Youth Group Game: Shoe Sort Icebreaker

Shoe Sort icebreaker is a fun youth group game where people try to match shoes with their owners. It makes a great icebreaker or team building game.

This game could also lead to a discussion of how we judge people according to appearance and the importance of going beyond first impressions and really getting to know others.

Ovid said:

First appearance deceives many.

What do we guess about people from the shoes they wear? We might be right or we might be wrong.

How to Play Shoe Sort Icebreaker

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Shoe Sort is a fun youth group game where people try to match shoes with their owners. It makes a great icebreaker or team building game.

Equipment

• Shoes
• Box

Instructions 

1. As the youth group members arrive, have them take off their shoes and put them in a box and stand in a circle in a designated area. It will be helpful to have the shoes in pairs, so have some string ready to attach them or tie their laces together in a simple knot.
2. Bring the box to the center of the area.
3. Explain to the participants that you are going to show them a pair of shoes and they must try to figure out who the shoes belong to. The owner of the shoes can’t say outright that they are theirs.
4. Now have one person look at the shoes and suggest at least three traits of the owner. For example, they can say “I think the person who owns these shoes enjoys running.” or “I think the owner is joyful.” After they suggest at least three traits, they guess who the owner is.
5. If the guess is correct, the owner gets their shoes back. If not, the person they guessed is now the guesser. He or she adds another three traits and guesses again. This continues until the owner of the pair of shoes is found.
6. Continue with the next pair until everybody has their shoes.

Notes

There are many variations on this game. Feel free to add your way of doing it to the comments.