Growing chain game
As an extremely shy student, the beginning of a school year filled me with angst. My heart raced before the first bell ever rang. I’d wonder if the teacher would be as nice, or as mean, as I’d heard. I worried whether I’d make any new friends, and I would literally hold my breath waiting to hear how the teacher would mangle my name. Fourth grade was the absolute best start I’d ever had to elementary school. I tell you the story above because I truly believe our own childhood experiences help shape the teachers we become. Who’s in Our Room Word Search Arrival on the very first day of school is different than any other day of the year. D-icebreakers Divide students into groups of 4–6 students and give each group one die and a copy of the D-icebreakers printable. Skit-tell Us About Yourself With students seated in a circle, I pass around a bag of Skittles, telling each student to pick two. Autograph Scavenger Hunt Beach Ball Introductions Back to School "Survival" Bags Silent Line-Up
Activities for the First Day of School
Are you looking for the perfect way to get to know your students and help them get to know one another? You'll find it here! Education World offers more than 15 creative icebreakers from our readers. Every year, creative teachers share with Ed World readers their favorite first-day-of-school activities. Enjoy these 19 teacher-tested ideas for getting to know your new students! 'Lay Down the Law' and Then ... Like many teachers, Suzanne Meyer feels compelled to use part of the first day of classes to "lay down the law." "After doing my 'routine,' I asked students for their expectations of me," Meyer told Education World. "Because adolescents are in 'take in' mode early in the school year, you will have their undivided attention as they try to size you up," suggested Meyer. Now that I've told you my expectations of a good student, what are your expectations of a good teacher? Time Capsules: A Time-Proven Year Opener What's your favorite TV show? These Are a Few of My Favorite Things
Two Truths and a Lie
Two Truths and a Lie is a classic get-to-know-you icebreaker. Players tell two truths and one lie. The object of the game is to to determine which statement is the false one. Interesting variations of this game are provided below. Advertisements This game is a get-to-know-you icebreaker. Instructions for Two Truths and a Lie Ask all players to arrange themselves in a circle. Variations to Try “Two Truths and a Dream Wish.” – An interesting variation of Two Truths and a Lie is “Two Truths and a Dream Wish.” 31.3k Shares Share Tweet Pin Email
Free resources for English teachers and students - EFL ESL
Categories or Similarities Game
Each team must find a certain amount of things they all have in common (similarities) before the other teams in this simple competitive icebreaker game. It’s best for ages 8+. It works great for medium sized groups, or even really large groups of 20+ people if you split into smaller sized groups. Materials needed You won’t need anything to play this game. If you’d like to make things more official, you can use a piece of paper and a writing utensil for each team to record their similarities on, although this is not necessary. How to set up the Categories (or Similarities) game: No setup is necessary to play the Similarities game! How to play: Divide your group up into separate teams of about 5 people each. Winning the game The winner of the regular version of the game is the team that most quickly identifies 6 similarities they all share.
Fabulous First-Day Ideas
Primary and intermediate-level teachers offer suggestions for first-day-of-school lesson planning. Use their clever activities to create an exciting start to the school year. Time Capsule During the first week of school, my second graders make a time capsule. First I ask them to bring an empty paper-towel roll from home. We cover the rolls with construction paper, on which the children draw pictures and write their names. Paper-Bag Sharing About two weeks before school starts, I send my students a letter in which I introduce myself and describe some activities we will share. Class-Created Puzzles Using a large piece of tagboard, I draw as many puzzle pieces as I have students, plus one for myself. –Ellaine Barthelemy, Apple Valley, MN Silly Name Game On the first day, I gather the children in a circle. Mission Statement My kindergarten class works together on the first day to come up with a mission that we strive to accomplish on each day of the school year. B-Kind! Bulletin Board Layers
Paper Airplanes with Names
Paper Airplanes (or Name Planes Game) is a simple but effective get-to-know-you game: find the owner of the paper airplane that you pick up and learn a few things about them! This game works best for larger groups of ten or more people. The activity is ideal for those ages 12 and up and is suitable for the classroom. Setup for Paper Airplanes (Name Planes Game) There is not much setup required for this activity. However, several materials do need to be provided: At least 1 sheet of paper per person1 pen, pencil, or other writing utensil per person How to set up Paper Airplanes To set up the game, you can either place the supplies around the room on the seats, desks, or tables where group members will be sitting. How to play Paper Airplanes Make sure every participant has one sheet of paper and a writing utensil. Winning the game As an icebreaker activity, there is no winning or losing in this game.
17 Fun First Day of School Activities to Try
Whether you’ve been teaching for years or it’s your first day as a full-time teacher, the first day of school is usually accompanied by some anxiety — no matter how prepared you might be. It’s the same for students. Uncertainty about friends, teachers, and schoolwork is enough to make even the most extroverted students a bit nervous. With that in mind, you should always consider what first day of school activities can stimulate introductions, get students talking, and set the tone for successful classroom management. Get inspired by these 17 fun, creative first day of school activities and try them out yourself. 1. The “Find a friend” game is a fun activity designed to help students become comfortable with their new classmates. To play, students must first receive worksheets containing a list of topics — such as sports, foods, games, and so on — from which they must pick their favorites. Image source: First Grade Schoolhouse, Teachers Pay Teachers Note that: 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.
15 creative lesson ideas for the first day of school
Back to school. Finally! In Belgium, school starts on the 1st of September, after a summer break of two months. Other countries have already begun the new school year, others still have a few weeks to go. There’s one thing we all have in common: the first day of school. How can you make sure those first-day-of-school emotions are good emotions? So here they are! 15 fun back to school classroom activities First day of school activities are based upon one goal: to get to know each other. 💡 Pro tip: Make sure to also check out this blog post with 20+ ready-to-use digital lesson activities for on the first day of school. First day of school activities for elementary students 1. Hand out a paper bag to all your students the first day of school and put a little note on it: Directions: Fill this bag with 4 things or objects that tell something about yourself. 2. In fourth grade, students have already learned arithmetics. Students have to figure out the person by calculating the facts. 3. 4. 5. 6.
