The first week of school is all about setting the tone for a fantastic year ahead. For many kids, it’s a mix of excitement and nerves, which is why I think it’s so important to kick the year off with fun and engaging ice breaker activities. Back-to-school ice breaker activities not only help students get to know each other, but they also help build a positive sense of class community right from day one. Here are eight of my favorite ice breaker activties for upper elementary kids.
1: Four Corners Ice breaker Activity
One of my go-to back-to-school icebreakers is Four Corners. It’s a fun way for students to find things in common and start conversations. Just place numbers 1 to 4 around the room and read a prompt like, “What would you do on a rainy day?” Students pick an answer and head to that corner. It’s quick, easy, and gets everyone talking and connecting.
You can get a ready-to-go FREE Four Corners Game right below!
2. Memorize It
Memorize It is our new favorite game of the year. Split the class into five teams and show a page of images on the screen for 20 seconds. Teams then have two minutes to write down as many as they can remember, and the group with the longest list wins. My students love this game. After a few rounds, they even start creating strategies, like one person focusing on animals while another remembers household items. It’s quick, competitive, and a great way to build classroom community.
3. Guess the Picture Phrase
Guess the Picture Phrase is a fun ice breaker for building teamwork and critical thinking. Split your class into teams and have them work together to solve each mystery phrase. I like to start with simple compound words, like a block of butter plus a fly = butterfly. Then in round two, I move on to trickier idioms and well-known sayings, such as a peace sign and a slice of cake = piece of cake.
I usually make mine on slides, but you can play this game in whatever format works best for your class. It’s always a go-to hit in the first week of school.
4: Soup, Salad or Sandwich?
Another fun favorite for the first week is the Soup, Salad, or Sandwich? game. It’s based on the idea that every food can be sorted into one of those three categories. I show a food on the slide and students decide if it’s a soup, salad, or sandwich. There’s no right answer, just silly reasoning, lots of laughs, and great discussion. It’s an easy way to get students talking and thinking without any pressure. I like using it as a brain break or quick warm-up during those first few days.
5. Find Someone Who Bingo
This low-prep activity involves a bingo sheet where students have to find someone who matches the quirky prompts on the bingo grid. It’s a fantastic way to get everyone laughing and interacting right off the bat. Grab a FREE Find Someone Who Bingo sheet HERE.
6. Minute to Win It Challenges
I love using Minute to Win It games during the first week of school. I divide the class into teams, display the challenge on the screen, and give each group 60 seconds to complete it. The tasks are quick and silly, such as stacking cups, building the longest paper chain, or completing a word challenge. These fast-paced games get everyone laughing, working together, and feeling more comfortable from day one.
7. Alphablitz
Alphablitz is such a fun and simple game to set up for your first week back at school. Break your class into teams and have each group choose a scribe. Give them a letter, then share ten prompts they must answer using only words that start with that letter. For example, with the letter R, prompts might include name a color, name a food, name a sport, or name something people wear. Students have two minutes to come up with as many answers as they can. The team with the most correct responses wins.
8. Reverse Charades
Reverse Charades is a great way to get students moving and bonding in the first week of school. Unlike classic charades where one person acts, the whole class performs the clue together while two guessers try to figure it out. Prompts might include rollerskating, presenting the weather, bowling a strike, or even conducting an orchestra.
Are you keen to jumpstart your school year with fun, low-prep ice breaker activities? If you’d love a whole set of games (including the ones listed above), check out the money-saving Ice breaker Bundle for 18 easy, ready-to-go activities. It will save you time and energy while making the first week back at school so much less stressful!
Further Reading
If you enjoyed this blog post, check out my other blog posts with morning meeting ideas:
