What is Pedometer?

Pedometer is three back-to-back games built around a device you already own. Strap one to your forehead for Bobble Head and nod or shake for a full minute. Strap one to each ankle for Temper Tantrum and shake your feet while lying on your back. Or go all in for Nervous Nelly — one on each wrist and ankle — and move however registers steps on all four at once. Whoever's display reads highest when the minute ends wins that round.

It works because everybody looks equally ridiculous doing it. A pedometer doesn't care about status or seniority — it just counts movement — so the game flattens the room fast and gets people laughing at themselves instead of performing for each other.

It needs real floor space — Temper Tantrum has people on their backs — and a pedometer for every player in the round, so it's built for an in-person meetup with gear on hand, not a video call. If your group is short on devices, Nervous Nelly's four-per-player math gets expensive fast: run Bobble Head on its own instead, or have players take turns and compare totals.

The rules

Reset every pedometer to zero before each round.
Every round runs one minute, timed — stop the instant time's up.
Bobble Head: attach a pedometer to a sweatband or headband and nod or shake your head.
Temper Tantrum: a pedometer on each ankle, lying on your back, shaking your feet.
Nervous Nelly: a pedometer on each wrist and ankle — highest combined total across all four wins.
No jiggling a stopped pedometer to inflate the score, and if Nervous Nelly runs short on devices, players take turns and record their own totals.

Before you start

Materials: a pedometer per player, plus something to attach it with. Sweatbands or headbands for the forehead, wrist straps or tape for ankles and wrists, and a timer to keep every round to a minute.
Clear floor space, including room to lie down. Temper Tantrum is played flat on your back, so you need more than standing room — a carpet, gym floor, or open lawn works.
Pick your game (or games) before you start. Bobble Head, Temper Tantrum, and Nervous Nelly are independent — run one, or all three back-to-back for a full session.
Short on pedometers for Nervous Nelly? It needs four devices per player. If you don't have enough, run it in turns and compare written-down totals instead of everyone going at once.

How to run it

Reset and attach the pedometers 3–5 min
Zero out every pedometer before it goes on a player. Tuck one into a sweatband or headband for Bobble Head. Strap one to each ankle for Temper Tantrum. For Nervous Nelly, attach one to each wrist and each ankle — four devices, four limbs.
Explain the game and what wins it 1–2 min
Say which game's up and what the winning number is: the highest reading on the display when the minute ends, combined across every device that player is wearing.
Run the one-minute round 1 min
Start the timer. Players nod or shake their heads for Bobble Head, lie on their backs and shake their feet for Temper Tantrum, or move however registers steps on all four devices at once for Nervous Nelly. Everyone stops the instant the minute's up — no jiggling a stopped pedometer to pad the score.
Read the scores and call the winner 2–3 min
Highest number on the display wins Bobble Head. For Temper Tantrum and Nervous Nelly, add up every device that player wore and compare totals.
Reset, rotate, and go again 20–40 min
Zero the pedometers and run another round, or switch games. Short on devices for Nervous Nelly? Have players take turns and record their own totals instead of everyone playing at once.

← the pedometer doesn't know it's a joke.

Facilitator tips

Go first and go loudDo a visibly ridiculous Bobble Head round yourself before anyone else goes. It tells the room exactly how much dignity they're allowed to set aside.

Give every attachment method a backupNot everyone can tape a pedometer to their forehead comfortably. Bring sweatbands, headbands, and tape so people can pick what actually stays put.

Call time loudly and clearlyScores swing fast in the last few seconds. A clear, single "time" call keeps every round's finish fair instead of arguable.

Run Bobble Head alone if devices are tightNervous Nelly needs four pedometers a player. If you're short on hardware, Bobble Head delivers the same laughs on a fraction of the gear.

Why it works

A real workout, no gym requiredNodding, shaking, and wriggling for a full minute straight gets your heart rate up — the pedometer turns fidgeting into a measurable, one-minute cardio burst.

Status disappears the second the sweatband goes onNobody looks composed shaking their head for a minute straight, so whatever hierarchy runs the room doesn't survive Bobble Head. Everyone's equally undignified, which makes it funny together instead of at someone.

The ban on jiggling starts the real conversationPlayers immediately test how far they can push a pedometer before it counts as cheating. The no-jiggling rule turns into the group's actual debate afterward — what counted as trying, and what didn't.

HELLO, MY NAME ISJon

"I like watching someone go all-in on Temper Tantrum — flat on their back, shaking their feet like they've lost an argument with gravity, dead serious about beating the person next to them. That's the whole icebreaker: give people permission to look ridiculous together, and the room warms up fast."

Jon Zajac · Founder & Chief Icebreaker

Reflection questions

For groups that want more than a scoreboard — these turn the shaking and the score into an actual conversation about effort and competition.

What was your experience playing these pedometer games?Gets the physical reaction on the record before anyone downplays how out of breath they got.
How did you try to cheat the pedometer into registering more points?The most honest answer in the whole debrief — everyone tried something.
Did you find any strategies that were particularly effective in increasing your score?Surfaces whatever technique actually worked, which usually isn't what people expected.
How did it feel to compete against others in this way?Names the competitive spike directly instead of letting it go unspoken.
Did you notice any differences between your own movements and those of other players?Turns the group's attention outward — who moved differently, and why.
What did you find most challenging or tiring about these games?Puts a number on the effort the games actually took.
How might these games be adapted for different ages, abilities, or settings?The adaptation question — useful if this is heading to a classroom or a lower-mobility group next.