of adults who know each other who love to discuss/argue issues and don’t get offended easily. The leader starts the game by turning to a random group member and presenting an ethical dilemma. For instance, “If you knew someone was going to kill your worst enemy, would you try to warn him?” The person answers the question and explains his or her rationale. Then the group votes on whether or not they believe the person would really act as they said they would. If the majority of participants think the person is lying, he or she is out of the game. If the majority thinks he/she is telling the truth, that person picks another “victim” and poses another ethical dilemma. Last player left is the winner.