Back-to-School Icebreakers That Help Settle Students’ Nerves

The first day back to school after a long break can feel difficult, especially for students who have social anxiety. We can help students feel better by bringing some fun and play into the classroom. Here are three drama-based games to help elementary and middle school teachers dissolve away tension, nerves, and awkwardness. A little bit of play is also a great tool for you to connect with your class and build some trust and rapport with your students.

I recommend that the teacher play these games, too, and facilitate them in a way that sets an emotional tone for the classroom that is warm, safe, playful, and connected.

Name and Action

Ask everyone to stand in a circle. Explain that each person is going to say their name and then do an action, and then the whole circle will copy it back. For example, I might say, “Sam,” step forward, do some jazz hands, and step back. The whole circle then says, “Sam,” steps forward, does jazz hands, and steps back. Then the student standing next to me will take their turn. Continue around the circle until everyone has had a turn.

Explain that an action can be as simple as a one-hand clap, or as wild as a funky dance move. If a student doesn’t want to do an action, they can just say their name. You can let students pass entirely if they want to—encourage them to try, but never push. If a lot of your students pass the first time around, go around the circle a second time, and you’ll usually find a few more students who are now willing to try.

This simple activity gives every student a moment to be seen and acknowledged by the group. For some, that can matter more than we realize.

Zip, Zap, Boing

Ask students to stand in a circle. Demonstrate what a zip is: Look at the person next to you, clap your hands together, and say, “Zip!” The person you sent the zip to then passes the zip on to the person next to them. As you let it travel around the circle once, add in the instruction that the more dramatic the zip, the better. Next, explain that a zip can travel either way around the circle, to the left or the right. After a little practice, introduce a zap. You can send a zap across the circle to anyone you choose by making eye contact, placing your hands together with index fingers touching, and then pointing and saying “Zap!” You cannot zap the person next to you. Do a practice round using only zips and zaps.

Next, introduce a boing. A boing is used to send an action back to the person who sent it. You do this by saying, “Boing!” and making a gesture with your arms outstretched and wobbling.

Additional rules:

• You cannot boing a boing. If someone boings you, you can respond with either a zip to someone next to you or a zap across the circle.
• You cannot zap a zap. If someone zaps you, you cannot zap them straight back, but you may zap someone else or zip a neighbor next to you.

Play a full first round slowly, allowing mistakes and giving gentle reminders. After this, play a competitive round. If a student hesitates for too long, pairs a word with the wrong action, says “um,” or breaks the flow, they are out of that round and they sit down.

When only two players remain, invite them to stand back-to-back. Ask them to walk away from each other. When you call out a cue word—for example, “Bananas!”—they turn as quickly as they can, and the first to perform a zip wins!

This game sounds more complicated than it is. After a few tries, it will feel easy to play. It’s a great game for getting kids to laugh, and laughter is one of the quickest ways to lower tension and help students to relax in a new environment.

Two Truths and a Lie

This listening game helps students learn about one another while having a bit of fun. Ask students to get into pairs. Each person tells their partner three short things: two true things about their summer, and one lie.

For example, Ben could tell Donna, “I went camping in the mountains, I caught a huge fish, and I rescued a sparrow.” Two of those are true and one is a lie. Partners introduce each other to the class, along with the three statements, and the group guesses which one is made up. The class votes, Ben reveals the truth, and then Ben tells the class Donna’s three things.

Before you have the pairs introduce each other, it’s worth giving the class a few tips about speaking clearly: Use a voice loud enough for everyone to hear, try not to rush, and make eye contact with a few friendly faces if that feels comfortable. Remind students to share only what their partner actually said. If introducing a partner feels overwhelming to a student, let them read from a note card or share one fact instead of three, and their partner can say the rest for them. The aim is connection, not performance. This activity helps students to share small things about themselves and discover common ground. Common ground often acts as a social glue in the classroom, and for that first week of school, lots of social glue will come in handy.

I hope that these games can bring some fun and joy into your classroom and that they will help students feel less guarded and more connected. A few minutes of shared play can change the atmosphere of a classroom, showing students that school is not just a place to work, but a place to belong.