I don’t know about you, but I have two favorite kinds of icebreakers. The kind I don’t have to prep for as a teacher, and the kind I don’t have to do at staff meetings. Ha! Here are some great icebreakers that you can use quickly this year.

Icebreaker #1 – “Ask Me Anything”

It has become a tradition that I always start with this activity on the first day of school. When I was younger, I had all kinds of questions about the teacher, the class, and the classroom, but I never had a chance to ask them. The teacher would go over the rules, and then I would leave frustrated.

1. I first give the students 5 minutes to ask me any questions of their choice. It can be about the class, the classroom, me personally, or some creative question that they are wondering about right now. I set the timer and go from there. The funny thing is that there are many times that the students don’t ask any questions about the class at all. It usually has to do with the classroom or me. So, why do they want to know if I think pineapple should be allowed on pizza? Of COURSE the answer is yes! My age you ask? I’m 85 years-old. Don’t I look great for my age?
2. My students sit at tables, so they are already in groups of four. If yours aren’t, put them into groups. I have them figure out who is the oldest in the group, and that person raises their hand. This lets me know when every table is ready.
3. They are doing the exact same thing they did with me, except this time, they are asking the oldest person at their table their questions. They have 1 minute to ask that person any questions. I usually have them just go around the table until the time is up. I tell them that if you are the person answering the questions, you have the right to pass. You don’t want to do that all of the time, though, because people will think you’re creepy, and then you won’t have any friends.
4. When the timer goes off, I call on random people. “Zoey, who did you interview, and what is one thing you learned?” A lot of times, they don’t know or remember the person’s name, so I make them ask them. I call on a few people in this same way.
5. Going clockwise, the person on the left of the oldest is next, and you repeat the process.

This is such an easy icebreaker, right? No prep! Kids don’t have to get out of their seats, but they do have a chance to get to know each other. I also put up sample questions on the overhead, in case they can’t think of any. I use my attendance questions. You can read more about my attendance questions here (with the questions attached) here.

Icebreaker #2 – Blobs and Lines

If you would like to get your kids up and moving, but you still don’t have time to prep for it, I would recommend, “Blobs and Lines.” I have a 6th grade gifted and talented advisory class, and they had a great time with this today. There are many examples on Teachers Pay Teachers. My favorite is by Cult of Pedagogy, but it isn’t free. You can find it here. If you are looking for a free one, however, you can find it here by Alexis Winn.

1. Have everyone stand up and then you present the first slide. If it is a “blob,” it requires the kids to form groups based on the topic. I don’t help them in any way. Today, I had them form “blobs” based on what they had for breakfast. I was surprised that 1/4 of the students hadn’t eaten breakfast.
2. If it is a “line,” the students form a line based on the topic. It’s helpful if you tell them where you want the front of the line and where the line should go across the classroom. For examples, have many times have you moved in your lifetime? Some kids, who are only 11 years old, had already moved over five times.
3. After each blob or lines, call on certain students about why they are standing in that spot.

One of the reasons I like this icebreaker is because it causes the kids to talk and work with each other without my help. It also lets me know who the leaders are on in the classroom. That can become handy later on.

Enjoy Getting to Know Your Students

This semester, I have over 190 students. That is a lot of different personalities to get to know. I make it a goal to know every student’s name by the end of the week. (Honestly, I’m starting to sweat about this one. There are a lot of names that start with E, and it’s confusing.) That being said, if I didn’t take the time to get to know my students, and let them get to know me, our semester would turn out differently. My lessons can wait. Creating a positive and safe climate in our classroom can’t. Even if you don’t like icebreakers yourself, take the time do them.

By the way, my students begged me not to do another worksheet about their summer or about them. Try some new ideas to hold their interest, and don’t waste time prepping for them.