Icebreakers in the Classroom

Looking for ideas to kick-off the year or for a little team-building in your classroom?

The start of the year can set the tone for the whole year. Having a few fun ice-breakers to create a welcoming environment can help students feel comfortable in their new class.

Here's a few of my favourites!

3-2-1 (throw!)

What I will do is ask the kids to jot down on paper,
* 3 things you did this summer
* 2 places you went
* 1 memorable moment

Then I will get them to crumple up the paper into a ball -and on the count of 3, let it fly!

I then get the students to pick up someone else’s and see if they can find the author!

Scavenger Hunt

For this classic icebreaker, create a grid with a range of activities that they may have done over the summer. Have the students go around the classroom to find people that have done the activities to help complete their hunt!

Some simple ideas on what to include: biked, went fishing, flew a kite, went to the library, camped, read, played a spot, wrote a story, saw fireworks.

Here's a sample of one I use in my classroom (you can grab that, along with some other team-building ideas below!)

Venn Friends

In this icebreaker, I hand out a sheet of paper (one sheet/two students), that has a Venn diagram on it.

I ask the students to find a classmate and get to know a little more about each other and to celebrate similarities and your differences! The students then turn the Venn diagram into a lightly coloured self-portrait.

STEAM Challenges

STEAM (Science Technology Engineering Arts and Mathematics) Challenges can be found in classrooms of all ages. The challenges are designed for open-ended critical and creative thinking. They require cooperation, collaboration, communication and perseverance.

I find these are great to kick off a year, to wrap one up, or any time in between. I LOVE using these in the first two weeks of school and so do my kiddos!

Want a copy of the 3 STEAM challenges I use (plus the icebreakers above)?

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