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Icebreaker

Helium Stick

Also called Magic Cane, Lower the Stick

A team balances a long, light stick on their index fingers and must lower it to the floor together — it keeps mysteriously rising.

people
6–48
time
20 min
energy
Medium
materials
Cheap to buy
Kids-safeHR-safeChurch-safe
Watch it played
What you need1
How to play4

Before you start

Teams stand in two lines facing each other. Each person holds out one index finger at chest height, and the host lays the stick across all the fingers.

  1. 1Everyone must keep their finger touching the underside of the stick at all times.
  2. 2No hooking, pinching or holding the stick.
  3. 3If any finger loses contact, the stick goes back to chest height and the team restarts.
  4. 4The team succeeds when the stick lies on the floor.
What to say3
  1. 1“Simple task: lower the stick to the floor. Fingers only!”
  2. 2“Wait — why is it going UP?”
  3. 3“On the floor! Give yourselves a hand!”
Host tips3
  • Do not explain why the stick rises. Everyone pressing up to keep contact lifts it; the moment someone works that out and organises the group is the whole exercise.
  • Watch for blame. With an already tense team, people start accusing whoever's finger slipped — step in after a few minutes and call a 60-second team huddle.
  • Debrief: ask what made a simple task so hard, who took the lead and how the team agreed on a method, and where at work everyone pushes in the same direction and still gets the opposite result.
Variants2

  • Hula hoop

    Use a hula hoop on fingertips with a circle of 6–8. Same effect, smaller space.

  • Silent round

    After one failed attempt, ban talking for the next try.

Safety1
  • Use a light stick only — a dropped metal pipe can hurt feet.
Good for

Occasions

Team buildingSchoolRetreat

Venues

Indoor, smallIndoor, largeOutdoorOfficeChurch hall