Ice Breacking Exercices

Every veteran teacher has his or her favorite first-day-of-school

activities. Here are a few of mine. Let me hear about your favorites too!
Excited
If you're
activities
students.
the

about

the

first

day

of

school?

Terrified?

an experienced teacher, you probably have a few favorite

that you use every year to get acquainted with your new
They work --- so you stick with them -- or maybe this will be
year
when
you
try
something
new.

I'll share a few of my favorite first-day-of-school activities if you'll share

your favorites with me!
A FEW GETTING-TO-KNOW-YOU ACTIVITIES
My favorite first-day-of-school activities aren't particularly unique or
creative. They are intended only for fun and to be helpful to me as I get
to know my new students. Let's jump right into our first circle activity.
My name is _____, and if I were an animal I'd be a _____ because....
I demonstrate for my students: "My name is Mr. H., and if I were an
animal, I'd be a turtle," I say, "because I'm always rushing around.
Sometimes
I
wish
I
could
slow
down."
Then I give the students a little time to think about what animals they
might like to be -- and why. I encourage them to be creative, to be
different and unique. The first student to one side of me in the circle
starts out. After the first student finishes, I say, paraphrasing, "My name
is Mr. H., and if I were an animal, I'd be a turtle because I'd like to be
able to slow down. This is Emily, and if she were an animal, she'd be a
hyena because she likes to laugh a lot." Then it's on to the next child.
After each child speaks, I try to repeat all the other kids' name-andanimal combinations in order. That's always good for a laugh or two -shows the kids right from the start that the teacher isn't perfect!
Next, I ask the kids to draw themselves as their animals, leaving space at
the bottom of the drawing for their first writing assignment. I ask them
to write at the bottom of the page a complete sentence following the
form "If I were an animal, I would be a(n) ____ because..." When we're
all done with the activity, I know all the kids' names and a little

something

about

them.

As I call on students during the day, I always repeat their names -- and
their animals! But I learn a lot more about my new students from this
little activity. I find out who is able to follow simple directions. I learn
about their writing abilities and their creativity. And I have a hint about
which students might be independent workers.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We are all unique!
Each day throughout the school year, I introduce a Word of the Day. The
first day's word is unique. I write the word on the board and ask students
to read the word. (I don't recall any of my third graders ever identifying
the word without a few clues. My last clue, using proper emphasis, is
usually
"This
word
is
a
unique
word!")
Then I use the word in several statements, the last of which is "Each of us
is unique." We talk about ways in which we're each unique. I'm the only
one more than 6 feet tall. Mia is the only one who's wearing a pink shirt.
Sam is the only one of us who has a pet ferret. (I learned this from the
previous
activity.)
And
so
it
goes.
Next step: Out comes the roll of white mural paper. I tear off a sheet
about 10 feet long. Sometime during the day, each child goes out into the
hallway and uses markers to draw his or her name on the mural paper.
"Make
it
unique!"
is
my
only
direction.
I start out by writing "Mr. H" in big bubble letters inside an explosion
design such as you see declaring NEW! or IMPROVED on product packaging
in the grocery store. I draw colorful polka dots inside the bubble letters.
When completed, this colorful mural makes a great hallway bulletin
board under the cutout-letter headline We Are All Unique! I can also see
from this activity who some of the truly unique characters will be in my
new class!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Let's play detective.

I hand out a Clue Sheet to each student. We go over the statements on

the sheet, and then I ask the students to find a quiet spot where they
can fill in the blanks in statements such as

* "My favorite hobby is ________."

* "When I grow up, I want to have a job as a _________."

* "The most fun thing I did all summer was __________."

I preface this activity by telling the students that this will be one of the
few times this year that I don't want them to put their names on their
papers. As the students finish filling out their Clue Sheets, each picks up
the sheet and a book and joins me on the rug for a class meeting. They
hand the sheets to me and read quietly while the rest of the class
finishes the task. Then I introduce the activity. I hand an anonymous Clue
Sheet to each student. If a student ends up with his or her own sheet, we
make
some
switches.
"I want to see whether you're good detectives," I tell the students. Then I
invite them to move around, asking questions of their classmates,
narrowing down the list of "suspects" until they find the one person who
matches
all
the
clues
they
hold.
Note: If it's a nice day, you might move this activity outdoors. Set up
boundaries -- the basketball "court" -- if that isn't carrying the detectivesuspect theme too far! -- for example, or the base paths on the ball
field. When all the students have located their "suspects," each student
takes a turn introducing the guilty party, telling others in the class a
little about that boy or girl.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MAKING INTRODUCTIONS
Many icebreaker activities are focused on helping teachers get to know
their students and helping students get to know one another. These
activities are fun ways to learn about students' backgrounds and
personalities and to start to form bonds that will last all school year long.
Recipe Card Mix-Up

Provide each student with a recipe or index card. Ahead of time choose
about five questions that you might ask of students. Be as creative as you
want with the questions. Possible questions might include the following:
# What is the title of a favorite book?

# What do you like doing in your free time when you're not at
school?

# What is your favorite board game?

# What is your favorite candy bar?

# If you could request your favorite meal for your birthday, what
would that meal be?

When students -- and the teacher -- have written their answers to the
questions, collect the recipe cards. Shuffle the cards. Then pass out a
card to each student; be sure students do not receive their own cards.
When everyone has a card, then the job of each student is to find the
student in the room who belongs to the card the student holds. When
everybody has found the person who wrote the answers on the card they
hold, they must make sure they know how to pronounce that student's
full name and that they understand everything that is written on the
card. Then it is time for introductions. The teacher can begin the activity
by asking the student on the card s/he holds to come to the front of the
room. As that student stands by, the teacher introduces the student to
the rest of the class by saying, "Class, I'd like you to meet ___. Her
favorite book is ___. Her favorite board game is Please welcome ___ to
our fourth grade class!" (Classmates then give the student 4 claps [for 4th
grade]). The student that the teacher introduced continues the activity
by calling up the student whose card he or she holds. Continue until all
students have introduced someone to the class. When everyone has been
introduced, take all the cards, shuffle them, and call out responses on
one card at a time to see if students can remember who belongs to each
card.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Getting-to-Know-You Venn Diagram
Gather groups of three students. Supply a prepared three-circle Venn
diagram (see an editable sample) for each group. Students talk in their

groups about themselves and the things they like to do. After a brief
discussion, students must
# decide on at least three ways in which they are all alike; they
write those things in the area of the diagram that intersects all
three circles.

# find ways in which they are like one other student in the group
and record those ways in the appropriate areas of the diagram.

# determine a few facts that make each of them unique and write
those facts in the appropriate sections of the diagram.

This activity helps students recognize and appreciate likenesses and

differences in people. It also introduces them to Venn diagrams on the
first day of school. This type of graphic organizer might be used many
times
throughout
the
year.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Student Dictionary
Write five questions on the board. Questions might include the following:
# What is your name?

# Where were you born?

# How many brothers or sisters do you have?

# What are their names?

# Do you have any pets?

Tell students to write those questions on a piece of paper and to add to

that paper five more questions they could ask someone they don't know.
Pair students, and have each student interview his or her partner and
record the responses. Then have each student use the interview
responses to write a "dictionary definition" of his or her partner to
include in a Student Dictionary. You might model this activity by creating
a sample dictionary definition about yourself. For example:
Reynolds, Kim. proper noun. 1. Born in Riverside, California. 2. No

brothers

or

sisters.

3.

Have students bring in small pictures of themselves to paste next to their

entries in the Student Dictionary. Bind the definitions into a book, and
display it at your back-to-school open house for parents.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Getting-to-Know-You Chart
Create a large chart titled Getting to Know You. Include on the chart
sections for students' names and interesting facts, such as how many
people are in their families, how many pets they have, their favorite
colors, favorite school subjects, favorite sports, and so on Laminate the
chart and hang it on the wall. On the first day of school, have each
student "sign in." Leave the chart up for several weeks. The kids love to
wander over to it when they have free time. They keep learning new
things about one another. The chart can be a good source of "data" for a
lesson in graph-making too.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MANY GREAT ACTIVITIES START WITH A GOOD BOOK
Lots of great books offer fitting segues to getting-to-know-you activities.
If you're a teacher who likes to read aloud to students, why not start the
year with a read aloud that leads to a fun activity that will get students
talking and interacting? Here are just a few possibilities
Special Memories Book
If you write a letter of introduction to students 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
long 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 spark, take pictures of the objects, and
create a class book of memories.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Giving Tree
Read aloud Shel Silverstein's The Giving Tree and involve students in a
discussion of the types of gifts the tree gave the boy; none of those gifts
cost a thing. Then talk about the types of cost-free "gifts" the students
can contribute to the class. Prepare a bulletin board that has the
silhouette of a tree trunk and branches. Give each student a cutout
apple. Have students write on their apples the things they can "give" to
the class. Put the apples on the tree. This bulletin board makes a nice
display for open house.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Goal Setting With Booker T.
I like to share at least one read-aloud book on the opening day of school.
Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes and First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg
are favorites. Most essential though, is More Than Anything Else by Marie
Bradby. The biographical story of Booker T. Washington's youth uses
beautiful language and illustrations to show how he learned to read as a
young boy. After reading the book, we talk about his goals and how his
determination to achieve them made them a reality. More Than Anything
Else is an excellent tool for starting a discussion about students' goals for
the
school
year.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SETTING THE TONE
The last two activities above are perfect ones for setting the tone for a
productive and respectful school year. When the going gets rough -- when
students are not respecting their classmates or when they are losing sight
of their goals -- you could always refer back to the lessons learned from
the
"giving
tree"
or
Booker
T.
Following are a few more activities that can help you set a tone on the
first day of school that will carry over throughout the year.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chain Gang
Begin by asking students "Who can do something really well?" After a brief
discussion about some of the students' talents, pass out paper and ask
students to write down five things they do well. Then provide each
student with five different-colored paper strips. Have each student write
a different talent on each paper strip. Then create a mini paper chain by
linking the five talent strips together. As students complete their mini
chains, use extra strips of paper to link the mini chains together to
create one long class chain. Have students stand and hold the growing
chain as you link the pieces together. Once the entire chain is
constructed and linked, lead a discussion about what the chain
demonstrates. For example, it might illustrate that
# All students have talents.

# The students in this class have many talents.

# If the students in this class work together, they can accomplish

anything.

# Our class is stronger when students work together than when

individual students work on their own.

Hang the chain in the room as a constant reminder to students of the

talents they possess and the benefits that can result from teamwork.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Puzzling It Out
This activity is especially valuable if you have in your class students who
are new to your school. Those students probably will be experiencing a
range of emotions -- including fear, shyness, and uncertainty. Before the
activity, create a word processing document containing many different
messages -- preferably in different type sizes and fonts -- that convey
such messages as
# Welcome!

# Don't be puzzled, you'll fit right in!

# We're here for you!

Depending on the age of student with whom you work, you might include
a few messages or a dozen. Print multiple copies of the document (one
for each small group of students). Then cut each copy into puzzle pieces,
and place the pieces of each copy in a separate envelope. Post on an
overhead transparency instructions that direct students to work with
others at their table to assemble the puzzle pieces in their group's
envelope. As students enter the classroom on the first day of school, be
sure they read the instructions and begin the activity. This activity
accomplishes several goals: It offers a quiet activity that you can
observe; as you observe, you will learn about your students and discern
potential problems. It gives students something to do when they first
enter the classroom -- something they will be successful at. And it can be
a great discussion starter.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ugly Words Are Out!
As you discuss classroom expectations, introduce the idea that "ugly
words" have no place in your classroom. Ask students what they think you
mean by "ugly words." Then have the class generate a list of words that
might be found on an ugly-word list, and write the words on a piece of
chart paper. (Explain to students that any word that is considered a
swear word would definitely be on the ugly-word list, so there is no need
to mention them. Point out that the same is true for such words as
dummy, jerk, dork, geek, hate, or ugly.) You might start the list with the
word "can't." What about the word quit? Go around the room and give
each student an opportunity to add an ugly word to the list. When you
are satisfied that the students' supply of ugly words has run dry,
dramatically rip the chart paper off the pad, let it fall to the floor, and
stomp all over it. Next, rip it up and crush it into a ball. Finally, get a
shovel, take students outside, and ceremoniously bury the list of ugly
words. This activity will have quite an impact: students will always
remember the "ugly words" that will not be accepted in class.
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