Group and Classroom Icebreakers
Activities to Help Students Get to Know Each Other
Try some of these games with your kids to promote interaction, cooperation and group bonding.
The start of a new school year often presents a challenging task for teachers and group leaders: developing cohesive groups out of students who are strangers to one another. This is especially true for after school programs at draw students from a variety of schools, or middle school environments that are fed from numerous elementary schools. Kids are eager to meet and make new friends, but often lack the social skills to do so independently.
One way to facilitate social interaction is by spending some time during the first few classes or sessions playing some relaxed, low-key icebreaker games. These games force kids to interact, but do so in a non-threatening, fun way. The built in structure of the games also keeps things from snowballing into a free for all. Here are some activities you can use to start the new school year:
The Line-Up Game. The goal of this activity is for kids to line themselves up in order according to pre-determined criteria. For example: shortest to tallest, alphabetically by last name, chronologically in order of birth date, etc. Start with the easiest ones first to help alleviate any hesitancy to participate, and to give kids a sense of success. This game gives kids the chance to utilize communication, cooperation, and problem-solving skills. You might also want to watch carefully to see which students seem to take charge, and which need prompting to get involved. For a real challenge, have students perform tasks without verbal communication.
Elimination. All students begin the game standing. The leader calls out a characteristic, and all students who possess that characteristic remain standing while the others sit down. For example: has an older sibling, has a dog, likes math, has toast for breakfast this morning. Get creative. The last person standing, gets to run the next round. This game is a great way for students to learn about each other in a fun way.
Four by Four. Ahead of time, make up four by four grids with four letters of the alphabet across the top, and four categories down the side. Subjects can be school related (school supplies, something you find in school, etc) or general (TV show, lunch food, girls’ name, etc.) Divide students into groups of four or five and give each group a copy of the same grid. The groups’ task is to fill in each of the sixteen blocks with one answer that fits the category and also begins with the proper letter. (For example, if the category is “something you find in school” and the letters are C, L, T, and B, students could write cafeteria, lockers, tables, and books.) Groups score points only for having answers that no other group came up with, which encourages groups to work more quietly. This activity forces kids to think, practice group decision-making, and to work together. Subject teachers can make the categories pertinent to their content area (i.e. famous author, art supplies, math term, etc.) Kids LOVE this game!
For more activities, please see Group andClassroom Games or Group and Classroom Activities. Check back often for more fun ideas and activities for kids. You may also enjoy Building Confidence in Teens.
