Shoe Roulette

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A quick, no-prep icebreaker I like to use is having everyone in the group remove their shoes and toss them into a large pile. Then, everyone grabs 2 non-matching, non-their-own shoes, one left and one right. Then, they have to put the shoes “on”, and I know not everyone wears the same size, so do your best. Most of the time, shoes are hanging off those giant-footed teen boys you have. After the shoes are “on”, have the youth pair up the shoes by forming a circle. Now we have a bunch of youth in each other’s shoes standing in a random circle. I usually will partner people off by where they are standing, giving me groups that normally wouldn’t have formed.
I have also used the premise of everyone’s shoes being in the center in a pile as an illustration-based ice breaker in which teens go to the center, pick up a pair of shoes and discuss what they can discern about the shoes’ owner based on what they see, then have to guess who owns the shoes. The owner then can discuss if the information discerned from their shoe is accurate. Right or wrong, the real owner is next, and you go through everyone’s shoes. This is a good ice breaker and opens to a good discussion illustration about stereotypes.

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