Whether you are in the first day or the first couple weeks of school, it helps to think about group process and rapport building with students. I always use ice-breaking activities. This gives me a chance to study relationship dynamics and to start noting who the followers and leaders are, and where possible challenges might exist.
When I do an ice-breaking activity, I never call it this. I usually express it as an experiment. I also tell the students that we process all activities through discussion, but I will never tell them the purpose of an activity. Their interpretation is what is important, not what meaning I impose on the experience.
This being said, here are my top five ice breakers. Yes, you may know some of them, and if you do, consider this a refresher course. Instead of reinventing the wheel, let me instead post links so you can follow them and explore at your leisure. Also, when you follow the links you’ll find yourselves navigating through sites with dozens of other ideas which can be adapted for students of all ages.
One last comment: Never assume your students are too old for a game. I still play “Simon Says” and “Red Light, Green Light” with eighteen and nineteen year olds. The key is always about presentation and engagement.
Personal Trivia Baseball This is an outstanding game, and one in which students may show their competitive streaks. Make sure you glance at all the strips or clues ahead of time to be sure no one has slipped in any inappropriate material.
Giants, Wizards, and Elves This is a version of rock, paper, scissors. There is much one can do to change this around, such as abandoning the Giants, Wizards, and Elves themes and allowing group members to choose their own team poses, and rewarding points for victories. Ultimately, I encourage silliness and creativity.
Bridge Building Tactile learners will thank you. This is a team game which is superb for assessing group dynamics. Shame on the teacher who doesn’t carefully process this event and even have students journal about the experience.
Helium Stick Again, presentation is everything. The teacher needs to ignite in the students a sense of wonder and excitement, and mystery. Like the last activity, this one is a brilliant activity for assessment and for later discussion about who did what, how it was perceived, by whom, and why.
Human Knot This is perhaps one of my favorite activities, but I think it works best as a third or fourth activity and not as a first event. Again, the process and presentation is everything.
Jelly Bean Personality Test I won’t lie, I love jelly beans. However, this is a great activity for initiating a discussion about diversity and stereotypes. And you get to eat jelly beans. Yum.
Okay, those are only a few activities. If you go to the different links and search for others, you can amass a library of a hundred or more things to do through the school year to build rapport and cohesion within your classroom.
