What Makes a Great Intern Program Icebreaker Activity?
A great intern program icebreaker activity does more than just break the ice. It sets the tone for the entire internship program.
When interns join a company, they’re often excited but slightly unsure of themselves. Many are stepping into their first professional environment and meeting dozens of new people at once. The right icebreaker helps them feel comfortable, build connections quickly, and start engaging with the company culture.
For global internship programs, the challenge is even greater. Interns may be joining from different offices, cities, or continents. That’s why the best intern program icebreaker activities focus on collaboration, participation, and shared experiences.
If done well, the icebreaker can transform a room full of strangers into a group that feels connected, energised, and excited about the weeks ahead.
What Makes a Great Intern Program Icebreaker Activity? (And How to Run One That Actually Works)
1. It’s interactive
Interns are usually energetic and eager to participate. Passive sessions or long presentations rarely work well. The best activities involve problem-solving, creativity, or teamwork.
2. It encourages collaboration
Team-based challenges help interns meet each other naturally while working toward a shared goal.
3. It gives everyone a chance to contribute
Activities should include a mix of skills — from trivia and problem-solving to creativity and communication.
4. It creates a shared experience
A memorable icebreaker gives interns something fun to talk about long after the activity ends.
When Should You Run an Intern Program Icebreaker Activity?
Most companies run their intern program icebreaker activity during the official kickoff or welcome session.
This moment is ideal because everyone is together for the first time and looking to make connections.
Running the activity early helps:
• Reduce first-day awkwardness
• Encourage interaction between interns and employees
• Set a positive tone for the rest of the program
For global programs, this is also a great opportunity to connect interns across multiple offices or regions.
A Simple Format That Works Well
You don’t need a complicated schedule to run a great intern program icebreaker activity.
A simple format works best:
Warm-Up Activity (10–15 minutes)
Start with a quick energiser that gets everyone moving and interacting.
Main Team Challenge (30–45 minutes)
Split interns into small teams and give them a collaborative challenge to complete.
Wrap-Up & Highlights (5–10 minutes)
Share the best moments, celebrate teams, and end the session on a high note.
This structure keeps the energy high while fitting easily into a typical onboarding schedule.
Two Easy Icebreaker Ideas You Can Run Internally
If you’re organising the activity yourself, these simple ideas work well with intern groups.
1. Rock, Paper, Scissors Tournament
This energetic icebreaker turns the classic game into a lively group competition.
Participants face off in rounds of Rock, Paper, Scissors. Each time someone loses, they become a supporter of the winner. As the rounds continue, cheering crowds grow larger until a final showdown between two competitors.
It’s loud, simple, and a fantastic way to get everyone interacting quickly.
Learn how to run 👉 Add Rock, Paper, Scissors Tournament by SessionLab to your next meeting or conference
2. Self-Managed Team Challenge
Another option is to book a self-managed team challenge by Team Events.
Teams receive written instructions or a pre-recorded briefing and work together to complete puzzles, answer questions, or solve creative tasks within a time limit.
This type of intern program icebreaker activity works well because it encourages collaboration and allows interns to showcase different skills.
How to get started 👉 Explore challenges like Office Olympics today and find out more about our Self-Managed options.
Scaling Icebreaker Activities for Global Intern Programs
Many internship programs include 150–600 interns across multiple offices worldwide.
In these cases, activities need to work across locations while still feeling like one shared event.
Team challenges are particularly effective because interns in different cities can compete and collaborate at the same time. For example, teams can complete challenges, submit photos or videos, and track their progress on a live scoreboard.
If you’re running activities across multiple offices, these Team Building Ideas for Teams in Different Locations show how global teams can compete together in real time.
Three Activities That Work Brilliantly for Intern Programs
If you’d prefer a professionally hosted experience, these activities work extremely well as an intern program icebreaker activity.
Risk It!
Risk It! is a fast-paced team challenge where interns must decide whether to attempt easier tasks for fewer points or risk tougher challenges for bigger rewards.
Because the activity includes trivia, photo challenges, and creative missions, it gives everyone a chance to contribute. It also works perfectly for multi-city programs where teams compete on the same leaderboard.
The Intern Games
Designed specifically for interns and early careers programmes, The Intern Games transforms your office into a fast-paced team challenge. Teams complete creative photo and video missions, collaborate with other groups for bonus points, and compete on a live leaderboard before finishing with a hilarious highlight reel and winner reveal.
Virtual Around the World
Around the World by Team Events, is perfect for virtual or hybrid internship programs.
Teams virtually travel to different global destinations while completing trivia, creative tasks, and interactive challenges. It’s a fun way to bring together interns from different offices in one shared experience.
Looking beyond icebreakers? Explore our full range of intern team building activities designed to support onboarding, engagement, networking, and collaboration throughout your internship program. If you’re planning several activities throughout the early careers program, check out our blog for these Fun Activities to Welcome Global Interns.
Final Thoughts
A well-designed intern program icebreaker activity can have a lasting impact on the entire early careers program.
When interns start their journey feeling connected, energised, and included, they’re far more likely to engage with the program and build meaningful relationships within the company.
And if you’d rather skip the logistics and focus on welcoming your interns, professionally hosted team challenges can make it easy to connect global groups in a fun and memorable way.
Looking for more inspiration? Explore our guide to Icebreaker Ideas for online meetings.
