Are you still looking for the perfect activity to help you get to
know your students -- and to help them get to know one another? Take a
look at these icebreaker activities contributed by teachers from around
the globe! Included: Thirteen getting-to-know-you
activities for the first days of school.
Each year, we fear we may not be able to come up with a dozen new icebreaker
activities to help teachers get to know their students -- and to help
students get to know one another -- and each year the e-mails keep coming
in. This year, we introduce more than 25 new teacher-tested getting-to-know-you
activities in two new volumes.
If you missed Icebreakers: Volume 7 -- which included more
than a dozen new icebreaker activities -- click here
to see it!
An Education World reader contributed each activity below. The contributor
is identified with the activity.
LIKE PIECES OF A PUZZLE!
Our Class Puzzle
Share Your
Favorite Icebreakers
Have you a favorite icebreaker activity that works well with your students? Why not share that idea with others? We've set up a special Favorite Icebreaker Ideas message board. Log on and join in this conversation!
Use tagboard to create a large jigsaw puzzle. Put each child's name on
a different puzzle piece. When kids arrive on the first day of school,
instruct them to find the pieces of the puzzle with their names on them
and to draw pictures on of their favorite things to do. Later in the day,
instruct students to find one classmate with whom their puzzle piece connects;
kids should do this activity without talking. When they "connect" with
a classmate, they sit down and talk quietly about themselves until everybody
has "connected." Kids can use the pictures they drew as prompts as they
talk about themselves. If there are an uneven number of students, one
group might have three students in it. As students introduce themselves
to their partners, go around the room and tape the pairs of pieces together.
Next, instruct each pair of students to find another pair with whom their
puzzle pieces connect. Those groups of four students introduce themselves
as you go around the room and tape together the groups' puzzle pieces.
Eventually, you will have one big puzzle with all of the children's names
on it. You might talk about how a puzzle is incomplete if one piece of
the puzzle is missing, how all the students fit together as a team like
pieces of a puzzle, and how you will be the tape that holds the pieces
together all year long. Laminate the puzzle and display it all year. Ellen Gleitman, Brooke Elementary
School, Limerick, Pennsylvania
Working Together in Room 103
Hang a large sheet of butcher paper on a chalkboard or bulletin board.
Write your name on the paper in a fun way; for example, you might use
bubble letters, write your name in a circle, or use star shapes to form
the letters. As students enter the classroom, have them select a marker
and sign their names on the paper "in a fun way." When everyone has signed
the paper, remove it from the wall and start ripping it into sections
around each name. Toss the sections on the floor. The number of sections
should equal the number of students and teacher. Students will probably
look at you as if you are nuts! Then instruct students to choose one of
the ripped sections. Gather in an open area where you have arranged plenty
of scotch tape dispensers. Tell students it is their job to put the pieces
back together. Hang the taped-together wall chart under the heading Working
Together in Room 103. Start a discussion about how each student is an
important part of the class and how the class is like a team that won't
function if everybody does not do their part. The wall hanging will serve
as a year-long reminder of that lesson! Lori Napoli
Puzzle-Piece Pairs
This is a simple activity for pairing kids for any activity on the first
day of school. Give each student a puzzle piece that matches the piece
of one other student in the class. On your signal, the students must find
each other. You might use this activity to pair students to interview
one another. The class might brainstorm some interview questions to get
kids started. Those questions could be posted on an overhead transparency
or a chart for all students to see. Gianna Tringali, W. E. Cottle Elementary
School, Tuckahoe, New York
TEN MORE GREAT ICEBREAKERS!
Birthday Timeline
Ask students to take out a sheet of paper and write down the month and
day of their birth. After they have done this, tell them to put away the
paper and not let anyone see it. Then direct students to line up themselves
in perfect order of birth. However, they must follow two rules as they
do that: They cannot talk and they cannot show anyone what they wrote.
After several quiet minutes of scurrying around, they will be in order.
Instruct students to check with the person on their right and left to
see whether they are in the correct place. Then it's time to check the
human birthday timeline. Start with the first person and have each student
say his or her birthday and display the paper with the month and date
written on it. Did students do it correctly? Michael M. Yell, Hudson (Wisconsin)
Middle School
Special Memories Book
If you write a letter of introduction before the school year starts, include
a request that students bring to school on the first day something that
has a special memory attached to it. If you do not send a before-school
letter, you can make this activity the homework assignment for the first
day. Start the day by reading Mem Fox's popular book Wilfred Gordon
McDonald Partridge. The story is about a little boy who befriends
an older woman and gives her back memories that she has forgotten. After
reading the story, discuss what a memory is and list students' ideas.
Then give each child an opportunity to share his or her special item and
tell about the memories it carries. You might also use this as the first
writing assignment of the year; have students write about the memories
their objects sparks take pictures of the objects, and create a class
book of memories. Cindy Kramer, West Side Elementary
School, Cold Spring Harbor, New York
Apply for the Job
Your classroom is your students' home away from home, so have children
generate a list of classroom jobs that will be needed to keep the classroom
running smoothly. Post the list and be sure there are plenty of jobs,
such as pencil sharpener; monitors for windows, closets, supplies, plants,
library, and chalkboard; messengers, etc. Have children fill out a job
application. The application might provide a space where students could
check their job preferences; it might also include a space where they
can share their work experience (at home and other places). Students might
even create resumes that detail that work experience. Lynda Commer, P.S. 21, Staten Island,
New York
Color-Coded M&Ms
Note: Before preparing or distributing any
food in the classroom, make sure you are aware of children's allergies
or dietary restrictions, and caution children about choking hazards.
You have probably heard of the activity in which students grab a handful
of M&Ms; during introduction time, they must share a fact about themselves
for each M&M they took. This activity offers a slight twist on that one.
In this case, the students might take the M&Ms, or the teacher might hand
them out. But the M&Ms are color coded! Each M&M refers to a special topic
that the students will need to talk about as they introduce themselves to
their classmates. For example, for each M&M that is red students might have
to share a hobby they enjoy; for each brown M&M, students might tell about
a favorite book; for each green M&M students might tell about a quality
they would like in a friend. Other possible topics might include favorite
places students have visited or would love to visit, foods they like, favorite
school subjects, goals in life, etc. You might even involve students in
creating the list of topics. You might be the first to model the introduction
process so students know what is expected of them. After the introductions,
students might write a brief introduction to themselves that could be included
in a book about the students in the class. Of course, you can end the activity
by eating the M&Ms! Gary Dorobiala, Maryvale Intermediate
School, Cheektowaga, New York
Four Corners of Me
Provide an adhesive-backed label for each student. Ask students to write
their names in the middle of the labels. Then ask them to write the following
information on their labels:
In the top left corner, one word that describes something positive
about the student's personality.
In the top right corner, one word that tells about a memorable moment.
In the bottom left corner, the name of a favorite place. This could
be a geographical location, a room, a place the student has been, or
a place the student knows about and would like to visit.
In the bottom right corner, a favorite food.
Note: If you are working with students who know one another,
you might use some different questions. One good one is to have them complete
the statement "Right now I'd rather be. ..." When students have written
the information on their labels, have them peel off the backing and stick
the labels to their shirts. You might model the rest of the activity by
using the information in the four corners of your label to introduce yourself
to students. Then arrange students into pairs and have them introduce themselves
to each other. When the introductions are complete, have each pair of students
label themselves A or B. Ask A's to form a circle facing out. Their partners,
the B's, should stand in a circle facing in toward their partners. Have
the A's rotate three people to their right. Then the A's introduce themselves
to the new B's that stand opposite them; when the A's finish their introductions,
the B's do the same. Rotate the groups about four times. Susan Hallworth, Newmarket High School,
Newmarket, Ontario, Canada
Helping Hands
This activity helps students get to know one another while they review
parts of speech and symbolism. Organize students into pairs, and have
each student trace both of his or her partner's hands onto a sheet of
construction paper. Then the students cut out the outlines of their hands.
Instruct students to write on each finger of the right hand a different
noun that tells something about them. They might write the name of someone
special to them, a favorite sport or TV program, a favorite place or book,
etc. Then each student should write on the left-hand cutout a different
adjective to describe himself or herself. Finally, the students might
connect the two hands with a paper-chain bracelet of five links; the students
should draw on each link a symbol that represent something about themselves.
Katherine Butcher, Berkeley High
School, Moncks Corner, South Carolina
Catching Up on Summer
In this activity, students share the most interesting thing about their
summer vacations. To start, you hold onto a tennis ball. Younger students
might use a larger ball. Share your name and the most interesting thing
about your summer. When you finish, throw the ball to a student in the
class. That student will share his or her name and most interesting or
fondest summer memory, then pass the ball to somebody else. Continue the
activity until all students have shared. Then challenge students to throw
the ball back around the group in the opposite direction. (Students will
have to remember who threw the ball to them.) Finally, you might challenge
students to toss the ball in alphabetical order; if they make an error,
the ball goes back to the starting point! Adapt the activity: Instead
of sharing the most interesting summer memory, students might share a
favorite sports star, food, book, etc. Lucy Phipps, Pinehurst College,
Auckland, New Zealand
Drawing on Experience
Organize students in pairs. (The ideal pair consists of two students who
do not know each other. Provide each student with a blank sheet of paper
and a colored marker. Instruct the students to interview each other. Each
student must come up with five facts to share with his or her partner
-- but the "trick" to the activity is that the students can't record those
facts in words; they can use only pictures! The students will have a good
laugh at some of the caricatures they draw; they might even help each
other figure out how to draw certain things. When the pairs have finished
interviewing, students share their pictures as they introduce their partners. Teri Hofferd, St. Joseph's Collegiate
School, Brooks, Alberta, Canada
10-9-8-7…
Have students number two sheets of paper from 1 to 10. On the first sheet,
students must write ten unique things about themselves. When that is completed,
have each student pair up with another student in the class. On the other
sheet of paper, each student must write his or her partner's name next
to the number 1. Then students share one of the ten unique things
on their lists as their partners record the unique fact next to the student's
name. As students share a fact about themselves, they cross off that fact
on their lists. Then the students pair up with somebody new. They repeat
the activity by sharing one of the remaining nine facts. After they have
paired with ten of their classmates, they should have crossed off all
ten of the unique things on their personal lists and have another sheet
with the names of ten of their classmates and a fact about each of them.
Then give each student an opportunity to sit in a large chair at the head
of the class as ten of their classmates share a different unique fact
about the student. Deborah Hercsek, Lee Eaton School,
Northfield, Ohio
My Year in ___th Grade
You will need to collect a variety of activity materials to help students
get to know one another. The activities might include an All About Me
questionnaire or collage, writing activities, pre-tests in different subject
areas, and so on. At the start of the activity, provide each student with
a large yellow envelope with a clasp on it. Hand out the envelopes to
students, and instruct them to label the envelope flaps with their names
and the date. On the front of the envelopes, students should write My
___th Grade Year and then decorate the envelopes with pictures of themselves
doing something they love to do. As the first day goes on, introduce one
at a time the activities you have gathered. As each activity is completed,
students stuff them into their envelopes. A digital photo might be taken
and included in the envelope too. When students complete all activities,
have them clasp the envelopes shut. Then collect them, and put them in
a safe place. During the school year, you might gather selected writings,
art activities, photos, post-tests, and so on and add them to the envelopes
without students' knowledge. On the very last day of school, return all
envelopes to students. They will be delighted to open and review the envelope's
contents. Talk about how the students have grown physically and academically.
Now they have a keepsake of their ___th grade year to share with families
and revisit from time to time! Note: Keep a few extra envelopes stuffed
with activity materials in case new students join the class during the
year. Lisa Links, Bayou L'Ourse Primary
School, Morgan City, Louisiana
Icebreakers:
Volume 8