250+ Ice Breaker Questions for Life (By Category)

An ice breaker question is a question that’s asked from one person to another person to act as a conversation starter. Ice breaker questions can bring a connection between two people. And can begin small talk that can lead to positive business outcomes or relationship outcomes.

A great ice breaker question is usually a fun question versus a deep question. It should be informal in nature and make the other person feel welcome. Ice breaker questions are used when two colleagues meet for the first time during a job interview between the hiring manager or candidate. Or when a new employee is meeting the CEO for the first time. It’s much better to start your conversation with a funny ice breaker than to have awkward silence when you first meet someone.

Playing an ice breaker game can also be great for new employees joining the workforce. This helps to spur connectivity between new colleagues and the icebreaker activity (the game) can promote team building and collaboration.

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Sample Funny Ice Breaker Questions

Below are examples of funny ice breaker questions. When asking funny ice breaker questions, remind yourself that you should deliver them informally for them to be funny. These funny ice breaker questions are generally considered fun icebreaker questions to ask since they promote a smile and happiness from the other party.

1. What is your favorite food?
2. What do you think about Justin Timberlake?
3. Which sock do you put on first in the morning?
4. Who would win in a fight, Joe Pesci or Steve Buscemi?
5. Who do you think Brad Pitt is going to date next?
6. Are you a nighttime person or a daytime person?
7. What do you like to do for fun?
8. What would you bring with you if you were stranded on an island?
9. If you could be any car, what would it be and why?
10. If you had a fake friend, what would you name them?
11. If you had five dogs, what would you name them?
12. If you were to change your name, what would you change it to and why?
13. If you could eat any food for two weeks, what would it be and why?
14. What are your favorite records and why?
15. What are your favorite movies and why?
16. If you woke up tomorrow as an animal, which animal would you want it to be and why?
17. What’s the weirdest thing you’ve eaten?
18. What’s your favorite book?
19. What’s your favorite TV show?
20. What's your favorite superhero growing up?
21. What’s your favorite movie?
22. What’s your favorite ice cream flavor?
23. What's your favorite holiday tradition growing up?
24. What's your favorite family tradition you feel comfortable sharing?
25. Which famous person would you love to have dinner with and why?
26. What’s your favorite sport?
27. What’s your favorite song?
28. What’s your favorite band or musician?
29. Tell me two truths and a lie.
30. What's your favorite smell in the morning?
31. What's the worst job you've ever had?
32. What's the worst thing you do when you first wake up?
33. If your car had a name, what would it be?
34. What's your favorite knock-knock joke?
35. Which movie made you laugh the most?
36. What traps in Home Alone did you like the most?
37. What would you recommend someone new to the city do with their time?
38. What superpower would you never wish upon an enemy?
39. What did you believe as a child that you still believe today?
40. What funny thing did you believe as a child?
41. What actor or actress makes you laugh the most?
42. What actor or actress makes you cry?
43. What movie made you cry?
44. What movie speaks to you the most?
45. What's your favorite romantic comedy?
46. What Disney character would you be?
47. What Disney cartoon is your favorite?
48. What Olympics gold medalist is your favorite?

Sample Mental Ice Breaker Questions

Below are examples of mental ice breaker questions. At the same time, you aren’t looking for the candidate to answer the question correctly. You should be looking for them to explain their thought process behind the mental question. These fun ice breaker questions are great for those who are being tested at work (in an interview or during a promotion).

1. How would you escape from prison?
2. How would you turn a car upside down?
3. How would you get a car on a roof?
4. How many candy bars could you fit in your car?
5. How many tennis balls could you fit in your car?
6. How many bricks could you fit in your trunk?
7. How would you move a mountain?
8. If you were to build a scavenger hunt, what objects would you put inside the hunt?
9. How would you increase your internet speeds without calling your cable provider?
10. How would you negotiate lower cell phone bills?
11. If you could meet anyone in history, who would it be and why?
12. If you could change history, what would you change and why?
13. If you could fly to anywhere right now, where would you fly and why?
14. How would you solve a puzzle if you only had 20-minutes to do it?
15. If you were on a deserted island, what five items would you want to have with you to survive?

Sample Relevant Ice Breaker Questions

Relevant ice breaker questions are going to jump-start your conversation with a job candidate. Below are fairly common ice breaker questions that you can use to jump into the interview session.

1. Who are your influencers?
2. Who are your mentors?
3. How do you define success?
4. What type of company would you create if you could create any company?
5. What is your dream job?
6. How would your friends describe you?
7. How would your coworkers describe you?
8. What are some things you would bring to the company?
9. How would you improve our job description or online job listing?
10. How would you improve our website or homepage?
11. What makes you want to get up in the morning and come to work?
12. What’s your favorite object in your home?
13. Would you go to the woods, go to a beach, or go to a city?
14. What inspires you?
15. Who inspires you?
16. What historical figures inspire you?
17. What food would you be and why?
18. What meat would you be and why?
19. What vegetable would you be and why?
20. Can you dance well?
21. Can you sing well?
22. If you're the best criminal mastermind in the world, what would you steal?
23. What band would play at your funeral?
24. If you had to write a textbook, what would you write it on?
25. Did you do well in school?
26. Did you enjoy pop-quizzes in school?
27. Did you enjoy the end of the year exams in school?
28. Can you tell me about 1 or 2 people who have been particularly kind to you in your life? If they were here, what would you say to them?
29. Are there any positive moments or memories from your life that you feel shaped who you are today? Are there any negative events or memories that you think shaped you?
30. Of the people you’ve lost in life, who do you miss the most? What is it about them that you miss?
31. Can you tell me about the most difficult moments in your life?
32. What are you most grateful for?
33. Can you tell me about the dumbest thing you’ve ever done?
34. Tell me about a teacher or other adult who had a big impact on you growing up.
35. What advice would you give your teenage self at this very moment?
36. When in life have you felt most alone?
37. If you could hold on to one memory from your life forever, what would that be?
38. How has your life been different from what you’d imagined?
39. How would you like to be remembered?
40. For your great-great-grandchildren listening to this 5-years from now: is there any wisdom you’d want to pass on to them? What would you want them to know?
41. Is there anything that you’ve never told me but want to tell me now?
42. Is there something about me that you’ve always wanted to know but have never asked?
43. How would you describe me? How would you describe yourself?
44. Where will we be in 10 years? 20 years?
45. Do you think we’ll ever lose touch with each other?
46. Is there anything that you’ve always wanted to tell me but haven’t?
47. When is the most interesting period in history to you?
48. What time period do you feel like you belong in?

Sample Ice Breakers on Parenting

People can connect over parenting and start deep conversations that have lasting implications on our philosophy of life and ability to parent.

1. When did you first find out that you were going to be a parent? How did you feel?
2. Can you describe the moment when you saw your child or children for the first time?
3. How has being a parent changed your life?
4. What are your dreams you have for your children?
5. Do you remember when your last child left home permanently?
6. Do you have any favorite stories about your kids during bedtime or to inspire them?

Sample Ice Breakers on Childhood

Recalling childhood can be a great memory for many. But remember, not everyone had a positive childhood that they would appreciate recalling and speaking about to a new friend or colleague. It's best to tread lightly when it comes to speaking about childhood.

1. When and where were you born?
2. Where did you grow up?
3. What was it like growing up there?
4. Who were your parents?
5. What were your parents like?
6. How was your relationship with your parents?
7. Did you get into trouble? What was the worst thing you did to get in trouble?
8. Do you have any siblings? What was it like growing up with them?
9. What did you look like as a child?
10. How would you describe yourself as a child or baby? Were you happy?
11. What is your best memory of childhood or as a baby? And the worst?
12. Did you have a nickname as a child? How’d you get it?
13. Who were your best friends? And what were they like?
14. How would you describe a perfect day when you were a child?
15. What did you think your life would be like when you were older?

Sample Team Building Ice Breaker Questions

These questions can be asked when playing an icebreaker game for teams. To play the game, each person should pick their favorite icebreaker and ask the group. A good icebreaker question should be one that promotes collaboration and connectivity amongst coworkers. These questions are great virtual icebreakers as well since they can be answered quickly. The ice breaker activity should be a round table format, where each player can answer fast.

Icebreakers that induce laughter can make for a genuinely relaxed meeting environment or work environment. These questions are designed as a simple team-building activity to help ease employees into team bonding.

1. What project did you most recently complete?
2. What project are you planning right now?
3. What project is currently in development?
4. How would you improve our project planning process?
5. What’s your favorite ice breaker question to ask when first meeting someone?
6. Where’s your favorite place to hold a meeting?
7. What’s your favorite thing about remote work?
8. I’m going to tell you a random question and you tell me what you believe the answer is.
9. What do you look forward to most about working here?
10. What’s one unique thing you never thought you’d do in your career?
11. When you meet a new person at work, what's the first thing you say to them and why?
12. Which everyday office task, if turned into an Olympics sport, would you fail in miserably?
13. On a scale of 1—10, how would you define your team-building skills?
14. What is your earliest memory of teamwork?
15. Were the Spice Girls a good team?
16. What sports team do you think operates the best together?
17. What fictional team is the best team of all time?

Sample Ice Breaker Questions for Interviews

Prepare ice breaker questions especially for the interviewer. Here are sample interview ice breaker questions.

1. What's your favorite part about working here?
2. Who should I speak with on my first day of employment?
3. What project has your team recently completed?
4. What's your favorite snack to have during work?
5. Who inspires your work here?
6. What advice would you give to someone in this interview?
7. What advice would you give to yourself going into this interview?

Sample "If You Could" Ice Breaker Questions

Questions to make a supervisor, boss, or colleague contemplate.

1. If you could have one superpower, what would it be?
2. If you could be one piece of furniture, what would it be?
3. If you could visit one place in the world every weekend, where would it be?
4. If you could change the world, how would you do it?
5. If you could change politics, how would you do it?
6. If you could change world hunger, how would you do it?
7. If you could speak another language, what would it be?
8. If you could be another person, who would it be?
9. If you could be one president, who would it be?
10. If you could only listen to one song, what would it be?
11. If you could only listen to one band, who would it be?
12. If you could only listen to one album, what would it be?
13. If you could only watch one movie, what would it be?
14. If you could only watch one TV show, what would it be?
15. If you could audition for a TV show, what would it be?
16. If you could give your older self advice, what would it be?
17. If you could give your younger self advice, what would it be?
18. If you could tell your parent one thing right now, what would it be?
19. If you could tell your future children one thing, what would it be?
20. If you could be one celebrity, who would it be?

Sample "Get to Know You" Ice Breaker Questions

Questions to ask a coworker or colleague to get to know them.

1. What's your middle name?
2. Where did you grow up?
3. What sport did you play when you were younger?
4. What's your favorite hobby?
5. What do you do for fun on the weekends?
6. What do you do for fun after work?
7. What's your favorite music to listen to?
8. What's the last movie you watched?
9. What's your favorite place to go on the weekends?
10. Where's the last place you went out to dinner?

Sample "Do You Prefer" Ice Breaker Questions

Questions to ask a coworker or colleague to get to know them.

1. Do you prefer the ocean or the mountains?
2. Do you prefer the woods or the city?
3. Do you prefer listening to music or watching movies?
4. Do you prefer movies or TV shows?
5. Do you prefer to spend alone time on the weekends or time with friends?
6. Do you prefer to relax on Sundays or prepare for the work week?
7. Do you prefer cats or dogs?
8. Do you prefer summer or winter?
9. Do you prefer working out or relaxing after work?
10. Do you prefer eating out or staying in?

Sample Zoom or Meeting Ice Breaker Questions

Questions to break the ice to start a work meeting or business meeting. These fun, informal questions can get the conversation started.

1. How is everyone's day going?
2. What movie or TV show did you watch last night?
3. What book did you read last night?
4. Do you guys prefer to have the good news or bad news first?
5. What's been the best part of your day today?
6. What has everyone gotten accomplished today?
7. What did everyone have for lunch today?
8. What did everyone have for breakfast today?
9. Has everyone had their coffee?
10. What's one thing we want to get accomplished today?
11. What's on everyone's desk?
12. What's one cool thing on everyone's desk?
13. Does anyone have a dog they can show to the group?

Sample Small Group Ice Breaker Questions

Questions for small groups of people.

1. How did everyone get here tonight?
2. What's one thing we want to take away from this gathering?
3. What's one thing you want to share with the group?
4. What song do you wish we could turn on right now?
5. What talent do you have that you'd like to share?
6. What's a way for us all to connect?
7. What're everyone's middle name?
8. What're everyone's last name?
9. What're everyone's initials?

Sample Work Ice Breaker Questions

Questions about previous work history or the current workplace. Use each prompt to begin relationships with coworkers. Questions are prompts.

1. How would you improve our pricing?
2. What customer use case is your favorite?
3. One truth and one lie about work.
4. What do you like about our logo?
5. What type of extensive training should we have?
6. How can we improve our employee training?
7. Who is one expert I should speak with?
8. What do you appreciate about our staff?
9. If you could ride a mile on anything, would it be a bike or a car?
10. What's your favorite quiz?
11. What brand should we be competing with?
12. What would be my nickname at work?
13. How can we reduce our energy output?
14. What's great about our marketing efforts?
15. How should I reduce stress at work?
16. What information would you never share with anyone outside of work?
17. How would you change our company logo?
18. Coffee or tea?
19. Coffee or tea in the afternoon?
20. What would be our first Slack message to each other?
21. What would be our first LinkedIn message to each other?
22. What celebrity figure best describes your communication at work?
23. How would you improve employee engagement?
24. If you had the power of teleportation, where would you go?
25. If you could only have one application on your smartphone, what would it be?
26. How would you bring laughter into the workplace?
27. Why is laughter important at work?
28. How should our leadership build confidence in us as workers?
29. How would you advise each coworker to build confidence?
30. How would you help build confidence in your team?
31. If you could improve our communication at work, how would you do it?
32. How should we each improve our communication skills?
33. If you had to blow up one planet in space, which planet would it be?
34. If you had to change our office space layout, how would you change it?
35. What's your favorite work tool?
36. What's your favorite software tool?
37. What's one recommendation you would give to the strategy team?
38. What's one recommendation you would make about a policy at work?
39. List five items you would bring on a desert island.
40. List two items you would bring on a desert island.
41. What's your favorite thing about our marketing team?
42. What's the last thing you put into Google?
43. What's the funniest thing you've ever put into Google?
44. If you could go on tour with any band, who is it?
45. If you could go on any tour with a celebrity, who is it?
46. What valuable traits do you feel I have?
47. What is a characteristic or trait about yourself that you value?
48. What was your first online username?
49. What funny online username would you use at work?
50. Which everyday office task, if turned into an Olympics sport, would you succeed at?
51. Which everyday office task, if turned into an Olympics sport, would you fail at?
52. What's the first job you ever had?
53. What's the best job you ever had?
54. What do you admire in a colleague?
55. What do you admire in a boss?
56. What's the worst trait you could imagine having in a supervisor?
57. What's the best trait you could imagine having in a supervisor?
58. What's the longest job you've ever had?
59. What motivates you in the morning before you start work?
60. What's the most important thing for us to remember at work?
61. What's a funny story about one of our customers?

Sample Fun Ice Breaker Questions

Fun ice breaker questions to bring joy into the workplace.

1. If you could be one animal, what would you be?
2. If you could name your dog anything, what would you name it?
3. If you could eat one meal right now, what would it be?
4. What's a better game, '21 questions' or 'hide and go seek'?
5. Tell me about the first party you ever went to.
6. Tell me about a high school experience that defined you.
7. On the count of three say one word.
8. On the count of three say rock, paper, or scissors.
9. Who is your favorite celebrity?
10. Who is your least favorite celebrity?
11. What's your favorite handshake?
12. What's your favorite funny face to make?
13. How big is your smile?

Sample Ice Breaker Questions for Kids

Below are ice breaker questions for kids. Kids need to start conversations with one another. And children should have curiosity and wonder about the world they live in. Ice breaker questions can assist in this process.

1. What is your favorite color and why?
2. What is better, pancakes or waffles?
3. What is better, cookies or ice cream?
4. What is something you like?
5. What is something you don't like?
6. How tall are you?
7. What do you want to be when you grow up?
8. What is your favorite movie?
9. What is your favorite thing to do on the weekends?
10. Hot chocolate or ice cream?
11. What superpower do you wish you had and why?
12. What size shoe do you wear?
13. What's your favorite piece of clothing?
14. What does your mom do for work?
15. What does your dad do for work?
16. What's your favorite class in school?

Sample Ice Breaker Questions for College Students

Students in college or university level education.

1. What's your major here at school?
2. What do you want to do when you graduate?
3. What's the hardest class that you have?
4. How late do you study?
5. What's a TV show you watch when studying?
6. How do you know that you're going to ace a test?
7. What are you doing for midterms?
8. What's a great story about being in college?
9. What was last weekend like for you?
10. How did you meet friends here?
11. What's your biggest goal with college?

Sample Ice Breaker Questions for High School Students

Questions for students in high school (youth ice breaker questions).

1. How late do you typically study?
2. What's your favorite snack while studying?
3. Where did you meet your high school friends?
4. What do you do on the weekends?
5. What's your favorite TV show to watch when you get home from school?
6. Who's your favorite teacher?
7. Who's your least favorite teacher?
8. What's your favorite subject?
9. What's one thing that's wrong with teenagers today?
10. What do you do on the weekends with your spare time?
11. Do you have any cool talents that you can share with me?

Sample Ice Breaker Questions for Junior High Students

Questions for students in junior high.

1. What's your favorite class in junior high school?
2. What friend of yours has an upcoming birthday?
3. Did you go anywhere this summer?
4. Where would you like to go during your summer vacation?
5. What scares you the most about going into high school?
6. What excites you the most about going into high school?
7. Which study is your favorite in junior high school?
8. Which study have you been struggling with the most in junior high?
9. What have you been interested in when you get home from school?
10. What's your favorite snack to eat when you get home from school?

Sample Military Ice Breaker Questions

Ice breaker questions for those who are in the military or armed forces. Or have been in the military and armed forces and are connecting on a new pace of life.

1. Can you describe a funny moment you had from boot camp?
2. What are some things you remember about adapting to military life? Was it hard for you?
3. Where did you serve?
4. If you deployed overseas, how did you tell your loved ones you were being deployed? What was it like for you?
5. How did you stay in touch with family and friends back home while deployed?
6. What are some things you remember most about your deployment?
7. If you saw multiple deployments, how did they differ from each other? How did you adapt and change?
8. Can you describe how you felt coming home from combat?
9. What did you learn about yourself while you were deployed?
10. What are some of your hopes for the future after being deployed?
11. What phrase or word will never be the same now that you served?
12. When you were first discharged from the military, what are some things about civilians that were difficult for you to deal with?
13. Is there anything you wish civilians understood about military service and what you provided?
14. What are some habits you developed in the service that you like? What are some habits that you dislike?
15. What are some things you miss about being in the service? What are some you are glad to have left behind?
16. What has been difficult to communicate with family and friends about your military service?

Sample Community Building Ice Breaker Questions

Communities should gather and decide how their future looks. When this occurs, an ice breaker is a great way to begin the conversation about the future. Or about ways to improve the present.

1. What does our community need more of?
2. What does our community need less of?
3. Where do you see the community being in 5-years?
4. Where do you see the community being in 10-years?
5. Who is someone in our community who is making a significant difference?
6. Would you rather live in a little city or a big city?
7. Would you say that you live in the future or you live in the past?
8. What's a great way to give back to the community?
9. What's a way that would take away from the community, and we should be cautious of?
10. How can we lower the pollution in our city?
11. What's a great way to do something nice for someone you don't know?
12. What's a great way to do something nice for someone that you do know?

Sample Deep Ice Breaker Questions

Ice breaker questions help start a "deep" or philosophical conversation between two people. These ice breaker questions are great for new love relationships or existing relationships where the conversation starter wants to begin an intellectual discussion.

1. What's your biggest regret?
2. What do you want to do before you die?
3. What would you do if you knew you were going to die tomorrow?
4. Describe a perfect day for yourself, not for others.
5. What makes you feel most alive in this world?
6. What gives you hope in your life?
7. What life advice would you offer to a young kid?
8. What inspires you the most in your life?
9. What holds you back from doing the things you want to do?
10. How do you show your love to someone else?
11. What's your favorite place on earth?
12. What do you believe in and why do you believe it?
13. What's your take on religion or spirituality?
14. What's the most common assumption made about you that's completely false?
15. Tell me about your family.
16. What are you passionate about? What gets you up in the morning?

Sample Basic Ice Breaker Questions

Questions anyone can ask to get the conversation moving.

1. What's your favorite drink of choice?
2. What state or country do you never want to go back to if you could?
3. What songs have you completely memorized and why?
4. What game or movie universe would you most like to live in and why?
5. Are you usually early or late to meetings or events?
6. What pets did you have while you were growing up? What were their names?
7. When people come to you for help, what do they usually want help with?
8. What takes up too much of your time?
9. What takes up too much of your time that you're embarrassed about?
10. What do you wish you knew more about?
11. What would be your first question after waking up from being frozen for 100 years?
12. What’s the best thing that happened to you last week?
13. What’s the best way to start the day?
14. What movie title best describes your life?
15. What is the most impressive thing you know how to do?
16. What job do you think you’d be superb at?
17. What job would you be terrible at?
18. If you didn’t have to sleep, what would you do with the extra time?
19. When was the last time you climbed a tree?
20. What do you do to get rid of stress?
21. What’s the best or worst thing about your work/school?

Sample Family Ice Breaker Questions

Questions that families can ask for the holidays or when they need a conversation starter or two.

1. What is the smallest thing for which you are grateful?
2. Who has had the most positive impact on your life?
3. If you could use a time machine, would you rather have one that only goes back in time or only goes forward?
4. If something incredible happened to you, who is the first person you'd tell, and how do you think they'd react?
5. If you were an inanimate object, what would you be and why?
6. Where do you wish you had grown up?
7. If you could be good at any profession without having to receive the accompanying education or trade experience, which would you choose?
8. What is something you're terrible at but wish you could do well?
9. What is the quality you admire the most in the person you dislike the most?
10. What was the most recent thing that made you cry?
11. What are the books/movies/games that never get old and always make you feel better when you get down?
12. What is the most trivial thing about which you have a strong opinion?
13. If you could be any mythical creature, what would you be and why?
14. If you’ve had more than one job, which job taught you the most?
15. If you could change one thing about yourself physically, what would you change?
16. What single event or decision do you think most affected the rest of your life? Was there a turning point in your life?
17. What is the one thing you've made that you're the proudest of?
18. Some historical figures have epithets attached to their names, like The Mad or The Wise. What would you like yours to be?
19. What was the best year of your life? The worst?
20. What's one thing that you'd like to be remembered by?
21. What has been the biggest change of heart you've had? Have you ever started on one side of an issue and wound up on the other? What influenced that change?
22. What is your biggest non-academic, non-work-related accomplishment?
23. What is your biggest academic or work-related accomplishment?
24. What is something you've done/felt/seen that you wish you could experience again for the first time?
25. If you could erase one thing or event from your memory, what would you choose?
26. Is there something about you that people assume because of your appearance or demeanor? What is a trait, characteristic, or preference you have that people don't expect you to have?
27. If you were a character in a movie, book, or television show, what genre would you live in?
28. What is the hardest way you’ve learned an important lesson?
29. What cliché do you think is bullshit? What cliché do you think holds the truth?
30. What do you fear, despite having no real reason to do so? Basically, what is an irrational fear you have?
31. Imagine that you could choose when and how you die. At what age would you like to die (no maximum here), and how would you like to go?
32. What character archetype is closest to your personality?
33. What was the happiest moment of your life so far?
34. What is one childhood memory that you remember especially well?
35. Is there a song/movie/food/etc. that strongly reminds you of someone whenever you experience it? Who does it remind you of?
36. What is your ideal birthday? Not the date, but rather your ideal way to spend the day.
37. Are there any smells that bring back memories for you? What are they, and what memories do they elicit?
38. What is the closest you've ever come to dying?
39. Do you have a personal mantra? If so, what is it?
40. What is the most memorable meal you've ever had? (It can be good or bad.) What made it so memorable?
41. What's the worst advice you've ever been given?
42. In what ways do you benefit the world?
43. What fact about yourself took you the longest to understand or accept?
44. What is your least popular or most controversial opinion?
45. If you could live in another time period but stay in the same place you live now, when would you want to live?
46. Do you have any conspiracy theories? If so, what are they?
47. What is the "strangest" thing you believe in? Do you believe in the supernatural? Heaven, angels, ghosts? Luck, fate, magic? Mind reading, lizard people, the Illuminati? Where do you draw the line between belief and disbelief?
48. What fictional character do you most relate to?
49. What have you wanting to do but haven't yet done? Why haven't you done it?
50. Let's say you make $100,000 a year, enough to live comfortably without having to worry about expenses. What job would you choose to have if money were no object?

Sample Ice Breaker Questions for Elders

Questions to ask those who are wiser than ourselves. Ask these questions to older adults to gain wisdom and knowledge.

1. Have you ever been offered a good opportunity but refused? What was the situation?
2. Would you prefer your family to be smaller or larger than it is now, or neither? Do you wish you were more involved with your extended family?
3. What is something you're hypocritical about, something you believe but have a hard time sticking to in practice?
4. Has anyone dear to you ever died? Was there anything that helped you to move past their death?
5. What is something you're inherently bad at, no matter how hard you try to improve?
6. Do you have any inherent talents?
7. What small, insignificant thing gives you joy?
8. If you could live anywhere in the world, and money was no object, where would you live, and what would the dwelling be like?
9. What is one thing you've done/seen/eaten/etc. that turned out to be fantastic?
10. In the movie Inside Out, each person has a set of "core memories" that define who they are and how they behave. What's one of yours?
11. What is the biggest mistake you've made that actually turned out alright?
12. What's the best decision you've ever made?
13. When you're sick, what are some things you eat/drink/watch/ to be comfortable?
14. What are some core principles you have that you'll never give up or change?
15. Have you ever invented something? It doesn't have to be a traditional product either; it can be creating a new dish, coining a term.
16. What causes do you strongly support, even though it wouldn't directly benefit you?
17. What book, movie, film, or video game had the best ending?
18. You have enough money to make a sizeable charitable donation—to which charity do you donate it and why? Or if you choose not to go through a charity. Then how would you spend this money?
19. What is something weird you do that you wonder if other people do as well?
20. Suddenly you're in a horror film, running from a masked murderer. Your only companion is the last person you texted, and your only weapon is whatever is currently closest to your left hand. What is the movie like, and do you think you could survive?
21. What is one thing you're tired of telling/explaining to people?
22. What embarrassing memory will forever be burned into your mind?
23. What was the busiest day of your life thus far?
24. What was the greatest day of your life thus far?
25. What was the worst day of your life thus far?
26. What is one thing you're good at that people don't expect?
27. In what way do you differ most from your parents?
28. In what way do you differ most from your best friend?
29. What stereotype are you most like?
30. What is one thing you're proud you haven't done?
31. What is difficult for you but easy for most other people?
32. What is easy for you but difficult for most other people?
33. What are you glad you learned as a child?
34. If you could know either when you die or how which would you choose if either?
35. What is something you had to learn the hard way?

Sample Ice Breaker Questions for Fitness Classes

Ice breaker questions for fitness classes and workout classes.

1. How long have you been coming to this class?
2. What are your workout goals?
3. What are your fitness goals?
4. What advice would you give someone who comes to this class?
5. What's your favorite thing about this fitness class?
6. What other workouts should I be doing to accelerate my goals in this class?
7. What's your least favorite thing about this class?
8. What do you do after you're finished with this class?
9. What other classes have you tried?
10. What other workout routines have you tried?
11. What other workout styles have you tried in the past?
12. What type of meal routine do you have after this class?
13. Who do you read on Instagram that inspires you for this class?
14. Who do you read on Instagram that inspires your fitness routine?
15. Who do you read on Instagram that inspires your healthy lifestyle?

Sample Ice Breaker Questions for Couples and Dating

Perfect for a first date, Tinder or Bumble messages, and more. Use these questions to build intimacy.

1. What fruit or vegetable would you most want to be?
2. What kind of pet do you have?
3. Have you ever won a contest?
4. Have you ever not told the truth to your parents?
5. Beach or mountains?
6. What works of art do you own?
7. If you had a band, where would you go on tour?
8. Who is your favorite Disney hero or heroine?
9. What's your favorite Disney character?
10. Which Disney character best describes you?
11. What are two truths and a lie about you?
12. You only have the option of only viewing a particular celebrity’s work for the rest of your life. Who would it be?
13. What works of art have made an impression on your life?
14. What grocery items do you buy when shopping locally?
15. If you could be any star in space, what would it be?
16. If you could be any planet in space, what would it be?
17. What's a hidden talent that you have?
18. What do you want to do with your career?
19. What's a passion of yours?
20. What do you want out of a guy/girl?
21. What are you looking for in a relationship?
22. Who would win in a fight, George Clooney or Brad Pitt?
23. If we had to cook on our first date, what would we make?
24. If you had to describe me with one word so far, what would it be?
25. Who inspires you the most in life?
26. Who inspires you to want to pursue your career?
27. Who inspires you to want to pursue your education?
28. What made you want to go on this date?
29. What made you want to go out with me?
30. What made you want to talk to me?
31. What country do you want us to travel to in our first year of dating?
32. If you could move anywhere, where would it be?
33. If you could do anything in life, what would it be?

Sample Ice Breaker Questions for Adults

Good questions to ask any other adult!

1. Did you meet your wife at a bar or a coffee shop?
2. Do you like Coca-Cola or Pepsi?
3. How do you bring comfort to your home?
4. If you had to lose your hearing or sight, which would it be?
5. What information inspired your career?
6. List your favorite items at home.
7. List your favorite items at work.
8. How do you improve communication in relationships?
9. How do you improve communication in love relationships?
10. How should I make more money?
11. What type of phone do you have?
12. What type of alien would you be?
13. What nickname would you give to an alien?
14. What have you heard on the news lately?
15. What's your favorite TV series?
16. What online activity do you do the most?
17. How do you bring laughter to your kids?
18. What art do you have in your home?
19. What online quiz have you taken recently?
20. What's your favorite smell in your house?
21. How do you reduce stress?
22. What brand of shirt do you like the most?
23. What's the funniest thing you've ever searched on Google?
24. What activity is your favorite in the summer?
25. What activity is your favorite in the winter?
26. What's one joke you tell, bringing laughter to those around you?
27. What's one trait you appreciate about yourself?
28. How would you reduce the energy impact on the world?
29. What's one opportunity in life you appreciated?
30. If you had to invent something, what invention would it be?
31. How would you review the last restaurant you ate at?
32. What would you say to an alien?
33. What's the last contest you were in?
34. How long does it take you to walk a mile?
35. What is something you enjoyed doing but would never do again?
36. What object best defines who you are?
37. What is the strongest emotional connection you've ever felt with a person? (It doesn't have to be romantic.)
38. Do you have or have you ever had a nemesis?
39. What’s the biggest fight you’ve gotten into, and what was it about?
40. What would the ideal version of your life look like?
41. What was the most recent thing that made you belly laugh?
42. What is the dumbest purchase you’ve ever made?
43. If you had to write your own eulogy to be read at your funeral, what would it say in brief?
44. You have the opportunity to give a 10-minute speech which will be broadcast worldwide. What do you say?
45. How long do you think you could survive in a remote forest with no tools?
46. What person in your life would you most want to be stuck in an elevator with for 24 hours?
47. What is the most obscure fact you know?
48. Is there something you want to tell someone but haven’t? Why haven’t you done it, and how do you think they would react if you told them?
49. What’s a rant you’ve been holding in?
50. What subject could you teach a college course on? What would be the title of the course, and what units would you cover?
51. Have you ever had a recurring dream or nightmare? What was it?
52. What gives you hope for the future?
53. What is something you fantasize about often?
54. What do you find yourself thinking about just before you fall asleep?
55. What was your favorite family tradition growing up? Have you created a tradition of your own?
56. What is something you’re embarrassed to admit you enjoy? Why are you embarrassed about it?
57. What if the first thing you hope people notice about you?
58. When was the last time you did something nice for someone completely unprompted?
59. What is a misconception people have about your profession?
60. What do you want to be written on your headstone?
61. What situation made you feel like a complete idiot?
62. What outfit makes you feel invincible?
63. Have you ever hit “rock bottom”? What did it look and feel like to you? What situations or decisions led to them? How did you get out, or have you gotten out yet?
64. What current trend do you find troubling and why?
65. What is the worst thing in your life that has resulted from a complete misunderstanding or miscommunication?
66. What are you currently worried about, if anything? What could happen to make you stop worrying about it?
67. How do you think humanity will go extinct? When do you think it will happen?
68. Is there a problem or situation for which you could use some advice?
69. Has your gut feeling or first impression about something ever been wrong?
70. What is your catchphrase or something you find yourself saying often?
71. At a party, are you the social butterfly who chats with everyone or the intense conversationalist who gets really deep with someone?
72. A stranger is inhabiting your body for the day. What are some tips you’d give them?
73. Are you currently waiting for something? What are you waiting for? What are the best and worst possible scenarios?
74. Is there someone you knew once but have lost touch with? What happened? Do you know where they are now and how they’re doing?
75. What is something you love but can’t recommend to anyone you know because you know they won’t like it?
76. Who was your childhood hero? Do you still look up to them? Why or why not?
77. What’s something you’ve done so many times, you could do with your eyes closed?
78. What instantly makes you feel like a child again?
79. What do you think happens after we die, if anything?
80. Have you ever written a thank-you note to someone who created or helped create something you enjoy? If not, who would you write to and what would you thank them for?
81. What is your perfect meal? Describe it—everything from the company to the setting to the music to, of course, the food.
82. What are people not grateful enough for?
83. If you could only eat one vegetable for the rest of your life, what would it be?
84. If you had to lose your sense of smell or taste, which would you choose?
85. If you had to view one movie for the rest of your life, what would it be?
86. If you were an hour on the clock, which hour would you be?
87. If you only had to shop at one store for the rest of your life, what shop would it be?
88. If you had to pick fame or fashion, which would you pick?
89. If you were a zombie, what would be your zombie name?
90. What room in the house would you be in?

Sample Ice Breaker Questions for Quarantine

Ice breaker questions to ask to get to know someone during the COVID-19 quarantine.

1. What have you been doing for fun during the quarantine?
2. What's your favorite food been during the quarantine?
3. What's been your favorite movie during the quarantine?
4. How have you been handling the quarantine?
5. How's life been for you lately?
6. What's one thing you wish you could do when things open up again?
7. What's one thing you miss from before the quarantine?
8. What music has been getting you through the quarantine?
9. What hobby have you picked up during the quarantine?
10. What hobby have you had to let go of during the quarantine?

Sample Ice Breaker Questions for Support Groups

Support groups are a great way to receive support when going through difficult lifetimes. When meeting someone at the support group, try one of these ice breaker questions to get the relationship started.

1. How long have you been coming to this support group?
2. Do you mind sharing what you've been struggling with?
3. What's the best secret you'd like to share with me about overcoming an issue?
4. What's been helping you overcome your issue?
5. Any new hobbies that have been helping you with your life?
6. What's one thing that's been helping you address issues correctly?
7. What's the best way I should approach this support group?
8. Who is your favorite person here at the support group?
9. What's one piece of advice you would give me knowing what I'm dealing with?

Ice Breaker Resources

• 35 Team Building Activities Your Team Will Actually Love
• 11 Effective Ways to Boost Employee Morale in 2020
• Top 12 Do's and Don'ts for Starting a New Job
• Top 50 Team-Building Games that Your Employees Would Love to Play
• 400+ First Date Questions: Everything You Need To Ask
• 21 Questions Game: How to Play, 330+ Questions to Ask