Students are greeted each day with a new question on the board and are expected to start writing an answer. (For more, check out these eight creative classroom management ideas.) 1. Here are some easy activities to add to your routine. They’re a great way to help with classroom management because students enter the classroom and know to get started immediately on the warm-up for the day.
These attention-grabbing warm-ups can help students review, practice and preview material.ĭaily icebreakers help establish a pattern of expectations in the classroom. Once students know each other fairly well and you’ve established classroom expectations, you can continue using icebreakers to kick-start lessons. Photo credit: Google 5 daily icebreakers for your students Rinse and repeat! Once everyone has answered, the teacher can draw attention to the web of yarn in front of the students to illustrate how the class is connected and woven together. The student answers the question, holds onto a short length of the yarn, and tosses the ball to yet another student. The teacher begins with a ball of yarn and asks a question such as, “If you could eat dinner with anyone in the world, who would it be and why?” You then pinch a length of yarn in one hand and toss the rest of the ball to a student. Students get to know each other as they work together to solve this fun challenge. Their goal is to work as a team and use these materials to build the tallest structure. This is an active team challenge where students are put in groups and given 20 sticks of raw spaghetti, a marshmallow, some tape, and some yarn.
The student can then elaborate on what they wrote, and classmates can ask questions. Students can try to guess who wrote the “snowball,” or the writer can reveal his or her identity. Each paper is then opened and read aloud to the class. Students write two facts about themselves on a piece of paper, then wad up the paper like a snowball and toss it into the middle of the room. This is a fun challenge for the entire class that also helps students get to know each other a little better, all while encouraging creativity. This is trickier than it sounds! Classmates can then respond to a student’s story, but again in just six words. Students write a story about their summer vacation in just six words and share it with the rest of the class. What color is the envelope sitting in this spot today? Write the color of the envelope on your scavenger hunt notes.” Once a team has completed the scavenger hunt, they will have walked through the classroom procedures and answered some questions along the way. Teachers can create instructions such as, “Find the place where you turn in your papers. Students follow clues about classroom procedures to find other clues and objects hidden around the room. Get students familiar with one another and their classroom with a scavenger hunt. Once someone has completed five squares in a row, they can shout, “Bingo!” 2. Students are not allowed to work with the same classmate more than once. The student then writes their peer’s name in the appropriate square and moves on to find another partner. Give each student a sheet of paper, and have them find a student in the room who meets the criterion in the square. Prepare a sheet of paper with bingo squares listing various facts about students in your class - eg., “Has two dogs,” “Has visited at least three states,” “Ate cereal for breakfast this morning,” etc. Here are a few fun icebreaker ideas to use in your classroom. Using icebreakers at this critical time can help students get to know their peers in a casual, lighthearted setting while they adjust to you, your class, and your routines. When the school year begins, many students enter the classroom with a bit of anxiety and apprehension. Photo credit: Google 6 fun classroom icebreakers to start the yearĪs teachers, we always want to provide a welcoming learning environment where students are comfortable, able to participate and take risks.