Activity: Fear in a Hat

Objective:

This activity allows people to anonymously share about their fears in general or towards a specific topic, such as grief or addiction. This activity takes around 10-12 minutes for a group of 10 people but can be played with a group of any size. This activity is a great ice breaker because it is versatile in it can be used for any topic.

Supplies:

• Paper
• Pens or Pencils
• Hat, Bag, or Bowl

Instructions:

• Introduce the topic of fear: Fear is normal and natural, a mix of anxieties, worries, and concerns about what might happen.
• Explain that a good way to deal with these fears is have them be openly acknowledged & heard.
• Ask everyone in the group including the leaders to write a fear of theirs on a piece of paper “the worst thing that could happen would be…”
• Collect papers in a container or hat and mix them up.
• Hand them back out to people.
• Go around the group one by one reading out someone’s fears, and explain how they might feel if this happened.
• No one is to comment on what is said, just move on to the next person.
• When all fears have been read, discuss what people felt and noticed.

Additional Ideas:

Some alternative hat topics to consider

• Likes and dislikes (two separate hats)
• Worries
• Wishes
• Favorite moment (closing)

Download Printable Activity