Getting to Know You Activity Elementary

The beginning of the school year is a terrific time to go to know your students and encourage them time to become to know 1 another. Here are 25 of our favorite elementary icebreakers to start forming positive relationships and building community in your classroom.

1. The Book of Me

Have your students create a volume jacket encompass and tabular array of contents nearly themselves. Encourage them to come upwardly with a clever title and embellish the front embrace with an illustration that represents who they are. On the dorsum cover, take them write a mini-biography similar an 'About the Writer.' For the table of contents, take them proper name each chapter something that is important to them, like their family, their hobbies, their favorite things, etc.

2. Circles

Accept your students describe three concentric circles on a blank piece of unlined paper. Cull a category (for instance, nutrient, sports, tv shows, etc.) and accept students write that give-and-take in the smallest eye circle. In the side by side circle, have them write "love," and in the next circle out, write "like." Have them write "don't like" on the outside of the circumvolve.

Students will broadcast and detect a partner. They will ask each other to tell them one affair to fit into each circumvolve (except the centre) and write their classmates' responses on their paper. For instance, i sport they love, like, and don't like. Once they've recorded each other'southward answers, they mingle around and find another partner. The goal is to speak to every bit many classmates as they can in the allotted time. Change topics midway through if you'd like.

3. Jigsaw

Apply a large piece of affiche lath to draw out a jigsaw puzzle with plenty pieces for each student plus yourself. Cut out the pieces and give one to each student. Have each pupil decorate their piece with their name, words that describe them, and pictures. When everyone is finished, accept each student share their puzzle piece and what it means. Then put the puzzle together on a bulletin lath or blank wall. The finished puzzle will not but make a colorful brandish; it will represent how the big picture of who your grade is is made from each individual.

4. Spider Web

Gather students in a large circle. Take a brawl of yarn and, holding tight to one end, toss the ball to 1 pupil. Ask them a question, such as "What is your favorite blazon of birthday cake?". In one case they reply, they will hold onto a piece of yarn and toss the brawl to another student. They will ask them a different question and then on. One time the ball has been tossed to every student, you should accept an impressive web in the center of your circumvolve. Take a moment to admire it and remind students that it took everyone's effort to create this beautiful work of art.

5. Windows

Using masking tape, dissever a message board or empty wall in your classroom into "window panes," 1 for each educatee in your class. Assign two students each 24-hour interval to bring in a small artifact that represents who they are. At morning meeting, ask each student to nowadays what they brought. Later, label one of the panes for each pupil and mount their item in the middle. When everyone has had a turn, yous'll accept a lovely display for your class, and your students volition know each other a piffling amend.

half-dozen. Labels

Laissez passer out a 2″ x 4″ mailing characterization to each educatee. Instruct them to make full in their label with the following:

• Center: name
• Tiptop left corner: one word that describes their personality
• Top right corner: favorite subject in school
• Bottom left corner: a hobby
• Bottom right corner: favorite identify

Or tailor the topics to fit your particular prepare of students. One time everyone is finished with their label, set a timer for three minutes and have each pupil pair up with a classmate to talk about their labels. When the timer goes off, anybody switches partners, and the process repeats. Continue mingling until students take had a chance to become to know many of their classmates.

7. Within, Outside Circumvolve

Divide your grade in half and line them up in two circles, one inside (A) and one outside (B). Take students in each circle turn to face the classmate adjacent to them in the other circle. Choose a topic, such as "my favorite thing to do on weekends," and have students in circumvolve A talk and students in circle B heed. And so switch so that B talks and A listens. When everyone is done, have the students in the outside circumvolve rotate 1 student to their left. Pick a new topic and give each student in each pair a run a risk to share. Echo.

8. Observation

Pair students upwards and have them class 2 lines, partners facing each other. If your class has an odd number of students, you can play the game, too. Give students 30 seconds to look each other over, paying shut attention to all the details about their partner's appearance. Inquire students in one line to turn around and face the other direction. Students in the other line will at present modify one thing about their advent. For example, 1 educatee might put their shoes on reverse feet, and another may remove a clip from their pilus. When the students in the get-go line turn back around, they have to guess what their partner changed. Now switch and let the first line brand the alter and the 2nd line approximate the departure. If you take time, have students modify partners and play again.

9. Colors

To prepare for this action, write the following information on a large piece of chart paper, so embrace it until later the activeness begins.

• Red—a favorite summer memory
• Dark-green—your favorite affair about school
• Blueish—a favorite sport, hobby, or action
• Xanthous—i of your favorite books
• Black—gratuitous choice (share anything)

At present, put together a bucket of colored piping cleaners with the aforementioned colors. To begin the activity, pass the saucepan around and ask each student to take five pieces, each one a dissimilar colour. Now, reveal the chart. Give each student a turn to introduce themself and give one fact for each pipage cleaner. Afterward everyone has had a take a chance, let the students twist their piping cleaners together to brand a bracelet, necklace, or headband.

10. Emojis

This is a great activeness if you are teaching online. Give students a list of topics and ask them to share data using only emojis in the text feature. Run across the example beneath. If yous are educational activity in person, accept students reply on paper and design their own emojis.

• Family: 👩🏻👨🏻💁🏻‍♂️🙋🏻‍♀️
• Pets: 🐶🐢
• Hobbies: 🏄🏻‍♀️🎿✍️📓
• Favorite foods: 🍕🥑🍦
• Loves: ☀️
• Dislikes: ☔️
• Hereafter goal: 👩🏻‍🚒

Source: HMH

xi. Introductions

Pair ii students upwards and prepare a timer for 3 minutes. When the timer starts, one student will interview the other, asking every bit many questions as they tin call back of to become to know the other student. When the timer goes off, switch. After both students have had a chance to interview and exist interviewed, call ane gear up of partners upwardly to the front end of the class at a time. Each partner will innovate the other student to the form, recounting as much information as they can call up. This is a slap-up activity to teach students how to ask questions, remember information, and speak in front end of others.

12. Would You Rather

With students seated at their desks or tables, ask a series of "would y'all rather" questions, similar these. For example, "Would you lot rather fly like a bird or swim like a dolphin?" Have students give a thumbs upward for the first choice or thumbs down for the second. Make certain to pause for a few seconds to give students the run a risk to look around and see how anybody votes.

thirteen. Build a Tower

Dissever your class into groups of 4 or five students. Give each group a bag of drinking straws and a curl of duct tape. Set a timer for fifteen minutes. Explain to the class that the goal of the activity is to build the highest tower, using simply the straws and tape, that remains upright. Observe carefully to see how well students work together. Circulate through the room and offer tips, if necessary.

14. Flash Sign

Ask each educatee to come up with a unique movement or sound. For instance, two claps, a whistle, a curtsy, a loftier kick, discussion, or gesture. Circumvolve up and start by saying your name followed by your sign. Go around the circle, giving each student a plow to say their name and wink their sign. Circle through a couple of times so students can call up each other'southward names.

15. Superpower

Enquire your students, "If you had a superpower, what would information technology exist?" And then give them each a paper doll template to decorate what they would look like as a superhero. On the back, have them list what their superpower would exist. When everyone is finished, invite students up, ane at a time, to share their picture and choice three students to approximate their superpower.

sixteen. Corners

Label the four corners of your classroom with newspaper signs reading Strongly Agree, Agree, Disagree, and Strongly Disagree. Students begin seated at their desks. Call out a statement such as "Math is my favorite subject in school" or "Cats are better than dogs." Students become upwardly and motility to the corner that all-time represents their stance on the topic. This is a great action for students to see what opinions they take in common with their classmates. It tin can also be adjusted as an outside activeness.

17. Bingo

A popular icebreaker, Get to Know You Bingo is a great tool to aid students learn more well-nigh their classmates. Download a bare Bingo card, like this one, and make full in each foursquare with statements such as "has a dog," "traveled this summer," "plays soccer," etc. Paw out a card to each student, with a pencil, and then send them off to find i person that meets the criteria in each box. Players can only apply their classmates in one case on their sheet. The game is over when someone fills in every box on the unabridged grid with a dissimilar name.

18. Mutual

Divide your class evenly into minor groups. Requite them five minutes to talk amid themselves, trying to find 3 things they all accept in mutual—the stranger (or funnier), the ameliorate. When time is up, take each group tell the course their three things. After everyone has gone, accept the class vote on which grouping has the strangest (or funniest) 3 things in common.

xix. All My Friends

Gather your students into a large circumvolve. Stand in the eye and say "All my friends similar…" and fill up in the blank with anything yous like—pepperoni pizza, swimming, kangaroos, etc. Any student who also likes that thing has to get out their place and switch places with another person in the circle. Just like musical chairs, anyone who doesn't take a spot to switch to then goes in the center, and "All my friends like…" starts all once again.

20. Guess Who

Pass out an index bill of fare to each of your students and ask them to write three unique facts nigh themselves. Make the first fact fairly mutual, like "I take brown hair." Make the second fact a little trickier, such every bit "I am left-handed." Then make the third fact something that you don't think anyone else will accept in common, such equally "My grandmother is from Italy." Gather the cards and throughout the day, pull one out and read it aloud to the course. Call on 3 students to guess whose card y'all merely read. If no ane guesses, inquire the student who wrote information technology to stand.

21. Blobs and Lines

This engaging icebreaker from Cult of Teaching is certain to get your students moving, talking, and finding things they have in mutual. For lines, ask students to line up in a particular society, for example by birthday, elevation, shoe size, etc. For blobs, ask students to gather in groups based on something they have in mutual, for instance, favorite dessert or picture show or number of siblings. Students will really need to communicate with each other to form their lines or blobs.

22. Music Mingle

Give each student an index carte and have them write a question they would like to inquire the other students in form. For example, "What is your favorite movie?" or "What is your favorite brute?" Adjacent, put on some music and have the students get upwards and mingle around the classroom. When the music stops, students have to stand up beside the person closest to them and ask each other the questions on their cards. Both students have to answer both questions. When the music begins over again, students mingle once again and pair upward with a new classmate when it stops. Repeat.

23. Three Words

Brainstorm a story topic with your students—anything from a soccer game to a snowstorm to a mean solar day at the zoo. Now beginning the story for the class with just 3 words. Each student volition accept a plow, contributing three more than words. Try to say the first 3 words that come to mind, whether they make sense or not, and motility rapidly from ane person to the next.

24. Where in the World

Enquire students, "If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you become?" Accept each student write their proper name and three clues about their chosen destination on an index card, but not the proper name of the identify. Collect all the cards, and then ane by i read the clues to the course. Allow three people to make a guess. If no one guesses correctly, have the person who wrote the carte reveal the destination. One time the destination is revealed, accept the student explain why that is where they would desire to go.

25. Never Have I E'er

Have your students sit in a circle and concord up both hands in front of them, spreading their ten fingers. Read ane of the statements from this listing of elementary-appropriate Never Have I Always questions. If students have done what the argument says, they put one finger downwards. For case, if the statement is "Never accept I ever seen a meteor," you would fold down one finger if yous HAD seen a falling star. At the cease of the game, the person/people with the about fingers still continuing win.

What's one of your favorite elementary icebreakers? Please share in the comments below.

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Source: https://www.weareteachers.com/elementary-icebreakers/

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