First Day ESL Icebreakers

Today was another "first day of school" where I am.  They tend to come around quite often, so I'm always looking for fresh ideas to break the ice and help the students get to know each other.

What works for you?

Here are a few ideas....

1. Classic "Find Someone Who" game.  This is great because it gets students talking to more than just the person sitting next to them, but it has been done.  A lot.

2.  Conversation questions.  I choose a mix of interesting and ridiculous questions, such as "What's your favorite potato chip flavor?" alongside "Does your name have any meaning?"  Here, students are talking to just one or two people, but at least they are talking and talking from the get-go.

3. Syllabus treasure hunt.  Here, students are put into small groups to answer questions about the class, using the syllabus as their source.  This is a cooperative learning activity that makes your explanation of the class a little less boring and gets students talking with their classmates right away.

4. Neighbor introductions.  Students introduce themselves to a neighbor, then introduce that neighbor to the class (and vice versa).  In one of my classes in which all the students know each other, I asked each student to tell me something I don't know about the person sitting next to him/her.  It was quite funny.

5. Four corners.  Each student gets a blank paper, folded twice, so that when unfolded the creases create four equal boxes on the page.  Students are given a few minutes to draw something in each of the four boxes that represents them, such as a hobby or interest.  Students may draw (crudely; we're not artists!) a basketball, a pot cooking on a stove, a beach, etc.  Then, the pictures are presented to the class with explanation.

6. Old Bag Speech.  Students bring a bag that represents him/herself and includes three items inside: something that represents his/her past, present, and future.  Students share with the class.

7. Alphabet Soup.  Write the alphabet vertically on the board.  Ask the students to brainstorm vocabulary words related to school/studying/your city that start with each letter of the alphabet.  Alternatively, doing it in small groups invokes competition.


Share your ideas!  How do you begin your ESL classes?



For ideas about how I begin my EAP reading or writing courses, visit here.