Ice Breaker: Now & Then

Name

Now & Then

Upshot

Participants share about their interests and hobbies, but current AND past!

Group Size

Any size

Good For…

Facilitation

Select a period of time in the past. This might be a year (2005); a “chapter” (middle school; college); or an age (15). Consider using a random wheel to decide, like this!: https://wheeldecide.com/index.php?c1=Elementary+School&c2=Middle+School&c3=High+School+&c4=College&c5=1993&c6=1996&c7=1999&c8=2002&c9=2005&c10=2008&c11=2011&t=Now+and+Then&time=5.
Read a series of prompts which ask participants to share an interest or hobby. Examples include:
- Listening to…
- Wearing…
- Reading…
- Eating a lot of…
- Kind of obsessed with…
- Worried about…
For each prompt, participants respond by answering for both NOW and BACK THEN. For example, if the prompt is “listening to…” and the previous time period is “middle school,” I would answer; “NOW I’m listening to Dua Lipa, but THEN I was listening to KC and Jojo” (Or, “I was listening to Janet both NOW and THEN!”).
You can have participants answer in partners or small groups. You can also have partners rotate between prompts.
Depending on the prompts you choice, the tone and impact of this breaker can vary from light and fun (i.e. “listening to…”) to deep and connective (i.e. “challenged by…”).

Materials Needed