Can you believe how quickly the summer has flown by? Suddenly the time has arrived to start preparing for the back-to-school season which means buying new school uniforms, bags, pencil cases and everything else that goes along with it.
The return to school is an exciting time however, especially for teachers as they get to know their new class and what better way to do this than with some fun icebreaker activities. This is a great way to ease a class into a new school year and help you and them get to know each other better!
There are a lot of icebreaker activities out there, but we’ve put together a list of what we think are the best back-to-school ideas for teachers to give your students an unforgettable start to the school year.
Classmate Bingo
We all love a game of bingo and this is a take on the classic game that allows your students to learn their classmate's names and other details about them. Create a selection of bingo cards with identifiers written in boxes such as ‘has a pet cat’, ‘went on holiday this summer’ or ‘has more than one sibling’.
Each student will receive a different card and is then given 10 minutes to walk around the classroom to try and find someone who fits an identifier on their card, writing their name in that box when they’ve done so. The first student to fill their sheet shouts bingo and is crowned the winner!
Time Capsule
Creating a time capsule with your students is the perfect way to get to know them and for them to learn facts about each other too. You could let your students produce drawings of themselves and write down a list of their favourite things, as well as adding a memento or item that represents them to the capsule.
On the last day of the school year you can dig the time capsule back out and see how much your students have changed and grown!
Colour Powder Games
This is a bit of a messier option, but definitely the most fun! Kids will love this idea and it will allow them to let off a bit of steam outside during all of the back-to-school excitement. Using our colour powder, you can organise a range of games for your students to play such as a colour war, a colour toss or a colour obstacle course.
This is certain to bring a level of enthusiasm to your students and is a great way for them to bond with each other, whilst providing a memorable start to the school year. Unsure how much colour powder would be required to create an activity like this? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered with our custom calculator.
Draw Your Selfie
Kids love taking selfies these days so why not stay on trend and have them draw their own ‘selfie’ of themselves doing one of their favourite hobbies or interests. Once they’ve finished, collect their drawings and then hand them back out, giving each student a random drawing. It’s then up to them to return the correct selfie to the owner and find out their name and about their hobbies.
Get the most out of this activity by using the drawings as a display board in the classroom, allowing the whole class to enjoy everyone’s works of art!
Beachball Toss
We’re not ready to say goodbye to summer yet and if you’re feeling the same this next activity will help keep the summer vibes going in the classroom. Using a beachball, write a question or two on each colour and toss the ball around the classroom. Whoever catches it has to answer the question under their left thumb.
Questions could be along the lines of ‘If you could have any superpower, what would you choose?’ or ‘If you could only eat one food for a whole month, what would it be?’. The more imaginative the questions are, the better they are to find out more about your students!
Hopefully we’ve helped to provide some more back-to-school ideas to help you kick off the school year in an exciting and fun way. We’re sure your students will enjoy any of the above activities and that they will definitely help to break the ice and bring everyone together!
