Finding common ground is one of the best ways to begin relationships and get students talking. This icebreaker brings both in spades!

Give each youth a blank Tic Tac Toe board, but tell them we’re going to use it like a mini-Bingo card. They can write FREE in the center square. In the remaining 8 squares they write behaviors/traits that they think are unappealing. Then have the youth mingle, sharing their answers with one another. If they match with someone, they can put an X in that square. Can anyone get three in a row? Four corners? Cover their whole board?

Follow up with these questions:

• Without naming names, do you know anyone who does these activities?
• How do you relate to those people?