Search form

Icebreakers and Get-to-Know You Activities for High School Students

Getting ready to go back to school? Teachers are preparing to greet a whole new group of students, and kids are gearing up to meet new classmates. Students of any age can be nervous on their first day of school, and icebreakers are a great way to help even older kids get to know each other and feel more comfortable at the beginning of a new school year.

Below are five of our favorite back-to-school icebreakers and get-to-know-you activities for high school students. Want more icebreakers for students of all ages? Don't miss our huge library!
 

  1. Snowball Fight: Give students a piece of paper and have them write a fact about themselves. Have students wad the piece of paper into a ball, and have a snowball fight. Ask kids to gather the snowball nearest them and try to figure out whose snowball they have. 
  2. Categories: Tell students you are going to announce a category-related question (for example, "What is your favorite color?") and that students should organize themselves into groups based on their answers. Once everyone is organized, ask each group to share its category with the rest of the class. 
  3. Name Chain: With a basketball, take students outside and have them pass the ball around and introduce themselves. The person passing the ball has to use an adjective starting with the first letter of their first name. The next person has to repeat their classmate's description and then their own. 
  4. True/False Quiz or "Two Truths and a Lie": Have students write a 10-question quiz about themselves and have the other students figure out what's wrong or right. The second activity involves students sitting in a circle and listing two true things about themselves and one lie. Have the other students figure out which statement is false. 
  5. Take a Stand: Place a line of tape on the classroom floor and read "either-or" statements ("Democrat or Republican," etc.). Have students move on one side of the tape or the other, depending on their opinion/preference. If they are undecided, have them straddle the line. 


Article by Kassondra Granata, EducationWorld Contributor
Education World®             
Copyright © 2014 Education World