The first day of school is here! It is time to get to know our new students for the new school year. I know as adults, we groan when we hear the words “icebreaker games”, but younger students love any type of game for the most part and using icebreaker activities is a fun way to get to know our brand new students! The activities and games listed in this blog post can be used any time in the school year, but particularly in the first week of school.
Get To Know You Icebreaker Games
1. Two Truths and a Lie
As an adult, I have played this game many times through teacher inserves as ice breakers. Typically, we are given index cards and have to write two truths and a lie about ourselves. However, for younger students we can differentiate to meet their needs. So, for this version, we have students think in categories. They have to think of their favorite food, favorite hobby, and favorite dessert. So, for example, I might say that my favorite food is salad, favorite hobby is reading, and favorite dessert is ice cream. Then, students have to guess which fact is the lie (it’s salad!). Then, students say what the actual truth is for that category.
By breaking it into categories, students are able to more easily think of 3 facts about themselves.
2. Musical Chairs
This activity is part of our First Week of School resources. Find the first grade version here and second grade version here. This is a great game to get your students up and moving, but also for them to get to know one another. For this game, gather enough chairs for your class, minus one. Put the chairs in a circle. Students walk around the outside of the circle while you play music, just like the normal game of musical chairs. When the music stops, students rush to sit down. Whoever does not have a chair to sit in has to pick a card and answer the question. The cards provided have a variety of different questions.
Some of the questions included are:
- Who was your teacher last year?
- What is your favorite color?
- What is your favorite thing to do?
- When is your birthday?
- What was your favorite thing you did this summer?
This is a fun way for your whole class to get to know one another and answer some questions about their favorite things. If you do not want to do this activity with the whole group because of space, you can break your students into small groups.
3. Name Game
Getting to know everyone’s names is an essential back to school activity. Their new class is full of new classmates and new friends. Sit everyone down in a circle. They need to think of a word to describe themselves that starts with the first letter of their first name. This may take some practice and some students need help coming up with words.
So, for example the first student would say “My name is Funny Finley” and then everyone says “Hi Funny Finley!” Then, it goes to the next person. To make this game a little more challenging and silly (or make it word for older students), you can repeat each student that goes. So, after Funny Finley, the next person says “My name is Happy Hank” and everyone says, “Hi Happy Hank” and then “Hi Funny Finley!”
A helpful tool and great resource to go along with this icebreaker is our name crowns. Our name crowns are editable so that you can type each student’s name into a class list and it will autopopulate on the name crown. Students color their name and crown, and then trace their name on the back.
See them here on Missing Tooth Grins.
4. Would You Rather?
Would You Rather is also part of our first week of first grade pack. However, you can do this on your own without our resource. Hang a 1 and a 2 in two different corners. Then, ask your students “would you rather” questions and they must go to the number that they would rather do.
Here are some examples of “would you rather” questions:
- Would you rather eat breakfast or dinner?
- Would you rather use markers or crayons?
- Would you rather play inside or outside?
- Would you rather write with a pen or pencil?
- Would you rather be hot or cold?
5. Pick A Candy
For this activity, you will need a bag of different colored candies. For example, you could use Skittles or M&Ms. Then, you will assign a question to each candy color.
- Green: What is your favorite sport to watch or play?
- Blue: What is your favorite thing to do at recess?
- Yellow: What is your favorite thing to eat at lunch?
- Red: What is your favorite animal?
So, students answer the different questions based on the candy color they got. The best part? They get to eat the pieces of candy they get!
6. Dance To The Music
I love to use this activity for many different lessons and as an icebreaker is no different! Have your students walk or dance around the room while you play music. When the music stops, students must go to the friend closest to them. Make sure students do not run to the other side of the room just so they can talk to their best friend. The point of this game is for them to get to know everyone in their class. Then, you ask a question that they must answer to their friend.
Some questions you can ask:
- What is your favorite video game?
- What time do you go to bed?
- How do you get to school?
- What is your favorite part of the school day?
- What classroom jobs are your favorite? Which one do you want to do next?
Then, play the music and repeat!
Team Building Icebreaker Games and Activities
Another way for your elementary students to get to know one another at the beginning of the school year is with different icebreaker games and activities for teams and partners. This is a great way to build classroom community in the beginning of the year by working together.
7. Build a Tower
This is a simple, but effective game for teams of students to work together for a common goal. Break students into small groups and give each group a certain amount of plastic cups. For this example, you could give each group fifty cups. Their goal is to build the tallest tower within a certain time limit. It is a simple game, but one that is always loved.
8. Classroom Scavenger Hunt
This is a great way to learn about your classroom! For this activity, students will work with a partner to find different spots of the classroom. This activity is part of our first week of first grade pack and our first week of second grade pack. Students work together to find different areas, like the pencils, the classroom calendar, the gluesticks, the classroom library, etc. They then draw where the found it in our classroom.
Having a scavenger hunt for students to find important areas of the classroom is a great way for them to learn about the classroom and to know where things are. It can also help eliminate the “Teacher, teacher, where’s the pencils?” during the first week of school.
9. School Scavenger Hunt
During the first day of school, it is also important to take a tour of the school. Even if most your students were at your school the previous year, a good refresher is a never a bad idea. Plus, you may have new students who do not know where everything is. I love to use this scavenger hunt paired with The Gingerbreak Man Loose At School. Hang the cards around the school before this activity and then read the book to your class. Then, set off for your scavenger hunt to find the gingerbread man!
Purchase on Missing Tooth Grins here.
10. Line ‘Em Up
This ice breaker game is a quiet activity. In fact, it is silent! Students must line up tallest to shortest without speaking. They will visually compare their heights with just their eyes and they cannot talk! For older students, you can have them line up by birthday which is more of a challenge. They will line up by month of the year and then by date, if able.
11. Puzzle Pieces
One way I like to connect with my students at the start of the year is to have them draw what is important to them on puzzle pieces. I search for free printable puzzle pieces for them to use. Then, we complete the puzzle together! These look great on a bulletin board at the beginning of the year!
12. Who Makes That Sound?
This is a fun and silly game that is the best way to bring on the laughs. Students form a large circle but face the outside of the circle. They also need to close or cover their eyes. Then, you quietly choose a student who moves to the middle of the circle. That student sits down and makes an animal noise. Students have to guess the animals and the student making the animal noise! This is a great activity for students to use their listening skills.
More Activities To Get To Know Your Students
13. All About Me Ice Cream Craft
One of my favorite activities to do during the first week of school is this All About Me Ice Cream Craft. Students write about their favorite things on the ice cream scoops to create a perfect ice cream sundae!
The different prompts they write to are:
- My favorite food
- This year, I hope…
- Over the summer…
- My favorite book
- Something about me
- On my sundae, I like…
- My favorite color
- My family
- My friends
These All About Me Ice Cream Sundaes look great on a back to school bulletin board! Keep them up for your open house for parents and caretakers to learn more about your class as well! Plus, this comes with a printable class book for students to fill out a page. Then, you can keep the class book in your classroom library all year long for students to “check out” and look at. This class book could also be left out at open house or parent teacher conferences for families to learn more about your class.
Purchase on Missing Tooth Grins here.
14. Friendship Bracelets
Who doesn’t love friendship bracelets? Provide the supplies for students to create bracelets. This is a fun way for students to make and foster connections with their peers.
15. Playdough Sculptures
I always give playdough to students for their “morning work” on the first day of school. I have found that it helps younger students get settled into their classroom and keeps their hands busy, while you are trying to get everyone settled, take attendance, put away school supplies, etc. I like to include a playdough mat for students to create (this one is included in this pack).
However, a great icebreaker activity is creating playdough sculptures! Have students create their pet or an animal they wish they could have as a pet. Then, students can take turns sharing with the class what they created and more about their animal or pet. They can share their name or what they would name their pet, why they would want that animal as a pet, etc.
16. Community Codes of Conduct
In my past school, we were a Leader In Me School. So, my class and I would create Codes of Conduct for our classroom. These were essentially the three main “rules” we committed to following throughout the school year. I would make sure to refer back to them with the class throughout the year, but also during times where I found we were not following them. For example, “Be Respectful” was typically a code of conduct.
So, if students were interrupting or shouting out during lessons, I would point out that we are not following a code of conduct and how we can change that. At the start of the school year, we create these together and I write them on a large piece of paper. Then, I divide my class into small groups and they work on coloring and decorating the posters. Students love to see these hanging up in their classroom all year. Plus, this activity gives them downtime to color and just chat with each other.
20 Different Icebreaker Questions You Can Ask Students:
- Can you imitate the sound of your favorite animal?
- What is your favorite animal and why?
- What is your favorite board game?
- What is your favorite game or sport to play with your friends?
- Who is a cartoon character you would like to be friends with?
- If you could have any superpower, what would you pick and why?
- What is your favorite color? What is something in our room that is that color?
- What is your all-time favorite book and why?
- If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would you choose?
- What is your favorite outdoor activity?
- If you could create a superhero name for yourself, what would it be?
- What is your favorite dessert?
- Would you rather be an elephant or a mouse?
- Would you rather eat your favorite breakfast or favorite dessert?
- Would you rather play your favorite sport or watch it?
- Can you think of 3 words that describe you that also start with the first letter of your first name?
- If you could be any emoji, which one would you choose and why?
- If you could have any animal for a pet, what would it be? What would you name it? How would you take care of it?
- What makes you a good friend?
- If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
I hope these different icebreaker activities and games are helpful to you! I have found that the more time you spend pouring into your students in the beginning of the year, the greater the outcome throughout the rest of the school year. When we get to know our students and allow them time to get to know one another, we are creating a strong classroom community and foundation for learning. I would love to hear about your favorite icebreaker activities as well! Comment below and let me know your favorites!
Resources mentioned in this blog post:
- First Week of First Grade – Plan your entire first week of first grade in a snap! This resource includes scavenger hunts, icebreaker activities, book companion activities, and more!
- First Week of Second Grade – Plan your entire first week of second grade with this comprehensive resource! This resource includes scavenger hunts, icebreaker activities, book companion activities, and more!
- Gingerbread Man Scavenger Hunt – This activity is included in the two resources listed above, but if you only need the scavenger hunt, you can buy it separately here.
- All About Me Ice Cream Writing Craft – This all about me craft includes get to know you prompts for your students to fill out to make this adorable craft. They also look great on a back to school bulletin board!
