United We TransformCreate teamsGrade your agenda
Exercises/Relationship Mapping/Partner Coordination Game to Build Teamwork - Don't Break The Ice
Relationship Mapping

Partner Coordination Game to Build Teamwork - Don't Break The Ice

Partner Coordination Game to Build Teamwork - Don't Break The Ice is a relationship mapping exercise that helps participants build useful connections and understand how people, roles, or ideas relate.

5 to 15 minutesTIME
Medium group (9-25), PairsGROUP SIZE
ActiveENERGY
In person, RemoteSETTING
High cognitive loadCOGNITIVE LOAD
Strengthens Network Design This relationship mapping exercise strengthens Network Design, one of the eight Gathering Effectiveness pillars.

How to run it

  1. Give each person two toy (wooden/plastic) blocks.
  2. Ask everyone to find a partner and to suspend the four blocks between the tips of each of their index fingers.
  3. Each pair must maintain their connection while moving about the area and, using their free index fingers, attempt to break the connections of other pairs.
  4. At any time, if a pair’s blocks fall or get knocked down, they are permitted to pick up their blocks, re-connect and continue playing.
  5. Play several two-minute rounds and/or swap partners.
  6. Don’t Break The Ice Partner coordination game to spark competition & connection.
  7. As a partner coordination game, Don’t Break The Ice cleverly combines fine motor skills with strategic movement to keep everyone engaged and alert.
  8. The delicate interplay of working together while challenging other pairs generates plenty of laughter and excitement as participants develop their coordination and cooperation skills.
Live facilitator

Run this exercise live

The facilitator console stays in this browser. Its QR handoff is a short-lived participant snapshot containing only public exercise instructions, phase, prompt, and timer state.

Prompts to use +

Give each person two toy (wooden/plastic) blocks.

Ask everyone to find a partner and to suspend the four blocks between the tips of each of their index fingers.

Each pair must maintain their connection while moving about the area and, using their free index fingers, attempt to break the connections of other pairs.

At any time, if a pair’s blocks fall or get knocked down, they are permitted to pick up their blocks, re-connect and continue playing.

Play several two-minute rounds and/or swap partners.

Run this with your AI assistant +

Works with Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, or your own local model: paste this prompt and your AI will co-facilitate this exercise with you.

Adapt this exercise for my exact room. Exercise: Partner Coordination Game to Build Teamwork - Don't Break The Ice. Readiness: Publishable Draft. Core moves: Give each person two toy (wooden/plastic) blocks.; Ask everyone to find a partner and to suspend the four blocks between the tips of each of their index fingers.; Each pair must maintain their connection while moving about the area and, using their free index fingers, attempt to break the connections of other pairs.; At any time, if a pair’s blocks fall or get knocked down, they are permitted to pick up their blocks, re-connect and continue playing.. Return a concise facilitator script with timing, wording, safety notes, and remote/in-person adjustments.

Origin unverified

  • Where we observed it: The strongest current observations come from Playmeo; aggregators are listed as additional observations, not origin proof. (1 source observed, including Playmeo.)
  • What that means: we track where an exercise has been observed in public sources. We do not claim to know who created it, or how popular it is.
  • No efficacy claims: appearing in this library is not a claim that the exercise is proven effective. Facilitator judgment and context decide whether it works for a given room.
  • Corrections: if you have evidence of an earlier or more accurate source, read our methodology and trust boundary and tell us.

Pairs well with