Back to School Icebreakers are a great way to get the pupils back in the school spirit. Besides, icebreakers also help the pupils feel comfortable in their new classroom. First day at a new school. New class. New teacher. Possibly, new classmates. We all experience first-day jitters in small or large doses. The way the first day of resumption goes can set a tone for the rest of the year. Clearly, it is very important to make a good first impression.
As teachers, this first impression is often dependent on how well you welcome your pupils to your classroom. This you can achieve by using fun icebreakers, and we have some ideas.
6 Back to School Icebreakers
Ø Introduce yourselves- Learning names is a good way to settle in. Introduce yourself and say something interesting about yourself. Let each pupil take turns to do this too. Want to make it fun? Make it more engaging, for example, ask the next person to recall the name of the person who went before them.
Ø Set goals- Goals are a great way to get the pupils back in the school spirit after the long vacation. You can have a brief talk about why setting goals is important. Encourage them to set achievable goals for the session. Make it fun by creating a time capsule. Subsequently, the goals that they have written should then be put in and closed to be opened again at the end of the school year. The time capsules can be made out of old jars or pringle containers.
Ø Class rules- You already have your basic class rules drawn out. Here, you discuss with the pupils the class rules and penalties for breaking them. Pupils are more interested in keeping rules that they feel like they came up with. Give examples and let the kids come up with suitable penalties for them.
Ø “Find someone who”- Play a game of “find someone who”. Give the pupils tasks like, find someone who is left-handed. Find someone who was born in august. Find someone who has an older brother, etc. This is a mingling exercise that allows the pupils to get to know themselves in a fun way.
Ø Analog Instagram- You can create an Instagram inspired template printed out on a sheet of paper. Have your pupils draw and colour their answers in. This allows you to get to know your pupils better and gives you insight into their personalities. Alternatively, you could, prepare questions and have the pupils fill in their answers. This is what they should look like.
Ø Class Family Picture- Pictures are a fun way to create a sense of belonging to the class, just like a family picture. Have the pupils come in with small-sized pictures they like. Under each picture let the pupils’ name and favourite colour, birthday or food be written. Afterwards, put each picture on a single cardboard sheet which is used to decorate the classroom. Look here for inspiration.
Use these back to school icebreakers and be sure to have a great school year. Your pupils will be excited and enthusiastic to be in school and to achieve their set goals.