Ice Breaker Games for Students

Think back to your first day of school. Chances are, you were nervous and didn’t know anyone in your class. In an effort to help students feel more comfortable, and ease nerves, many teachers use ice breaker games. Ice breakers are a great way to help students get to know each other and break the ice. There are many different types of ice breaker games, so there is sure to be one that will work for your classroom. Whether you’re looking for a game that will help students learn about each other, or a game that will get them moving, there is sure to be an ice breaker game perfect for your class. Check out some of the best ice breaker games for students below!

WHY USE ICE BREAKER GAMES FOR STUDENTS?

Ice breaker activities are a great way to help students get to know each other, and help students feel more comfortable in a new environment. Ice breaker games can also be used to teach students about cooperation and teamwork.

WHEN SHOULD I USE ICE BREAKER GAMES WITH MY STUDENTS?

Ice breaker games can be used at the beginning of the year, before a unit or lesson, or any time you want to help students get to know each other better.

If you’re in need of a fun way to get students moving and engaged, ice breakers can accomplish that as well. For groups of students who seem restless or disengaged, an ice breaker game can be a great way to get them moving and refocus their attention. You can do them in small groups or as a whole class.

INTRODUCTION ICE BREAKER GAMES FOR STUDENTS

These fun ice breaker games are perfect for getting students introduced to each other in the first weeks of class. Ice breakers can help students overcome first-day jitters. They are simple to set up and can be done with any size group of kids. Here are a few classic ideas:

WHAT’S IN A NAME?

Start by having students sit in a circle. Go around the circle and have each student say their name and one fun fact about themselves. Once everyone has gone, have students share one thing they have in common with the person to their left.

TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE

This ice breaker is perfect for older elementary, middle school, or even high school students. To play, have students write down two truths and one lie about themselves on a piece of paper. Once everyone has written their facts, have students share their three items with the person sitting next to them. The person listening then has to guess which item is the lie. After everyone has had a turn, have students share their favorite lie that they heard from someone else.

FIND SOMEONE WHO…

First, you will need to create a list of Find Someone Who… statements. These can be general statements such as “Find someone who has been to more than five countries” or specific to your curriculum such as “Find someone who can tell me what the Pythagorean theorem is.” Once you have created your list of statements, have students move around the room and find someone who meets each statement. To make it more challenging, you can give students a time limit to find someone for each statement. Or you can put the information on bingo cards and have students try to achieve bingo!

ICE BREAKERS FOR STUDENTS TO GET TO KNOW EACH OTHER BETTER

Some activities are great ice breakers for helping students get to know each other better. They can be used at the beginning of the school year or any time you want to help students learn more about their classmates. Some of these activities can also be used as conversation starters. Check out these prompts for games:

MY FAVORITE…

In order to play this game, have students go around the room and find someone who shares their favorite ____. Fill in the blank with anything from food to animal to hobby. Once everyone has found someone, have students share what they have in common with their partner. A variation is to find things students may have in common like birthdays or a favorite treat.

DESCRIBE AND DRAW

Give each student a piece of paper and a pencil. Tell them to write their name at the top of the paper. Then, have students fold their paper so that only their name is showing. Once everyone has done this, collect all of the papers and mix them up. redistribute the papers so that each student has a new piece of paper with a different name on it. Students should then spend a few minutes writing down three adjectives to describe the person whose name they have. Once everyone is finished, have students share their adjectives with the class. Then, have students draw a picture of the person they described using the three adjectives they chose.

ROSES AND THORNS

Have students think of one rose (something good) and one thorn (something bad) from their day. Once everyone has thought of their rose and thorn, have students share them with the person sitting next to them. After everyone has had a chance to share, have students share their favorite rose or thorn from someone else. If your class is large, you can do this with a smaller group of students.

ICE BREAKERS TO GET STUDENTS MOVING

Sometimes you need to get your students up and moving, and you want to do it in a fun and engaging way. Ice breakers to get students moving are also great for helping students refocus if they seem restless or disengaged.

HULA HOOP PASS

To play Hula Hoop Pass, you will need at least one hula hoop per group. If you have more hula hoops, you can have multiple groups playing at the same time. Divide students into groups of three or four. Have students stand in a circle and give each group a hula hoop. The goal of the game is to get the hula hoop all the way around the circle without anyone dropping it. Students can only use their hips to move the hula hoop.

MIMES

Divide students into groups of three or four. Have students choose one person in their group to be the mime. The mime then has to act out a scene without using any words. The other students in the group have to try to guess what the mime is acting out.

WOULD YOU RATHER?

For Would You Rather?, you will need a list of would you rather questions. You can find lists of would you rather questions online or make your own. Once you have your list of questions, call out one of them. Have students go to one side of the room for one situation, and the other side of the room for the other situation. For example, would you rather enjoy summer or winter? Students who like summer go to one side, and students who like winter go to the other.

TEAMWORK ICE BREAKER GAMES FOR STUDENTS

Teamwork icebreakers encourage students to work together as a team, and develop team building skills. They will help students learn to communicate and cooperate with their peers, and build classroom community.

BUILD A TOWER

Build a Tower is a great team-building activity. Divide students into groups of three or four. Give each group a stack of index cards. The goal of the game is to build the tallest free-standing tower using only the index cards. The catch is that each student can only touch the index cards twice – once to pick them up and once to put them down. Students will need to work together to figure out the best way to build their tower.

HUMAN KNOT

If you want a physical teamwork icebreaker, try the Human Knot. Students stand in a circle and put their right hand out to grab the hand of someone across from them. Then, have students put their left hand out to grab the hand of someone else. Once everyone is holding the hand of someone who is not next to them, have students try to untangle themselves without letting go of anyone’s hands.

GUESS WHO

To play this game, have students sit in a circle. One student starts by saying “I am thinking of a person who…” and then finishes the sentence with something about the person they are thinking of. For example, “I am thinking of a person who is wearing a red shirt.” The next student then has to guess who the first student is thinking of. If they guess correctly, they get to be the next person to give a clue. If they guess incorrectly, the next student gets a turn.

Ice breaker games are a great way to help students get to know each other and feel comfortable in a new setting. These games can also help students refocus if they seem restless or disengaged. Choose some of your favorites and try them out today!

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