Achievements Under 18
Also known as: Youth Achievements, Childhood Accomplishments, Before 18 Game, Early Success Stories, Teenage Triumphs
A reflective icebreaker where participants share meaningful accomplishments from their youth, revealing personal values, growth mindsets, and formative experiences that shaped who they are today.
Quick Overview
Introduction
Achievements Under 18 is a reflective icebreaker that invites participants to share a meaningful accomplishment from their childhood or teenage years. Unlike typical introduction games, this activity reveals the values, interests, and formative experiences that shaped each person. Participants take turns sharing one achievement they're proud of from before age 18, explaining why it matters to them. The game creates emotional connection by highlighting personal growth stories rather than current job titles or professional credentials.
Key Features
- Reveals authentic personal values and what matters to participants beyond work
- Creates emotional connections through vulnerability and shared human experiences
- Works seamlessly in both in-person and virtual settings with no materials needed
- Helps diverse teams discover unexpected common ground from their youth
Ideal For
Achievements Under 18 works exceptionally well for new teams where members come from diverse professional backgrounds and need to connect on a human level. It's ideal for onboarding sessions, first team meetings, training workshops, and college orientation programs. The game is particularly powerful when you want to move beyond surface-level introductions and help people understand the experiences that shaped their colleagues' perspectives and work styles.
What Makes It Unique
Unlike achievement-focused games that emphasize current success, this activity deliberately looks backward to childhood and adolescence, creating a level playing field where everyone's story matters equally. It transforms potentially competitive accomplishment-sharing into vulnerable storytelling that reveals character development and personal values.
How to Play
Preparation
3 minutes- 1Arrange seating in a circle or ensure everyone is visible on video if virtual
- 2Give participants 2-3 minutes of silent thinking time to reflect on achievements from before they turned 18
- 3Remind them the achievement can be anything meaningful to them: academic, athletic, creative, personal, relational, or overcoming a challenge
Game Flow
15-25 minutes- 1The facilitator starts by sharing their own achievement under 18 as a model, explaining what they accomplished and why it mattered to them
- 2Go around the circle (or call on people randomly in virtual settings) with each person sharing one achievement from their youth
- 3Each person has 1-2 minutes to share: what they achieved, the context, and why this particular accomplishment is meaningful to them
- 4After each share, allow 15-30 seconds for natural reactions, brief questions, or affirmations from the group
- 5If someone struggles to think of something, offer prompts: 'Think about something you learned, created, won, overcame, or helped with'
- 6Continue until everyone who wants to share has had a turn
Wrap Up
5 minutes- 1Ask the group: 'What patterns did you notice in our achievements? What surprised you?'
- 2Invite 2-3 people to share one word describing how they feel after hearing everyone's stories
- 3Acknowledge common themes that emerged: perseverance, creativity, helping others, overcoming fear, etc.
- 4Connect the exercise to current work: 'These experiences shaped who we are today and the strengths we bring to this team'
Host Script
Questions & Examples
Academic & Learning
- •I taught myself to read before kindergarten by pestering my older sister to explain every word in her books
- •I won the regional science fair in 8th grade with a project on renewable energy that I worked on for six months
- •I learned to speak conversational Spanish by watching telenovelas with my grandmother every afternoon
- •I was the first person in my family to graduate high school, which opened doors for everyone who came after me
Creative & Artistic
- •I wrote and illustrated my own comic book series that I sold to classmates for 25 cents each
- •I learned to play guitar by watching YouTube tutorials and performed at a local open mic night at 16
- •I choreographed a dance routine for our high school talent show that went viral in our small town
- •I built a functioning robot for a competition using parts I salvaged from old electronics
Athletic & Physical
- •I made the varsity basketball team as a freshman despite being the shortest player trying out
- •I completed my first marathon at age 17 after training for a year to support cancer research
- •I overcame my fear of water and earned my lifeguard certification by my 18th birthday
- •I learned to skateboard at 14 and eventually taught neighborhood kids for free every weekend
Personal Growth & Resilience
- •I overcame severe stuttering through speech therapy and debate club, eventually winning a speaking award
- •I saved enough money from my part-time job to buy my first car at 17, learning responsibility and patience
- •I stood up to a bully who was targeting my younger sibling, which taught me courage I still draw on today
- •I navigated moving to a new country at 13 and became fluent in English within two years
Community & Leadership
- •I organized a neighborhood food drive that collected over 500 pounds of food for local families
- •I started a tutoring program at my high school that paired seniors with struggling freshmen
- •I was elected student body president and successfully advocated for mental health resources at our school
- •I volunteered at an animal shelter every weekend for three years and helped 50+ dogs get adopted
Virtual Version (for Zoom/Teams)
Achievements Under 18 translates seamlessly to virtual environments with minimal adjustments, making it ideal for remote teams.
- •Use the chat function during thinking time so people can jot down notes about what they'll share
- •Consider using a random name picker tool to call on people rather than going in alphabetical order, which keeps energy high
- •Encourage participants to turn on cameras if comfortable, as facial expressions enhance emotional connection during storytelling
- •Use breakout rooms for larger groups (20+): 5-6 people per room for 10 minutes, then reconvene to share highlights
- •In Zoom, use the 'spotlight video' feature to highlight the current speaker so everyone focuses on their story
Tips & Variations
Pro Tips
- ✓Share your own achievement first with genuine emotion to model vulnerability and set the tone for authentic sharing
- ✓If someone shares something seemingly small, validate it by saying 'I love that—it shows your [creativity/determination/kindness]'
- ✓For quiet participants, offer a pass option but circle back at the end: 'Anyone who passed earlier want to share now?'
- ✓Take mental notes of connections between stories to highlight at the end: 'Three people mentioned music—we have a musical team!'
- ✓Follow up individually later with people whose stories resonated with you to deepen one-on-one connections
- ✓Consider creating a shared document where people can optionally write their achievement afterward for those who joined late
Variations
Themed Achievements
Specify a category like 'an achievement that required collaboration,' 'something creative you made,' or 'a time you overcame fear' to guide sharing toward specific team values
Partner Version
Pair people up for 5 minutes to interview each other about their achievement, then each person introduces their partner's story to the larger group, building active listening skills
Timeline Variation
Have people share achievements from specific age ranges (5-10, 11-14, 15-18) to reveal development across childhood stages
Photo Enhancement
Ask participants to bring a photo related to their achievement (physical or on phone) and show it while sharing, adding visual storytelling
Common Pitfalls
- ✗Don't rush the activity—silence between shares is okay and allows time for reflection and emotional processing
- ✗Avoid comparing or ranking achievements; respond to a simple story with the same enthusiasm as an impressive one
- ✗Don't let one person dominate; gently redirect if someone goes over 3 minutes: 'That's wonderful—let's make sure everyone has time to share'
- ✗Don't skip your own share as facilitator; your vulnerability encourages others to open up authentically
- ✗Avoid making achievements a competition by asking follow-up questions equally to all participants
Safety & Inclusivity Notes
- •Emphasize that achievements are subjective and personal—what matters is why it's meaningful to them, not external measures of success
- •Make passing explicitly acceptable: 'If you'd rather not share or need more time to think, just say pass—no explanation needed'
- •Be sensitive that some participants may have difficult childhoods with few positive memories; frame it as 'something you learned or overcame' to include challenging experiences
- •If someone shares trauma unexpectedly, thank them for trusting the group, acknowledge their courage, and move forward without dwelling or probing
- •Remind the group that these are personal stories shared in confidence—don't repeat them outside the session without permission
- •Watch for cultural differences in how achievement is defined; validate all types of accomplishments equally whether individual or collective
Why This Game Works
Achievements Under 18 leverages powerful psychological principles that transform simple storytelling into genuine connection. By asking participants to reflect on formative youth experiences, the game activates autobiographical memory systems that are rich with emotion and meaning. Neuroscience research shows that sharing personally significant memories releases oxytocin, the bonding hormone, creating feelings of trust and social connection. The temporal distance to adolescence also reduces status anxiety, as childhood achievements feel less threatening than current professional comparisons.
Psychological Principles
Self-Determination Theory
Edward Deci & Richard Ryan
Self-Determination Theory posits that humans have three fundamental psychological needs: autonomy, competence, and relatedness. When these needs are satisfied, people experience greater wellbeing, motivation, and psychological growth.
Application in Game
Achievements Under 18 directly activates all three needs. Participants exercise autonomy by choosing which achievement to share, demonstrate competence by recounting their success, and fulfill relatedness by connecting with others through storytelling. This triple activation creates a psychologically satisfying experience that bonds teams.
Narrative Identity Theory
Dan McAdams
Narrative Identity Theory proposes that individuals construct their identity through the stories they tell about their lives. These personal narratives create meaning, coherence, and a sense of who we are across time.
Application in Game
When participants share youth achievements in Achievements Under 18, they're not just recounting facts but revealing their life narrative. Listeners gain insight into what themes matter to each person—persistence, creativity, helping others, overcoming adversity—creating deeper understanding than surface introductions could achieve.
Social Penetration Theory
Irwin Altman & Dalmas Taylor
Social Penetration Theory describes how relationships develop through gradual and reciprocal self-disclosure, moving from superficial to more intimate information. Trust builds as people share increasingly personal details.
Application in Game
Achievements Under 18 creates structured reciprocal disclosure. The youth timeframe makes sharing feel safe yet personal, positioning the activity at the optimal depth for new relationships. As each person shares, others reciprocate, creating the mutual vulnerability that Social Penetration Theory identifies as essential for bonding.
Measurable Outcomes
Measured using Edmondson's Team Psychological Safety Scale (7-item)
Timeframe: Within 2 weeks of activity
Assessed via Trust in Teams Survey immediately post-activity
Timeframe: Immediately following the game
Frequently Asked Questions
Remind them achievements don't have to be awards or recognition. Offer prompts: 'What's something you learned that was hard? A time you helped someone? Something you created or built? A fear you faced?' Often people are being modest or defining achievement too narrowly. If they still struggle, let them pass and return to them at the end.
Thank them genuinely for trusting the group with their story, acknowledge the courage it took to share, and pause briefly to let it land. You might say, 'Thank you for sharing that with us—that clearly shaped who you are today.' Then move to the next person without over-analyzing or probing deeper unless they invite questions.
For groups over 25, use breakout rooms or small group circles of 5-7 people, giving everyone 1 minute each. After 10-15 minutes, reconvene and ask each small group to share one or two stories that particularly stood out. This maintains intimacy while including everyone.
Adjust the age threshold based on your group. For college students, try 'Achievements Under 16' or 'before high school.' For high school students, use 'Achievements Under 13' or 'from elementary school.' The key is ensuring enough time distance that achievements feel like reflections on the past rather than current identity.
Brief, genuine questions are great (10-20 seconds): 'What position did you play?' or 'Do you still paint?' But limit them to keep momentum and ensure everyone gets a turn. You might say, 'We'll save deeper conversations for after—I know people will want to connect with you about this later.'