It’s time to go back to school and it’s essential that educators begin building a comfortable and safe environment in their classrooms from day one.
One way to start the new year is with icebreakers: shared exercises and activities that help students get rid of first-day anxiety and get to know their new classmates. Teachers can also learn about their new students through icebreakers, which don't involve the usual stress of assignments and tests.
Unlike many other classroom activities, icebreakers are not graded and do not have “correct” answers. Participation is the only required element! The following icebreakers are designed to capture children’s interest and make them feel at home with their new classmates. Expect laughter (but not chaos).
The best icebreakers for back to school
Edutopia: 10 ideas to build community
These low-tech activities aren't flashy and don't require artificial intelligence. Yet each offers a way for students to connect and learn from each other at the start of the school year. Divided into elementary, middle, and high school, the activities are accompanied by helpful images and videos from real-life classrooms. Try Classroom Mention, Friendly Friday, or Rose and Thorn for quick but meaningful student interactions.
Carnegie Learning: 20 Activities for the First Day of School
The first day of school is usually filled with administrative tasks, seat assignments, and learning students' names. Why not make it more memorable for you and your students? In this article, Carnegie Learning highlights math, ELA, and language arts activities for elementary through high school grades. Each activity is clearly explained and features several variations on the theme.
ai-enhanced-icebreakers-to-motivate-learners/” target=”_blank” data-no-affiliate-tracking=”true”>12 ai-Enhanced Icebreakers to Motivate Students
Carl Hooker, educator, author, and technology and learning consultant, shares (with humor and expertise) his best ai-enhanced icebreakers for the classroom. Explore icebreakers like Favorite Images, Futuristic Headlines, and Five Word Challenge to spark your students’ interest and creativity.
Create beliefs COmix starters
This completely free site aims to inspire kids to exercise their creative spirit through comic strip creation. Make Beliefs Comix is packed with cool activities, but Comic Strip Starters is especially appropriate for breaking the ice before heading back to school. Kids simply choose the comic strip that appeals to them and then write a story to fit the single-panel comic strip. This activity can be expanded into a longer lesson or kept as a simple, stress-free icebreaker.
Back to School Icebreaker for Elementary School Students
This engaging collection of original and accessible icebreaker activities for elementary school includes a read-aloud book, a time capsule, emoji fun, and (my favorite) a math activity that challenges kids to create equations to describe their age, name, and other characteristics. The activities are suitable for both in-person and remote learning.
Magnetic poetry for children
This simple, free, and easy-to-use “magnetic” digital poetry game allows users to quickly create original poems and download them as .png images. A kid-friendly word pool. No refrigerator required!
Icebreaker Questions for Storyboarding
Six fun digital icebreakers that will stimulate children's thinking and imagination. Including KWL (know/want to know/learn) charts, conversation cubes, riddles and more.
7 digital icebreakers with Google
Ideal for both remote and in-person learning, these digital icebreakers use free Google tools (Docs, Sheets, and Slides) to help kids get to know each other and find common ground with their classmates.
Read write think
“My Summer Vacation” is a popular writing assignment in the new school year. Consider this interactive timeline a fun version of the old, reliable one. Kids simply click to add events like sports, summer camp, family vacation, or summer jobs, then add a written description and pictures. The final product can be downloaded, printed, or exported as a PDF file. Free, no account needed.
Fun icebreaker ideas and activities
This free site, searchable by group size and category, offers more than 100 icebreaker activities, team-building exercises, group games, family-friendly activities, worksheets, and more. Among the dozens of classroom icebreaker activities are “Personal Baseball Trivia,” “Time Warp,” and “Catchy and Memorable Names.”
21 Fun and Free Icebreaker Activities
Explore these free classic and modern digital icebreakers and select the perfect ones for your in-person or online class.
Magnetic poetry
Having a limited set of words is a great way to get started on self-expression. Choose from the Kids, Nature, Geek, Happiness, or Original digital magnetic word collections and let your students get creative. Be prepared for the unexpected! No account required.
Writer on the rise
Teachers divide students into groups and ask each to write a page of a story, which they then share with the class using BoomWriter’s innovative writing and voting process. Free trials are available.
Share my lesson Icebreaker activities
Dozens of high-quality lessons and icebreaker activities created by other teachers. Searchable by grade, subject, standards, and attributes, these activities include games, quizzes, talking points, and more.
