Activities & Lessons

12 Back-to-School Icebreakers for Elementary Students

June 4, 2026

6 Min Read

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Looking to bring fresh energy to the start of the school year? These first-day-of-school icebreakers help build connection and spark conversation right away. The following activities will give you a window into students' hopes, dreams, anxieties, fears, and even their academic skills. And you and your class will have a great time along the way. Kickstart community building in your classroom this fall with these fun back-to-school icebreaker activities for elementary students.

Fun elementary school icebreakers

1. Read a story together (Grades Pre-K–5)

A read-aloud of the right book can calm first-day jitters and ease students into making friends. Try Pa Lia's First Day (Pre-K–Grade 3). Students might relate to Pa Lia's worry over her first day at a new school. In the first six pages, the author paints a vivid picture of how Pa Lia feels:

"Her mouth felt like it was stuffed with cotton . . ."
"Her stomach felt like it was filled with a thousand fluttering butterflies . . ."
"Pa Lia felt like a teeny-tiny minnow in a huge giant ocean."

Challenge students to describe how they are feeling on the first day using similes, just as the author does in Pa Lia's First Day. Tell students a simile uses "like" or "as" to compare two unlike things. For example, the author compares Pa Lia at school to a tiny minnow in an ocean. Have students complete one of the following prompts to help them write a simile describing their first-day emotions:

My mouth feels like ___________ .
My stomach feels like ___________ .
The first day makes me feel like ___________ .

A couple other first-day-of-school picture books: The misadventures of everyone's favorite monkey in Curious George's First Day of School (Pre-K–Grade 1) will get kids giggling. A fairy's fun-filled experience in Fairy's First Day of School (Pre-K–Grade 3) will help reassure the littlest learners.

Below are more back-to-school themed picture and chapter books that are sure to get kids talking. Note that the following are potential books you can use, but always check with your school or district for recommended resources.

Countdown to Kindergarten by Harry Bliss and Alison McGhee (Pre-K–Kindergarten)
The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi (Pre-K–Grade 2)
Rain School by James Rumford (Pre-K–Grade 3)
The Day You Begin by Jaqueline Woodson, illustrated by Rafael López (Kindergarten–Grade 3)
Ten Rules You Absolutely Must Not Break if You Want to Survive the School Bus by John Grandits and Michael Allen Austin (Grades 1–4)
New Kid by Jerry Craft (Grades 3–7)
The Last Last-Day-of-Summer by Lamar Giles and illustrated by Dapo Adeola (Grades 3–7)
Guinea Pigs Don't Talk by Cheryl Taylor and Laurie Meyers (Grades 5–7)

2. Describe yourself with emojis (Grades K–5)

Invite students to introduce themselves using emojis. Students can share information about their families, pets, hobbies, and more using emojis in the text feature. See example below. No computer access? Have students design and draw their own emojis.

Family: 👩🏻👨🏻💁🏻♂️🙋🏻♀️

Pets: 🐶🐢

Hobbies: 🏄🏻♀️🎿✍️📓

Favorite foods: 🍕🥑🍦

Loves: ☀️

Dislikes: ☔️

Future goal: 👩🏻🚒

3. Take a travel poll (Grades K–5)

Take a class poll by a show of hands (or using free online survey technology). Ask: How did you get to school today? Raise your hand if you traveled:

By car
By bus
By train
On foot
Using another mode of transportation

If you're taking the poll manually, show the number of students using each mode of transportation with tally marks. Then have students partner up to create graphs using the poll data. They can draw the graph with pencil and paper, or use an online tool. Remind them to include a title for the graph, a scale, and labels for the x and y axes.

4. Create a classroom scavenger hunt (Grades Pre-K–5)

This activity gives students the opportunity to explore their new learning space. Students follow a series of prompts that guide them from one location to the next within the classroom. Each stop can include brief notes or fun facts that highlight how each space or tool supports learning. For example, how the whiteboard is used during lessons or when to visit the classroom library.

As they move through the room, students gradually become familiar with where materials are kept, how different areas are used, and what to expect during daily routines. This experience creates a welcoming way to introduce the classroom environment while easing first-day nerves.

5. Would you rather… (Grades 2–5)

Here’s a low-stakes way to get your elementary students debating. The activity allows students to share their interests and views without getting too personal. Separate students into groups of four. Provide each group with a different “Would you rather” question. Tell them they have five minutes to share their responses and explain their reasoning. Then have the groups tackle a different question. Here are some “Would you rather” questions to use.

Would you rather read a book or watch a movie?
Would you rather rake leaves or shovel snow?
Would you rather swim in a pool, a lake, or the ocean?
Would you rather own a pet turtle or snake?
Would you rather watch a comedy or a scary movie?
Would you rather take cooking classes or painting classes?
Would you rather stay inside on a snow day or play in the snow?
Would you rather listen to music at home or go to a live concert?
Would you rather have a phone that doesn't allow you to text, or a phone that doesn't allow you to watch videos?
Would you rather have the ability to read minds, or the ability to move things with your mind?

6. Figure me out (Grades 2–5)

Challenge students to create equations that represent various numerical facts about themselves. For instance, a child named Pranav could write the equation 42/7=_____ or 3x2=____ for the number of letters in his first name. Let's say Pranav is 10 years old. He might write the equation 100/10=____ as the clue to his age. See the example below for more ideas. Classmates can solve the equations and use the clues to figure out whose stats are shown. This back-to-school icebreaker activity will help students get to know one another while providing you with valuable insights into their math skills.

7. The line-up challenge (Grades 3–5)

Here’s a fun and simple way to get upper-elementary students talking to each other on the first day of school. Challenge students to line up in alphabetic order of their first or last names, or in order of their birthdays. In addition to helping kids get to know one another, the activity will build soft skills like communication, management, organization, and collaboration.

8. Make a classroom quilt (Grades Pre-K–5)

This activity encourages students to express themselves in a creative way while beginning to build a sense of classroom community. Provide each student with a square piece of paper and a variety of art supplies (markers, colored pencils, etc.), and explain that each square will be displayed as a part of a larger class quilt. Students should include their name and design their square to represent who they are. They might draw favorite activities, subjects, books, foods, or places, as well as include important people, pets, birthdays, or goals for the year.

Once the squares are complete, arrange them together to create a quilt display. While each piece will be unique, once placed side by side, the squares will create a visual that reflects the class as a whole. As students see their individual squares become part of something larger, the display can help foster a sense of belonging and shared community.

9. What’s your superpower? (Grades Pre-K–5)

This icebreaker not only allows students to see what they have in common with classmates, but it can also give you a window into their hopes, dreams, insecurities, emotional state, and more. Ask: What superpower would you like to have? Have students draw a picture of themselves using their superpower. As students share their pictures one by one, the rest of the class can guess the student’s desired superpower.

10. Create a time capsule (Grades 3–5)

Have students write answers to these questions:

What is your favorite TV show? Movie? Song? Book? Food?
What goal do you hope to accomplish by the end of the school year?
What skills would you like to improve by the end of the school year?
What is one wish you hope will be fulfilled by the end of the school year?

You can gather student responses and upload them to an online capsule (you have the option of making it private) or simply save students’ responses in a folder on your computer. Or you could create a physical folder for each student that includes the completed questionnaire, a selfie, a drawing, and a string cut to the child’s height. Hide the folders away.

On the last day of school, throw a time capsule re-opening party where students can compare the preferences, goals, and wishes of their younger selves. Students can reflect on how much they’ve grown and changed over the course of the year.

11. Create a silent sketch (Grades 3–5)

This a team-building activity where students work together to make a picture. They take turns contributing to the drawing with the added challenge of not speaking. The result is often surprisingly, which adds a sense of fun while helping students practice cooperation and patience. Here's how it works:

Divide students into groups of four and give each group a piece of paper and a pencil or marker.
One student begins with a simple sketch (e.g. a shape, character, or scene starter).
After 20-30 seconds, the paper is passed to the next group member, who adds to the drawing without speaking.
Continue rotating the paper for several rounds so each students contributes multiple times.
At the end, the group reveals their final drawing and discuss how the image developed. Students may consider: How did the final sketch compare to what you imagined at the start? What strategies helped the group work together without speaking? How did it feel to add to someone else's idea rather than start your own?

12. Dear future me (Grades 3–5)

Have students write a letter to their future selves. They can reflect on their interests, goals, and hopes for the year ahead. This activity creates space for self-expression while helping students set intentions and consider how they want to grow. You can revisit the letters later in the year to celebrate progress and reflect on how their thinking has evolved. Students can complete the following prompts to start their letters:

Life right now is _______________ .
I feel _______________ because _______________ .
One thing I would like to improve by next year is _______________ .
By next year, I hope to accomplish _______________ .

If you are looking for more writing prompts, try HMH AI Tools. The writing prompt generation can help you brainstorm ideas, such as:

If your backpack could talk, what would it say about the first week of school.
What is something new you want to try this at school?
If you could invent a new school subject, what would it be and why?
What do you hope your teacher learns about you this year?
If your shoes could take you anywhere after school, where would you go?

More icebreaker games for elementary students?

Got any ideas for fun first-day-of-school icebreakers for elementary students? Know some funny icebreaker questions you can share? Or maybe you have great music or math elementary icebreakers? We'd love to hear your ideas! Share them with us via email at shaped@hmhco.com.