Icebreakers
Beach Ball Icebreaker
Write questions all over a beach ball and toss it around the room.
Seasonal
Back to School Classroom Games
The first week sets the tone for the whole year. These games help students learn names, find things in common and practice your routines, while you learn who is in your room.
- π² 13 games
- β Free
- π₯ Board-ready tools
Team building
Cup Tower Challenge
Teams stack plastic cups into the tallest tower, or a Christmas tree shape, without touching them with their hands.
Team building
Gingerbread Man Hunt
After reading The Gingerbread Man, students follow clues around the school to find the runaway cookie.
Icebreakers
The Toilet Paper Game
Students take as many squares of toilet paper as they "think they will need" without knowing why.
Icebreakers
Two Truths and a Lie
Each student shares three statements about themselves, one of them false, and the class guesses the lie.
Icebreakers
Find Someone Who
Students walk around with a grid of prompts and find a classmate who matches each one.
Icebreakers
The Name Game
Each student says their name plus an alliterative word ("Jumping Jada"), and the next student repeats all the names before theirs.
Review games
Classroom Scavenger Hunt
Students search the room for hidden clues or items, answering questions to unlock the next clue.
Team building
Silent Line-Up
Students line up in order by birthday, height or name without talking.
Icebreakers
Would You Rather
Give students two choices and have them pick a side of the room, then explain their reasoning.
Icebreakers
This or That
A fast two-choice warm-up: pizza or tacos, summer or winter.
Team building
Human Knot
Students hold hands across a circle to make a tangle, then work together to untangle without letting go.
Team building
Marshmallow Challenge
Teams build the tallest freestanding tower from spaghetti, tape and string that can hold a marshmallow on top.
Quick picks
Top 5 to try first
- π Beach Ball IcebreakerWrite questions all over a beach ball and toss it around the room.
- π₯€ Cup Tower ChallengeTeams stack plastic cups into the tallest tower, or a Christmas tree shape, without touching them with their hands.
- πͺ Gingerbread Man HuntAfter reading The Gingerbread Man, students follow clues around the school to find the runaway cookie.
- π The Toilet Paper GameStudents take as many squares of toilet paper as they "think they will need" without knowing why.
- π΅οΈ Two Truths and a LieEach student shares three statements about themselves, one of them false, and the class guesses the lie.
Play online
Online back to school games for the board
Board tools
Free tools for these games
Classroom TimerBig full-screen countdown with presets and an alarm.Open tool βRandom Name PickerPaste your class list and pick students fairly.Open tool βRandom Team GeneratorSplit the class into random groups in one click.Open tool βBingo Card GeneratorMake printable bingo cards from any word list.Open tool β
Questions teachers ask
Frequently asked questions
What games are good for the first day of school?
Low-pressure icebreakers work best: the Beach Ball Icebreaker, The Toilet Paper Game, Two Truths and a Lie, and The Name Game.
How do I help students learn each other's names?
Play The Name Game on day one and repeat a quick round each morning for the first week.
Explore
More classroom games
π§Έ Kindergarten (Kβ2)π Elementary Studentsπ Middle Schoolπ High Schoolβ Mathπ¬ ESLπ€ Vocabulary and Spelling Gamesπ§ͺ Scienceπ Review gamesβ‘ Brain breaksπ Icebreakersπ€ Team buildingπ No prepπ€« Quiet gamesπ§οΈ Indoor recessπ End of yearπ Back to schoolπ Halloweenπ¦ Thanksgivingπ Christmas & winterπ Valentine's Day