So, I have tried many things the first week of school to get kids up and moving or talking. And, I know from experience that some students absolutely despise it. As a teacher, I don't totally dig it either. I wish I cared that you had a baby and lost 80 pounds and went on a cruise and did a mission trip (and it's cool that you did those things...I like to brag sometimes, too) but often people sharing their glory moments just make the person who had to work all summer a mess of depressed. And, kids are the same way (off-topic, I had a great summer and did lots of fun things).
Some ideas I have used in the past are online inventories that tell you what animal you are or something I adapted that identified what cartoon character you are. But, other than having them write it on the board on the chart or all raise their hands if they are lions, I didn't totally encourage interaction (probably because as a student I wasn't super into that, either).
I decided to find something to switch it up this year. And, for only the second time ever, I purchased something on Teachers Pay Teachers. I'll admit, I give everything I make away for free (even on that site) and sometimes think it's not nice to charge for something you made for your classroom anyway, but "teachers gotta teach" and I don't want to be a "hatin' hater" so if it's a great resource, it's different.
After reading a back to school blog post and reliving all the college classes where I had to tell what animal I am most like or what the last book I read was, I found the ideas the author shared to be inspiring. Here's the blog post talking about three back to school games that "don't suck" as he said--Blobs and Line, Concentric Circles, and This or That.
Anyway, long story short, the resources are great! The person put much time into making very clear directions you can show the class and giving several activities you can do. I purchased the Game Bundle for $10. And, I can certainly personalize it to make it more my own, but the hard work is done. I'm looking forward to doing these the first week of school.
Do you have any "go-to" icebreakers that kids love?
Great ice breakers I use include murder mystery and balloon relay. Students are active and engaged. I love games that use mental s well as physical that teach students employability skills.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you use for the murder mystery?
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