Icebreakers may seem trivial but they can assist with building meaningful

relationships with students. Jennifer Gonzalez wrote a wonderful article

outlining a four-part process for getting to know your students and lists
breaking the ice as the first step to creating a comfortable environment
where students aren't afraid to ask questions and take academic risks.
Below are some icebreakers that can help you establish an encouraging,
educational environment where students thrive.

1. Marooned

Establish a collaborative, cooperative learning environment on the first day

of school with Marooned. Place students into groups of five and tell them
that they are stranded on a deserted island. Explain that they must select
five items from their personal belongings to help them survive and that each
member of their group must contribute one thing. Give them about ten
minutes to dig through their book bags, purses, or pockets to select
necessary items. Then, have each group stand and explain what they
selected and how each object is essential to their survival.

2. A Great Wind Blows

A Great Wind Blows may ease the fears of younger children who are
anxious about starting their first day of school. Arrange your classroom
chairs in an inward facing circle and have everyone sit in a chair. There
should be one less chair than students. Stand outside of the circle and say
the phrase “A great wind blows for everyone who…” and fill in the statement
with a characteristic that students may have in common. Any student that
identifies with that particular characteristic must stand up and move to a
different chair. Every time someone gets up, a chair is removed. Any child
that cannot find a chair will step outside of the circle and help the teacher
think of phrases for the remaining players.
3. Six Word Story

Make students describe their summers in a complete sentence using only

six words. Have them switch papers with a classmate that has to add a
comment comprised of only six words. It may appear easy but it’s a lot
more difficult than it seems.

4. #I’m Awesome

Take a gigantic piece of butcher paper and tape it to the wall. Once
students enter the classroom, hand them a marker and have them think of
2-3 hashtags that describe themselves. Allow them to write their hashtags
on the wall and explain them to the rest of the class.

5. Blobs and Lines

This easy icebreaker from Cult of Pedagogy is sure to get everyone

moving, conversing, and discovering their similarities. Simply ask students
to line up in a particular order (by birthday, height, etc.) or gather in blobs
based on something they have in common (favorite color, movie, number of
siblings). Not only does this activity keep students engaged, you get to
learn more about them. It also provides them with a sense of belonging.
You can have them gather and line up as many times as you would like and
you can even join in to see how much you have in common with you pupils.

6. The “What Am I?” Game

Modify the game of Pictionary by handing children sticky notes and letting
them write down their favorite artist, movie, or athlete. Next, tell them to find
a partner and to describe what they wrote down without using words. If their
partner guesses correctly, the partner receives a point. If their partner
guesses incorrectly, the actor receives a point. Have them find new
companions three or four times.

7. Something’s Not Quite Right

Education World has a host of icebreakers that have been tested by

educators. One that aids younger students with observation skills is called
Something’s Not Quite Right. Before school starts, create chaos in your
room by purposely misplacing a few items. This could mean that one of the
numbers on your number line is out of place, a word is misspelled on the
bulletin board, or that the date is incorrect. On the first day of school give
students an observation sheet, place them into groups, and have them
explore the room looking for abnormalities. Once they’ve had enough time
to observe the room, discuss their findings in a whole group setting.
8. Classroom Scavenger Hunt

Instead of finding misplaced items, send children on a scavenger hunt

around the room. This may help them take note of where key functional
items such as the pencil sharpener are located. Make sure you require a
description of the items you are asking them to find.

9. Snowball Fight

Have students write at least two identifying facts about themselves on a

plain sheet of paper. Afterwards, everyone should gather in a circle,
crumple their sheets of paper, and throw them in a pile inside the circle.
Students should scramble to pick up a new paper and take turns reading
the identifying characteristics. When someone recognizes his/her paper,
they should raise their hand and elaborate on what they wrote.

10. Time Capsules

Create individualized time capsules on the first day of school. Fill them with
pretests taken that week or personal letters about what they plan to
accomplish throughout the school year. Letters can include expectations,
clubs they would like to join, and desired grade point averages. You can
even take pictures of your students on the first day, print them out, and
place them inside the boxes. On the last day of school, distribute their time
capsules and allow them to see how much they have learned, grown, and
accomplished in one year. Younger students can complete handouts that
ask about their favorite color, food, and book. It is amusing to see how their
interests change over time.
11. House of Cards Challenge

Mrs. B from Texas came up with an excellent way to get her students to
cooperate using index cards. First, place your students into groups of four
or five and have them discuss their likes and dislikes. Then, give them each
approximately 30 index cards and have them label each card with one thing
they have in common. Next, have them create towers out of the index cards
that are at least 10 inches in height. Challenge them to compete against the
other groups in the classroom. You can even give the team with the tallest
tower a prize!
 Photo Courtesy of the pensivesloth.com

12. Save Fred the Worm

This STEM activity from the Growing a STEM Classroom encourages team
building and critical thinking. It can also serve as an introduction to the
scientific method. Explain to your students that Fred the worm is stranded
on top of his boat in the middle of the ocean. Your students’ job is to rescue
Fred without touching him, his boat (the cup) or his life preserver (the life
saver). The only things they can use to save Fred are the four paper clips
provided. Mrs. Mastriana has posted an instructional guide and worksheet
to accompany this activity. You can find them here.

13. Marshmallow Challenge

The Marshmallow Challenge works well with middle and high school
students. The materials you will need include: 20 sticks of spaghetti, one
yard of tape, one yard of string, and one marshmallow. Break your students
into groups of four or five and have them build the tallest structure that can
support a marshmallow on top.

14. Getting-to-Know-You Bingo

Getting-to-Know-You Bingo really gets students moving and learning about

one another. Give each student a bingo card with different descriptive
sentences in each square. Tell students to find a different individual that fits
the description and have them write their name in that specific box. Once a
student has collected a name in every box of their bingo card, they should
call out, “Bingo!”

15. The Cup Challenge

The Cup Challenge establishes teamwork in the classroom by requiring

your students to move a group of cups from one place to another using only
a rubber band and string. Jaclyn Sepp has done an excellent job of
explaining the necessary materials and instructions. You can find
those here.
 Photo courtesy of mssepp.blogspot.com

16. The Question Web

This exercise by Grahame Knox helps students learn interesting and unique
facts about one another. After having your students stand in a circle, take a
ball of yarn and hold on to the end of the string while throwing the ball to
another student. Ask this student a question such as “If you could go
anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?” Once they have
answered the question, have them toss the ball of yarn to another student
and ask them a question. When all of your students have gone, explain that
the web they created represents the uniqueness of your classroom and that
their participation makes the classroom a special place for learning and
creativity.
17. Letter Scramble

If you are looking for a way to combine vocabulary and teambuilding, then
Letter Scramble is for you. Divide your students into groups and give them
letters that make-up a word or words. Then, have them figure out what word
(or words) their letters create. Providing hints can give students insight on
the correct word they are creating. If the words are from a book they will be
reading, you may want to give them a copy of the book and direct them to
the page the word can be found on as well. Rulin’ The Roost takes it a step
further by providing additional rules that incorporate segmenting and
blending. She also provided a copy of the letters she used for her first grade
class.

18. Tall Stories

Another activity by Grahame Knox allows you to create your first classroom
story by having all of your students participate in creating a tall tale. Begin
by having all of your students stand in a circle. Next, start the story with a
sentence such as “Yesterday, I went to the zoo and was passing the
elephant enclosure when SUDDENLY…” Then, have all of the students add
on to the story ending it with the word SUDDENLY. The story will become
more and more hilarious as students add on to the previous sentence.

19. STEM Mystery Bag Challenges

Combine cooperative learning and creativity by placing your students into

groups and giving them “mystery bags.” Give each group a bag with a
description of what they are required to build using the materials found in
their bag. Watch their creativity flow as they attempt to figure out how to
master the challenge! Christie Burnett has put together some excellent
mystery bag engineering challenges in her blog Childhood 101. I encourage
you to look at these for inspiration!
 Picture courtesy of Childhood101.com

20. Have Students Help Decorate Your Room

Inviting students to help decorate your room sends the message that they
are welcomed and that their opinion is valued. Simply designate a wall to
them, place them in groups and give them markers and a piece of chart
paper. Have them come up with one common goal that they would all like to
accomplish in your class and summarize it in one word. Next, have them
write the word in huge letters on the chart paper. Make sure that all of the
groups have different goals from one another. Once all of your students are
finished, hang these on the designated wall and explain to your students
that they are all responsible for making sure they all achieve their goals by
the end of the school year!

Do you have any icebreakers that you like to incorporate at the beginning of
the year? If so, we would love to hear from you. Just leave a comment
below.

Have a great school year!