Fun Back to School Icebreakers for Classrooms, Teams, Troops & Clubs

By SignUp.com
Posted Jul 26, 2019 Parenting Just For Fun

I know it feels like summer just started a hot minute ago (pun intended), but believe it or not back-to-school is right around the corner.

The first day of school is full of emotions for both students AND teachers… excitement, optimism, anxiety, and everything in between. Want to start the year off on an entertaining and positive foot? Our friends over at SignUp.com have two fun Back-to-School Icebreakers to not only help calm those first-week jitters, but to also help the whole class get to know and engage with each other.

Pro tip: They are great for teams, troops, and clubs gathering at the start of the season, too!

There are many classic “get to know you” games that can be played, but let’s be honest, Back-To-School Bingo and The Name Game are getting a little old! And there are better ways to engage your students and help create a close-knit class. Try something different this year so everyone has a chance to meet and learn something about their classmates. Download these fun new game printables!

Get to Know You & Would You Rather: How to Play

Both games can be played a number of ways.

First download and print the game cards at Signup.com. Next, decide how you want to play the games - here are three suggestions, or come up with your own!

Version 1: Have everyone stand in the center of the classroom. Ask the first question, like “Would You Rather live in the city or the country?” Everyone who prefers the city moves to the right side of the room and everyone who prefers the country moves to the left side. Tell the students to discuss among themselves why they chose their answer. After pausing for a minute or two, start with a new question and repeat the process.

For the Get to Know You questions, ask the question and then have the students find classmates with the same or similar answers, and they can group together.

Version 2: Another option, especially if you have a rather large class size, is to break up into smaller groups (maybe separated by birth month, or alphabetically by first name) and give each group a few cards to play on their own.

Version 3: Have students lined up in either a set of parallel lines or concentric circles (one circle inside the other) with the students facing each other. Each student has a unique card and they take turns asking and answering both questions. Give the students a minute or two to introduce themselves and ask and answer the questions. Then one side of the line or circle moves to the next person, kind of like speed dating! This gives all of the students some time face-to-face time and everyone gets to learn something about each student in the classroom.

Would You Rather and Icebreaker Questions are both fun and flexible games that are sure to get your crew excited about making new friends and joining their new class, troop or team! Have fun!

Pro Tip: Are you a teacher or a parent thinking of volunteering to be the Room Parent this year? Check out SignUp.com’s full Back to School Activity Center for Room Parents and Teachers - full of tips, resources, checklists and printables for a successful (and less stressful) school year. SignUp.com is the free and easy way to bring parents together for any classroom or group activity.

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