Break the Ice: The Ultimate Back-to-School Toolkit

As Rumana Vhora, an Ontario Certified Elementary Teacher, explains, “Icebreaker activities are essential during the first week of school because they help students feel comfortable, build connections with classmates, and create a positive, welcoming classroom environment right from the start.”

When planning these activities, notes Kristy MacKenzie, the founder of 2 Peas and a Dog, it’s important to come up with options that cater to a variety of energy levels. “Plan activities that get students up and moving around the classroom, meeting their peers, as well as activities where students work independently or in small groups,” she adds.

Ready to try some teacher favorites? Here are six simple icebreaker activities, as recommended by K–12 educators, that are sure to help make this back-to-school season your best one yet.

1. The Ball Toss Name Game
Adapted from Drama Schemes, Themes & Dreams by Larry Swartz and Debbie Nyman
(Published by Pembroke Publishers)

Materials: Ball(s), open space for students to stand in a circle

Activity: Arrange students in a circle and hand one of them the ball. The game begins when that student says their own name and tosses the ball to someone else in the circle. Continue passing the ball until everyone has had a chance to say their name.

For round two, all students fold their hands in front of them. Once a student has tossed the ball to someone else in the circle, that student then places their hands behind their back. Continue until all students have their hands behind their backs. This way, everyone receives and tosses the ball only once.

Repeat the activity a third time, following a predetermined sequence of passing the ball (e.g. alphabetical by first name, by age, etc.). Draw students’ attention to the pattern that has been established. This especially comes in handy for some of the optional extension activities below.

Game Extensions:

• Challenge students to complete the activity within a time limit.
• Instead of calling out their own name, students call out the name of the person they’re passing the ball to.
• The pattern of passing the ball is reversed. The ball is passed from last person to first.
• Two balls are passed, one using the original pattern and one using the reverse pattern.
• Add up to five additional balls.

Why it’s fun: Students usually pick up most of their classmates’ names by the third round, and the physical movement helps everyone feel more relaxed and engaged as they get to know one another.

2. Classroom Puzzle
Submitted by Rumana Vhora

Materials: Pre-cut puzzle pieces from cardstock or thick paper (one per student), coloured pencils, markers, crayons. (Alternatively, use pre-cut squares of cardstock for a quilt design instead.)

Activity: Hand out one blank puzzle piece or cardstock square to each student. Explain that they’ll be creating a visual representation of themselves that will become part of a larger class display. Give students 15–20 minutes to decorate their piece with anything that represents who they are. Encourage them to include:

• Hobbies and interests
• Favourite colours or patterns
• Family members or pets
• Dreams and goals
• Things that make them unique
• Symbols or drawings that represent them

There’s no right or wrong way for students to express themselves.

Once everyone finishes decorating, gather the class together and have each student briefly share one thing from their piece before adding it to the display.

Finally, assemble all the pieces together on a bulletin board to create your complete class puzzle or quilt. This becomes a permanent classroom decoration that students can reference throughout the year.

Why it’s fun: This activity combines creativity with self-expression while building something meaningful together. The finished display serves as a daily reminder that everyone belongs and adds value to the group.

3. “Find Someone Who…” Bingo
Submitted by Rumana Vhora

Materials: Worksheet, pencil

Activity: Create a bingo-style worksheet with a variety of prompts, such as:

• “Find someone who has a pet.”
• “Find someone who can whistle.”
• “Find someone who loves pizza.”
• “Find someone who went on a vacation this summer.”

Students move around the room and interact with different classmates to find someone who matches each box. Once they find a match, they write that person’s name in the box.

Tip: Instead of creating your own “Find Someone Who” bingo sheet, check out a website like Teachers Pay Teachers and find a freebie. There are plenty of available options that you can modify to your liking.

Why it’s fun: This game gets students out of their seats and actively engaging with their peers. It’s an entertaining and non-intimidating way to start conversations, build confidence, and help students learn interesting facts about each other.

4. Four on a Couch
Submitted by Kass Haut

Materials: Desks or chairs, jar, pencil, paper

Aim: Fill the “couch” with your teammates

Activity: This memory-based team game works great for middle and high school classrooms with at least 12 students. Arrange chairs in a circle with one extra seat that remains empty. Designate four of the chairs as the “couch.”

Divide students into two teams and have them sit at alternating chairs around the circle. Every student writes their name on a piece of paper and adds it to the jar. After the jar is full, they each draw a random name from it, making sure to keep that name secret.

The student sitting to the right of the empty seat starts by calling out any classmate’s name. Whoever is holding the paper with that name must get up and move to the empty seat. Once they sit down, the two students swap papers—so identities are constantly changing! Now the person to the right of the newly empty seat gets to call a name.

The strategy comes when someone on the “couch” gets called away, creating an opening. The next player can try to fill that coveted couch spot with a teammate—but only if they remember which names their teammates are currently holding.

Why it’s fun: Students must remember who is holding what name and track their teammates’ locations. As names and seats constantly change, it becomes a fun challenge of memory and strategy that gets everyone learning names quickly while working together.

5. Milling to Music (French Practice)
Submitted by Kaitlyn Reid

Materials: White board and marker (optional), speaker or computer for music

Activity: This energizing activity gets kids moving while practicing conversation skills. Start by playing upbeat French music and have students walk, dance, or move around the classroom however they feel comfortable. When you stop the music, students quickly find the person closest to them to form a pair. Once everyone is partnered up, pose a question for them to discuss. For example:

Teacher: “As-tu un chat?” (Do you have a cat?)

Partner 1: “Oui, j’ai un chat.” (Yes, I have a cat.)

Partner 2: “Non, je n’ai pas un chat.” (No, I don’t have a cat.)

After both partners share their answers, they thank each other by saying “Merci d’être mon partenaire.” (Thank you for being my partner.) Then restart the music for another round of movement, ensuring students will pair with someone new each time. Repeat this cycle as many times as you’d like—typically 4–6 rounds work well.

Make it work for everyone: Present questions orally or write them on the board for visual support. Start with simple questions like “As-tu un chat?” (Do you have a cat?) then build complexity by adding follow-ups: “Comment s’appelle ton chat?” (What is your cat’s name?). Adjust difficulty based on your students’ level.

Example questions:

• As-tu un chat / un chien / un frère / une sœur? (Do you have a cat / a dog / a brother / a sister?)
• Aimes-tu les hamburgers / la pizza / les biscuits / des frites? (Do you like hamburgers / pizza / cookies / french fries?)
• Joues-tu au hockey / football / baseball / basketball? (Do you play hockey / soccer / baseball / basketball?)
• Fais-tu du ski / de la planche à neige? (Do you ski / snowboard?)
• Joues-tu du piano / de la guitare? (Do you play the piano / the guitar?)

Why it’s fun: This activity beats traditional desk work every time! Students stay active, practice speaking naturally, and connect with different classmates each round. The music and movement keep energy high while ensuring no one gets left out since partnerships constantly change.

6. Snowball (Bal de neige)
Submitted by Kaitlyn Reid

Materials: Blank papers, pencils

Activity: Students write one interesting fact about themselves on their paper—anything from family to hobbies to favorites games or activities. Once everyone finishes writing, they crumple their papers into “snowballs” and toss them into a designated area of the classroom.

Next, the students each pick up a different snowball and take turns reading the facts aloud. The reader tries to guess who wrote it by asking “Is it ___?” Then that person responds with “Yes, that’s me” or “No, that’s not me.” If the guess is wrong, the real author reveals themselves. Continue until everyone has read a fact and discovered its owner.

Make it work for everyone: Provide sentence starters for struggling students: “I have a sister / a brother / a cat / a dog whose name is ___” or “I love (type of sport / type of food).” If throwing paper isn’t suitable, use sticky notes on the board instead. Want multiple rounds? Have students cross out their first fact and write a new one.

Why it’s fun: Snowball combines movement and sharing, with the throwing element adding excitement that gets everyone engaged and participating. Best of all, it gives students the chance to learn about their classmates in a playful way.

The game is especially useful in language classes like French or Spanish, as it allows students to practice their conversational skills.

With these activities in your toolkit, you’re ready to turn new faces into familiar friends and build the kind of classroom community where everyone feels like they belong.