Question: How much does a polar bear weigh?
Answer: Enough to break the ice!
Icebreakers are the topic of today’s article, and we’ve got a list of 90 icebreaker questions that are all about the fall season.
So use these questions with your teams as the leaves change from green to gold.
May they serve your teams well!
What exactly are “icebreaker questions”?
Breaking the ice is something we all do to make ourselves more comfortable. When we’re around new people, we naturally seek to find common ground and similar interests with them. It helps to kickstart friendships and healthy relationships.
This can be particularly relevant to work groups. As a manager, you’re highly interested in getting your teams to gel together. Large and small workgroups always work better when the atmosphere is pleasant and there’s high group cohesion.
These questions work fantastically as you enter the fall season, especially combined with a day dedicated to fall teambuilding activities. We’ve got Halloween icebreakers that work fantastically blended between some spooky Halloween party games.
Then we wrap up with “this-or-that” and “getting to know you” questions, all related to the fall season.
So get these printed and handed out to all team members, and watch stronger work relationships blossom!
90 of the best fall icebreaker questions
Here’s a collection of 90 questions to get the ball rolling during the fall season for your teams.
Halloween icebreaker questions
Our first category is all about Halloween. Did you know it used to be called All-Hallows or All-Hallowmas, meaning “All Saints’ Day” in Middle English?
Who doesn’t love Halloween? Originating in Ireland, the custom of Halloween has come to be loved by millions of people all around the world. It’s a chance to get creative, to loosen up, and to get seriously spooky!
Now here are our best Halloween icebreaker questions for your teams to get into the spirit of the holidays.
- What was the most memorable Halloween costume you ever wore growing up?
- Are you more into scary or funny Halloween costumes? Ever seen a costume that really terrified you?
- What’s the scariest movie you’ve ever seen in your life? Do you like rewatching it?
- What do you think about ghosts? Do you think it’s strange that some people believe they’re real?
- Have you ever researched any haunted houses? Would you ever visit one?
- What would your dream Halloween party look like? What about the food there?
- If you could be any mythical creature for Halloween, what would you be? (like a zombie, witch, mummy or vampire)
- When trick-or-treaters come to your door, which candy are you most likely to give them?
- What’s your favorite memory from Halloween parties as you were growing up?
- Have you ever seen or played the Halloween game called “apple bobbing”?
- What’s the scariest Halloween decoration or costume you’ve ever seen?
- What’s your favorite Halloween candy (or sweetie in the UK), and do you still enjoy it as an adult?
- Have you ever attended a Halloween party with a unique theme? What was it?
- What’s your favorite horror movie in the Halloween season?
- What’s one thing you find scarier now than you did as a kid?
Thanksgiving icebreaker questions
Thanksgiving is a great time in the fall when everyone can take a moment to recognize what they’re grateful for. Icebreaker questions related to Thanksgiving promote the spirit of positivity and being thankful for what you’ve got, whether at work or at home.
So try these questions out with your teams around Thanksgiving.
- There are lots of unique Thanksgiving dishes. Which one is your favorite?
- You have to join one of these teams: Team Pumpkin Pie or Team Pecan Pie?
- For Thanksgiving this year, what is the one thing you’re most thankful for?
- Does your family have any Thanksgiving traditions that are specific to you?
- If you could invite any famous person to your Thanksgiving dinner, alive or dead, who would that person be?
- Of all the famous Thanksgiving foods, which one is your least favorite?
- For a Thanksgiving dinner, do you see it as the more the merrier or do you prefer having a smaller group of people?
- What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever eaten at a Thanksgiving dinner?
- What’s your favorite activity related to Thanksgiving time? (like sporting events or parades)
- What’s your most cherished Thanksgiving memory ever?
- What’s your favorite Thanksgiving side dish, and why?
- Have you ever spent Thanksgiving in a non-traditional way?
- Have a little thing about it, now if you could create a new Thanksgiving tradition, what would it be?
- Have you ever witnessed a funny Thanksgiving mishap, like a terrible dish of food being made?
- How do you handle your Thanksgiving leftovers? Do you repurpose them or eat them as they are?
This-or-that fall icebreaker questions
This-or-that questions are short, sharp questions that bring fun to any gathering. We advocate for asking and answering them as quickly as possible. Just go with your first instinct, as some people say that thinking about a question too much can complicate the answer!
Try out these quickfire this-or-that questions related to the fall!
- Cozy sweater throughout fall or a flannel shirt?
- A day getting lost in a cornfield maze or crazy hayride?
- Beef stew or butternut squash for a fall dinner?
- A visit to a haunted house (overnight) or a peaceful day at a pumpkin patch?
- Early morning frost or a cool fall evening?
- Watching football games or fall festivals?
- Raking up leaves or jumping into a pile of them?
- Halloween candy or Thanksgiving leftovers?
- The taste of cinnamon in your drink or nutmeg?
- Morning coffee or evening hot chocolate?
- Baking fall treats or cooking savory fall meals?
- Slim fit flannel shirt or oversized hoodie?
- Chili cook-off or pie-baking contest?
- Rainy fall days or sunny but chilly fall days?
- Hiking with friends in the woods or relaxing with friends by a fire pit?
“Getting to know you” fall icebreaker questions
One key component of group cohesion is for all of your team members to know facts about one another. “Getting to know you” questions are designed to help people understand each other better. They have a slight personal touch, but nothing too heavy.
Try these out with your teams and watch them learn new, unique things about each other!
- What fall activity would you recommend in the area you’re from?
- How do you typically spend a cozy fall day?
- Did you bake seasonal foods with your family during the fall?
- Do you enjoy baking seasonal treats in the fall? Do you get recipe ideas from the internet?
- Are there any fall recipes that have been handed down through generations in your family?
- What is your most cherished fall movie or TV show?
- Can you describe your perfect, go-to fall outfit?
- What’s something new you want to try this fall?
- Do you prefer a weekend in the mountains or a weekend in the city during the fall?
- What is one fall tradition you will never miss, if you can help it?
- What’s a fall activity you’ve always wanted to try, but never had the chance to?
- Which colors do you most enjoy during the fall? Do they make you feel differently?
- Is there a certain smell you associate with fall? Maybe cinnamon, turkey gravy, or caramelized sugar?
- How about a sound that reminds you of the fall? How about spooky Halloween sounds or the sounds heard in a forest?
- Do you have one standout memory of fall that will always stay with you?
“Would you rather” fall questions
“Would you rather” questions are great for getting conversations started. The person answering is only presented with two outcomes to choose from, which can make their answers funnier.
Try these fall-related “would you rather” questions out with your teams. Just remember, “neither” is not an answer!
- Would you rather go trick-or-treating or go to a fun Halloween party?
- Would you rather experience the fall in the city or the countryside?
- Would you rather go on a big corn maze adventure or do a Halloween movie marathon?
- Would you rather design a witch or a werewolf costume?
- Would you rather indulge in a hot cup of cocoa or a spiced latte?
- Would you rather only wear plaid or only wear sweaters all fall?
- Would you rather bake a cherry or apple during fall?
- Would you rather spend Halloween night at a party or telling ghost stories around a bonfire?
- Would you rather see the first snow of winter or the last warm day of fall?
- Would you rather go on a mountainous hike or stay indoors with a warm blanket during fall?
- Would you rather have fall decorations up year-round or Halloween decorations?
- Would you rather spend fall at a cabin in the woods or on a farm with animals?
- Would you rather always have chilly fall weather or always have sunny summer weather?
- Would you rather have a Halloween costume malfunction or burn the Thanksgiving turkey?
- Would you rather eat only pumpkin-flavored food for the whole fall or apple-flavored food?
Holiday icebreaker questions from around the world
If your company mostly operates in the Western world, the main holidays you think of during the fall are probably Halloween and Thanksgiving. If you’re working with international teams, however, you might find that some icebreaker questions relating to their holidays during fall are great conversation starters.
Try these ones out for some global knowledge of holidays during the fall season.
- What’s a fall or harvest festival from another country that you’d love to experience?
- Have you ever celebrated Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights?
- Have you ever celebrated Oktoberfest or been to a similar festival?
- What’s your favorite international holiday tradition during the fall season?
- Have you ever tried food from a different culture’s fall or winter celebration?
- Ever heard of the Mid-Autumn festival celebrated in Eastern Asia?
- How do you think people in Mexico prepare for Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead)?
- Do you know any fun traditions from Chuseok, the Korean harvest festival?
- If you could experience Thanksgiving in Canada (which happens in October), how do you think it would differ from the U.S. version?
- How do you think Diwali, celebrated in India and a few other countries, reflects the spirit of fall?
- Do you know about Bonfire Night (Guy Fawkes Night) in the UK? What’s interesting about it?
- Have you ever seen or participated in a lantern festival, like the ones in Taiwan during the fall?
- If you could attend a fall harvest celebration anywhere in the world, which one would you choose?
- Do you know any differences in how Halloween is celebrated in countries like Ireland or Japan?
- Have you tried any international fall food or drinks, like mooncakes for the Mid-Autumn festival or cardamom biscuits for Diwali?
Amplify icebreaking and teambuilding during the fall on team retreat!
If you’re in the business of bringing teams together and solidifying bonds, this is your chance to take it up a notch. One of the best things you could do with our list is print it out, then get everyone in the company together and bring them on a team-building retreat.
We offer team-building retreats year-round, so organizing a retreat with us during the fall could be exactly what your teams need. It’s a chance to solidify team building like nothing else!
Here at Surf Office, organizing team retreats is what we do best.
Here’s what we offer:
- Stress-free transfers? We got you! ✅
- Quality-assured accommodations? Check! ✅
- Engaging team-building activities? Our speciality ✅
- Restaurant reservations? That's on us! ✅
- Expert retreat planning assistance? Of course, we have this covered! ✅
- Onsite support, tailored to your needs? Absolutely ✅
Not only this but we also have access to 160+ locations around Europe, APAC, the US, Latin America, and now Africa, meaning the sky is your limit when it comes to choosing the right location for you and your team.
Don’t wait any longer to elevate team bonds to new levels! Bring our questions with you on a team-building retreat and fortify company teamwork!
Let us sort out the tricky logistics for you. Spaces are very limited, so get in touch now!
