Icebreakers

1. Introduction

Working with a new group might be a difficult task when the members still don't know each other and might feel embarrassed. In this section you can find ideas for activities that can help you "break the ice" and create a more comfortable interaction with your new group.  

Note: please make sure the icebreaker activity is appropriate for the age/English level of your group and adjust them when needed. 

2. Get in Line (7th-12th grade)

• Line up in order in alphabetical order of your name
• Line up in order of your birthdays (oldest-youngest) 
• Line up in order of how many siblings you have
• Line up in alphabetical order of your fathers’ names
• Line up in alphabetical order of your favorite musician/tv show/movie 
• Any other idea that you have... 

3. Signature Move (4th-12th grade)

Ask the students say their names and to invent a move or sound. It can be something simple: a clap, cough, turn in a circle, bow, word, mime, or gesture. 

Show yours first and go around the class (the students’ signature move/sound shouldn’t repeat). Then it’s time to remember them, beginning with yours and going around the circle again. To make the game more challenging - in the second round ask the class to recall each students' signature move/sound. 

Instructions in Hebrew (you can project on/copy it to the board): 

 כל תלמיד אומר את שמו וממציא תנועה או צליל ייחודי שמתלווה לשם שלו.
אסור לחזור על תנועה/צליל של מישהו אחר 
בסוף הסבב נבדוק כמה אנחנו זוכרים!  

4. Candy Pass (8th-12th grade)

Bring a pack of colored candy such as fruit toffee or Skittles (make sure you have enough for your group) and let the students pick one.

Write on the board questions that you assign to each color. Consider asking both serious or humorous questions. For example:

Blue: Where would you like to visit and why? 

Red: What's your name? What does it mean? How/why did you get it? 

Green: Would you rather be a tiny horse or an enormous chicken? Why?

and so on... 

5. Two Truths and a Lie (6th-12th Grade)

The students write down three sentences with information about themselves, however, one must be a lie. 

Version 1: Other students then ask them questions to discover which statement was a lie (you can take a vote).

Tip: you should participate too!  

You may ask the students to think of follow-up questions in pairs.

Instructions in Hebrew (you can project on/copy it to the board):

6. Sit Down If... (6th-12th Grade)

Suggested Grade: 6-12th Grade   

This game is great if you need to keep your audience in a sitting formation. Have everyone stand up. Then proceed with to say statements that start with “Sit down if. . . ” The statements can get pretty silly, such as “Sit Down if you have two pillows on your bed.” 

The last person standing wins! 

7. Where the Wind Blows (5th-12th grade)

Have your group seated in chairs arranged in a circle. One person stands in the middle (and does NOT have a chair). The goal is to avoid being the last person standing! 

(Make sure your students know what "never" means. Use the appropriate vocabulary for each class.) 

The person in the middle needs to say a sentence of something they have never done before. For example, “I’ve never been in an airplane”, “I never been to a buffet”, “I’ve never been the Hawaii”, “I’ve never had a pet”.

If the person’s statement applies to someone sitting in the circle, that person has to move from his or her seat and sit in a different chair.

The person in the middle will need to try to sit down. One person will remain standing. The standing person starts a new round by saying a different statement.

Note: People cannot move to seats on their immediate left or right. For example, they can sit two seats away, but they cannot move to the left or right of their current chairs.

8. If - What? (8th-12th Grade)

Suggested Grade: 8th-12th Grade

Provide notecards and pens for everyone in the group, then have them write down one or two If questions (such as, “If your house was on fire and you could only save one possession, which would it be?”). Shuffle the notecards while scanning for naughty questions, set them in a pile in the middle of the circle, and then have everyone pick a question to answer.

9. A Question on a Chair (7-10th grades)

10. 100 Back to School Icebreakers

100 ideas for icebreakers for your first day.

Click here to download the list 

11. More ideas for icebreakers

https://www.ef.com/wwen/blog/teacherzone/great-esl-icebreakers-and-warmups/

https://busyteacher.org/4767-first-lesson-5-essential-ice-breakers-success.html

https://www.fluentu.com/blog/educator-english/esl-icebreakers/