Podcast: 3 Outstanding Community-Building Activities for Back to School

How do you lay the foundation for real community in your classroom?

Teachers know (and the research supports this) that when kids feel safe and connected in school, they’re better equipped to focus on learning. The start of a new school year is a crucial time for this type of work—and it goes beyond icebreakers. 

In this episode of School of Practice, we’ll hear from three educators who’ve developed powerful activities for building robust classroom cultures, including a strategy for co-creating classroom norms, an exercise that gets students discovering what they have in common, and a memorable 60-second trust-building activity.

Together, these activities go beyond typical icebreakers—and set the stage for a classroom where students feel they belong.

Related resources:

• Learn more about this episode
• Building Classroom Community Through Daily Dedications (video) When students share stories about those who have inspired and impacted them, the whole classroom feels more connected.
• A Daily Ritual That Builds Trust and Community Among Students An activity that encourages students to open up about a person close to them can bring a whole class together in profound ways.
• Establishing Connections in a New Classroom Community (video) This low-stakes get-to-know-you game builds community, confidence, and curiosity—key ingredients for a positive classroom culture.
• Fostering Belonging With Classroom Norms (video) When students help create their classrooms’ rules and culture, they’re more engaged and invested in learning.
• Research: Impact of School-Based Interventions for Building School Belonging in Adolescence: a Systematic Review Researchers examined 22 school-based programs designed to improve adolescents’ sense of belonging at school and found that the most effective approaches focused on relationship-building, peer collaboration, and routines that help students feel seen, supported, and included.
• Research: Teacher–Student Relationships and Student Outcomes: A Systematic Second-Order Meta-Analytic Review. This large research review found that strong teacher–student relationships are consistently linked to better academic achievement, motivation, behavior, and student well-being across grade levels. 
• Not Light, but Fire: How to Lead Meaningful Race Conversations in the Classroom Educator Matthew Kay’s book about facilitating dialogue about race in class, in which he encourages teachers to “burn five minutes” a day to build strong relationships with students.
• Child’s Play in Action Jocelyn Greene’s theater education organization in New York City.
• WMPG’s Blunt Youth Radio Bobby Shaddox’s youth radio program in Portland, Maine.