Fun 'Getting To Know You' Icebreakers for Kids to Use in Your Classroom

It’s that time when we pull out our favourite ‘getting to know you’ activities and icebreakers for kids to start off the school year! Do you need some fresh ideas to start off the 2026 school year?

We know you have so much to prepare before welcoming students back on the first day of school, so the Teach Starter teacher team has curated a list of our all-time favourites. Designed to foster student relationships and team-building, these tried-and-true games are the perfect way to get your class community-building off on the right foot — plus save you time on your classroom prep!

Read on for some new game ideas to help break the ice on the first day of school, plus some fresh ways to help students get to know their new classmates.

What Is a Getting to Know You Activity?

The first weeks spent with a new group of students are so important in setting up your expectations for the year. We don’t just mean your behaviour expectations — even though they are crucial for classroom management. This is a time when your students will begin to understand the value of knowing a little bit about each and every other student in their class.

Getting-to-know-you activities — sometimes called icebreakers — are a great way for you to begin learning about the different personalities in your new class. They will help you to see which kids are leaders and which may prefer to sit back. You can also plan fun activities that help you to informally assess how each of your new students is faring in terms of specific knowledge or skill development.

Save time with a curated collection of teacher-created icebreakers for kids!

Getting to Know You Ideas for Kids

We have included a variety of ‘getting to know you’ ideas for the classroom in the list below — something for every year level. Explore the whole list, and choose the activities that seem right for your students!

Lines and Blobs

This speedy game is a fun one that will get your new students up and moving. Challenge your students to organise themselves as quickly as they can in either ordered lines or groups (aka blobs) based on specific criteria that require them to talk to one another and work together.

Try these prompts to start with:

• Line up in alphabetical order of your first name.
• Create groups with students who have the same favourite colour as you.
• Line up in order of your birthdays.
• Gather with those who are born in the same month as you.
• Line up in alphabetical order of your Mum’s name.
• Get into groups with those who have the same number of siblings as you.

To keep noise levels a little lower, you can also challenge students to do the activity with only gestures and body language where appropriate. This is a great way to get kids active, find what they have in common and get familiar with each other in an exciting format.

Go Fish

No, we don’t mean the card game! This fun ‘fishing to know you’ game includes heaps of prompts to get your students sharing information about themselves with you and their classmates.

Perth teacher Alexia shared how she uses this printable game to get her students engaged:

‘I cut up all the “fish’ and put them in a container … Students had turns to ‘fish’ out a question and read it aloud to everyone. They loved it and it sparked some fun and interesting discussions in our classroom.

If you’re feeling extra punny, you can take this activity to the next level by having students actually fish for the cards! All you will need is some paperclips, a magnet and a basic kid’s fishing pole toy (even a string tied to a ruler would do).

• Print and cut the cards. Add one paperclip to each card.
• Attach the magnet to the end of your fishing line with glue or tape — this is your ‘hook.’
• Scatter the cards in a paddling pool or a storage tub.
• Students take turns using the fishing rod to ‘catch’ a card and answer the question they catch!

Musical Chairs — or Musical Facts!

Looking for another creative way to use the Fishing to Know You cards? Why not bring back a classic favourite—musical chairs!

Wipe That Smile Off Your Face

We said these games were fun, didn’t we? Well, this one is Fun with a capital F! It’s like the challenges that are popular on YouTube these days that challenge students not to laugh, but we promise this is 100% classroom-appropriate.

How to play

• Students sit in a circle, and the teacher chooses one person to start the game.
• That person smiles their widest, biggest, cheesiest smile at everyone else in the circle, trying to make them laugh. However, they must be silent and cannot pull faces or be silly. All they can do is smile.
• For every person in the group who laughs at their smile, the smiling student receives one point.
• After they have smiled at everyone in the group, they ‘wipe’ the smile off their face with their hand and ‘pass’ the smile to the next person in the circle.
• The student with the most ‘points’ can get a prize such as being a line leader or perhaps a printed bookmark.

This…or That?

This classic game is a HIT with any class — we guarantee it. Similar to the Lines and Blobs activity, this game is a zero-prep way to get kids moving, talking to each other, building confidence in justifying their opinions, and discovering what they have in common.

It’s super simple — read out prompts with two possible responses to your class, such as ‘this or that’ or ‘would you rather’ questions. As you read them, students will move to each side of the room to indicate which answer they have chosen.

Try these prompts to start you off:

• Kittens or puppies?
• Chips or chocolate?
• Milk chocolate or white chocolate?
• Beach day or pool day?
• Playground or sports oval?
• Footy or cricket?

Two Truths and a Lie

Two truths and a lie is a classic (and fairly addictive) getting-to-know-you exercise for kids that can be played as a whole class or in small groups. Here’s how it works:

1. Each person in the class comes up with three statements about themselves — two true statements and one false. Some students may find it easiest to write these down.
2. In turn, each student presents their statements for the rest of the class to determine which statement they think is false.

Some different ways to play this game are:

• Have the entire class vote on which statement they think is false.
• Have each student write down which statement they believe is false and see who gets the most correct.

Emoji Charades Icebreaker Game

The Emoji Charades Icebreaker game is a modern and FUN way to get your students laughing and connecting at the start of the school year. It’s perfect for breaking the ice and sparking creativity!

Personali-tees

How about letting each student decorate their own personali-tee to share a bit about themselves with their classmates? Just print a ‘getting to know you’ t-shirt template, hand out the coloured pencils and scissors, and let students get crafty!

Next, separate the students into different areas of the classroom based on what they wrote on their t-shirts.

For example, you might announce, ‘Everyone whose shirt says ‘8’ go to the right side of the classroom,’ and ‘Everyone whose shirt says 7 goes to the left,’ and so on.

These tees are a fantastic way to help students identify commonalities and learn something new about each other. When you’re done, you might like to make a classroom display of all the brag bags like this ‘unbeleafable one from Queensland prep teacher @live.it.with.t below!

Kick Off with a Friendly Debate!

Starting an argument on the first day of school? Sounds a bit cheeky, doesn’t it? But this icebreaker is all about fun, not conflict. The idea is simple: give students four everyday items they know and love—think pizza, ice cream, footy, or video games—and ask them to decide which one has to go. That’s right, one of their favourites is getting the boot! Students then share their choice and explain why, sparking a lighthearted debate that gets everyone talking. It’s a brilliant way to encourage critical thinking and help students practise listening to different opinions, all while having a laugh. You don’t need fancy slides or printed cards—just jot down four options on the board and let the discussions begin.

All About Me Cube Games

This is a super fun, hands-on activity that can be used in different ways. Simply download and print the All About Me 3D Cube Template. Make sure you print enough for every student in your class and a few spares to go into any ‘new student packs’ you may have prepared for kids to join your class later in the year!

You may like to enlarge these to A3 size for extra creative space and to make a fun display.

Here are a few different ways you could use the cubes to turn this craft activity into a group-sharing icebreaker activity.

#1 Cube Clumps

• The teacher calls out one of the favourites on the My Favourites side  (e.g. colour, hobby, movie).
• Students find all of the other people in the class who share that same favourite and stand in a ‘clump.’
• For favourites that leave students standing alone (i.e. they are the only person in their class with that favourite) use this as a way to highlight the amazing diversity and individuality in your class!

#2 Cube Mix

• Students complete all cube sides except for the This is Me side.
• Collect the cubes and mix them up in a bag or box.
• Hand a cube out to each student, ensuring they don’t get their own cube.
• Students look at the cube they received and see if they can figure out who it belongs to.

#3 Cube Stack

In groups, students use the complete cubes to create 3D sculptures or displays in your classroom by stacking cubes with the same face out.

• The name and birthday side can be used to create a birthday display by stacking all of the cubes from each month together.
• Stack the cubes with the portrait side facing out to make a 3D sculpture.
• Use the My Favourites side to create a display, or even to use as writing prompts throughout the year.

STEM Activities

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) activitiesmake fantastic icebreakers, as students can work together in small groups with a common goal: tackling the challenge!

These sorts of activities also take some of the pressure off shy students who may feel uncomfortable with activities that focus on aspects of themselves and their own lives.

Our teacher team’s favourite STEM activity for back to school is Can You Save Fred? It requires students to work together to help Fred the worm get his boat upright and strap on his life vest, all without touching him! It will have your new students working together and giggling all on Day 1.

Name Chase

This variation of ‘Duck, Duck, Goose’ is a great one to help new students remember each other’s names.

• Students sit in a circle with one person standing on the outside. That person is ‘it.’
• The person who is ‘it’ walks around the circle, gently tapping each person on the head, saying that person’s name as they do (instead of saying ‘duck’).
• If the person who is ‘it’ taps someone and says the class name instead (e.g. ‘2D’ instead of saying ‘goose’), the tapped person has to stand up and chase ‘it’ around the circle, trying to tag them before ‘it’ takes their spot.

Memory Chain

Another twist on a familiar classic, this is a simple, no-prep circle activity that helps students learn each other’s names while practising listening and recall. The first student says their name and one thing they enjoy (for example, “I’m Sam and I like surfing”). The next student repeats the previous response before adding their own — “This is Sam, who likes surfing. I’m Alex and I like drawing.” The chain continues around the circle, with each student repeating all prior names and interests before adding theirs. This activity creates lots of laughs, encourages focus and respectful listening, and helps build a strong sense of classroom community from day one.

Speed Chats

This fast-paced partner activity gives students multiple opportunities to talk, listen and connect with their classmates in a low-pressure way. Students pair up and respond to a teacher-prompted question for 60-90 seconds before rotating to a new partner. Questions can be light and fun, such as favourite foods, hobbies or pets, or gently reflective (like something they’re proud of or looking forward to this term). The quick rotations keep energy high, reduce anxiety for reluctant speakers, and help students practise turn-taking and respectful listening while getting to know many classmates in a short amount of time.

Interactive Icebreaker Wall Display

We love a good interactive wall display to engage students in their surroundings, and this one doubles as a getting-to-know-you activity. Our interactive icebreaker wall display isn’t just for week1, but can be used for the whole first term of the school year.

The resource download includes a display banner, lily pads with ‘getting to know you questions,’ and decorations to help create this super cute pond display.

You can use the cut-out frogs as markers to remember which questions you have completed. Alternatively, why not use the display like a board game?Each morning, choose a student to roll a number cube. The student moves that many lily pads along the pond. The question or activity where the frog lands is what the whole class completes for the day.

The beauty of this resource is its flexibility. Choose what you think is going to work best for your students in your class. Perhaps you feel it would be best to partner up your students to talk about their answers to a question from the display.

Or, perhaps you’re keen to see some of their writing abilities. Why not turn it into a quick writing session? Pick and choose what works best for you and your class.

We also love this idea from Brisbane teacher @mrsloudlife (below). She printed out each of the getting to know you questions, and her teacher’s aide popped them onto a key ring for easy access!

Pass the Paper

Kick off Term 1 with a fun icebreaker that helps students feel at ease and start building connections! Pass the Paper is a simple, low-pressure activity that gets everyone talking. Each student begins with a sheet of paper and writes their name at the top, then answers a light-hearted question, like their favourite footy team, go-to snack, or dream holiday spot, before passing the paper to a classmate. As the papers circulate, students add their own answers, and by the time the sheets return to their owners, they’re filled with fun facts about their peers. It’s an easy way to spark conversations and create a sense of community right from day one.

Our teacher team loves this activity on the first day especially as you don’t have to manage a whole class activity when you don’t yet know every student by name!

Skipping Rope Fun

20 Icebreaker Activity Cards

Looking for an easy pack of resources that you can use to make the first few days of school as engaging as can be?

This icebreaker activity pack includes 20 different icebreaker activities for years 3 to 6! Each task card features a fun and engaging getting-to-know-you activity that your students will absolutely love!