If you’re like me, by the time Thursday afternoon rolls around your “Welcome Back!” has lost some of its pep and vinegar! Have everyone stand in a circle and pass the beach ball around the circle by throwing it up in the air—. Once all the students have found their counterparts, have them return to their seats. Tell the children that some time will be spent finding out about how people are the same and how they are different. 6. Pick a child you know would be willing and enthusiastic for this task. The last family to sit down may be eliminated if you choose to do so. Adapted from “Route to Reform: K-8 service-learning Curriculum Ideas,” © 1994-95 National Youth Leadership Council. Brighten up your Getting to Know You sessions and combine it with your Art lesson to create a beautiful display for your classroom with this gorgeous mandala that your students will love. by Time Out For Teachers | Jul 12, 2020 | Tips & Tricks. Collect old magazines and make sure each student has his/her own scissors and glue stick. I had the students place the name card in front of them for the first week of school so that I could connect a name to their face until I learned all their names. In order to have the students meet the faculty and staff on a different level– have  faculty bring in a picture of themselves and a picture of their pet. Give them a piece of plain paper folded like a desk name plate. Start off with what makes you happy —and then take turns calling out things such as: Sunny days make me happy; Sunshine makes me happy; Warm cookies make me happy; Saturday mornings make me happy; Friday nights makes me happy….. 27. Be as creative as possible. Cut each apple in half (don’t cut the usual way, but through the center the other way). 24. CANDY NECKLACE THAT REPRESENTS “ME”! One person is in the middle. Direct the students to return their apples to the table in front of the class. ‘I can’t hit a home run”…”YET.” “I can’t sail a sailboat”…”YET.” 12. DREAMY SCRIBBLES They should try to make as many exchanges as possible, and they should not be looking at which papers they are receiving. Students roll the dice to answer a variety of get-to-know-you questions. (Barb) Banner and Image by KidActivities.net), 5. The general idea is to pair students and have them interview each other and then share the information with the class. Using pictures, words, or symbols clipped from magazines that represent things they enjoy doing or own, places they’ve been, and people they admire— or careers they desire, Have the other students guess which collage belongs to whom and state why they made that guess. The leader may also give out specific instructions, for example “Find your family without talking”. 43. Continue until all five items are discussed. Everyone in the group should try this. After all exhibits are presented, discuss how much people were willing to reveal about themselves. I introduce myself and put some of the things I like to do outside of school. 1-2-3 THEN ASK ME!!! For a nice touch take their photo, print it out, and add to the handout. Getting to Know Your Students – First to Last Digital Activities The first set of activities is called “First to Last”. Kids love to read and get to know their peers. Ask what this has to do with people. 3….Have children sit in small groups to brainstorm some ideas for their Me-shirts. When a new child joins a classroom/program community, there is a great opportunity — not only to welcome the new child, but also to strengthen a sense of cohesion among all of the children in the group. ***PLAY FOLLOW THE LEADER We would love to have you share your stories with us! It’s a fun way to ‘Connect Kids to Teachers’! One way that you could easily get to know your students is by having lunch together. The person who caught the ball must then read out the question and answer (questions nearest to left thumb). (From Spirit Games by Barbara Sher). Thus, it is a good strategy to say statements that most people have done, but you haven’t. Fun Icebreakers For Elementary Students That Can Be Used Onsite Or Online. When they finish, you can have them introduce themselves by sharing what is on their name card. Have students make a fan by folding the paper back and forth into seven equal sections. The above activity is based on the PLS graduate course Building Communication and Teamwork in the Classroom™. Assign a buddy. Summarize the importance of individual differences and similarities in people. The goal is to see how many people you can fit in the middle- without breaking hands. Each 5th grader then wrote, illustrated, designed, and bound a book about his or her assigned kindergarten student. Working in groups during the editing process, they practiced offering compliments and constructive criticism. The students can not name themselves, only others. When they find their other half, you may ask them to get to know their new partner by asking things like favorite ice cream or dream vacation etc…. That person in the middle calls in some one–one at a time. 38. Suggest they notice their apple’s special characteristics. If no—say, “Tommy needs help in tying his shoe…can someone help?”. Have them paint them. Everyone who fits the statement must move (run) to another chair. See example for Janice: When these are complete, include a photo and post around the room. Explain that they may have a joke or a punch line on the card. Maybe they would like to make a welcome banner or sign. You will draw an item out of your bag and then explain why you chose that item and what it means to you or how it tells something about you. This isn’t a game but a great way to assemble kids quickly. 39. Furthermore, they will have completed many getting to know you activities and icebreakers previously. Need: When children are finished, have them share their pictures with the group. Make a list of how people are different. What a great self-esteem booster. Discuss what helped and what made it difficult. In the process they get to learn 2 things about each classmate. Give the group a specific time (perhaps 5 minutes) to write a list of everything they all have in common. Instruct them to clearly print their name on the front and to then decorate it with pictures that describe them. Release all balloons at once. Need: Crayons and/or colored pencils. The group forms tight circle around person who stands straight and stiff as a log. Here you will find ways to have fun with your students while learning their names and taking attendance. To Start: Hi Barb! 35. Within the first week I was able to teach and let students practice 3 standards and get to know each other.). This activity can be adapted in many different ways. In this formation have the team move from point ‘A’ to point ‘B’. The faller falls again — and the catcher let him fall a little further than before. This is a favorite activity for many students as they try to guess which clue is inaccurate. Example: The children then chose what characteristics they believe themselves to have and put them on the necklace. This works best for small groups or for each small group sitting together as a team (4-6 participants). Try asking questions like, “What strategy did you use to find the other person?” or “What does your quote mean to you in your personal life?” Try this activity using other things written on the cards, such as characters or quotes from books you read during the year. Trace each child’s hand on a piece of paper. To help with the getting-to-know-you process during distance learning we have created this Interview a Classmate template in both PDF format and an interactive Google Slide as well. Take the time to revisit “getting to know you” games and activities. Have paper available for the students to write down their answers. See more ideas about get to know you activities, beginning of school, getting to know you. When they have found them, they must sit in order from dad to baby in a line on the floor. These are great getting to know you activities and name games for your elementary Music class to use on the first day of school. Have students interview each other with a video recording and then create a short introduction video that is shared with the class. Then review the design with the child to make sure it conveys the message the child wants to express. Children can become resident ‘experts’ in the program and this is one way of finding out what the range of knowledge is among a group of students. ME-SHIRT Within a few seconds, the atmosphere in the car really lightened up and they were each sharing! © Copyright 2020 - Kids Activities | Privacy Policy | Disclaimer | Terms & Conditions |kid activities is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. Beside learning about each other, they will develop a better appreciation of the roles they fill in their families and community. Have all of the children wear nametags again. They can use only the given supplies. 3. Another option is to share a meaningful object and tell a related story. Allow the students to share their stories with the rest of the group. This shows the students that they can share simple, non-threatening information. On “Say Something Nice Day’, notice something you like about a person and tell them. Just wanted to let you know how the jelly roll went. Which exhibits were the most interesting? Ask the group to brainstorm ways they can help the new child to feel comfortable and welcome. This can be humorous (e.g. Participants are equally divided between three fruits (such as apples, oranges and pineapples). 20. Everyone loves to get mail, and this is a good way to send them a friendly greeting before they meet you in person. (Books written with a lesson built in– for children) See more ideas about get to know you activities, getting to know you, teaching. 1. T-E-A-M CHEER Instruct youth that their shoes are fused to the person‘s shoe to their right and left. Have someone at the front of the lines watching, and have someone at the back of the lines watching also. A lot of self-hugging has been going on to mime a real hug. With consistency- it soon would become part of program routine. I’m sure we will do this again just because the children loved it so much! If they guess correctly they have the picture removed from their back but still circulate to help others. In order for youth to build self esteem, they need to know who they are and what is important and unique to them personally. After the three options are read, the class needs to determine which 2 are true and which is a lie. Each word they choose should describe them in some way. Children become a more cohesive unit, independent, and self esteem soars as they learn from and help each other! To help you start learning about your students, I put together some get to know you games and activities for distance learning. Hi there, This chance we bring you various awesome pictures that we've gathered so they might helpful, in this post we are focused related with Printable Getting to Know You Worksheets. The players must find the other members in their family. The back person (who is watching) must give a number to the last two in the line. Play some calming music. Place the pictures on the bulletin board in a scrambled up manner and have the student decide who goes with which pet. Before they started we had each group pick which end of the line would make the center of the cinnamon roll, so they knew which way to turn. This activity took place in Michigan and is adaptable to grades 3 and up…It took place during the school day—but CAN be adapted to SAC!!! (movie, animal, sport, song, color, food, pet, TV show, book, etc.) (If you have an odd number of children in the group, use a card yourself.). To use this resource virtually:. Positive Affirmations and Positive Self-talk Strategies, The Secrets to Making Yourself a Priority, Power of Yet: helping students develop a growth mindset, Experienced teachers sharing their advice for less experienced teachers. The person who receives it — holds on to a corner of it— before passing it on to who they choose. These 10 activities are enjoyable to students elementary through high school. These 10 activities are enjoyable to students elementary through high school. •When everyone has a balloon the leader calls on one child and the child says the name of the person’s balloon he/she has. 22. It is also very non-threatening because the student gets to choose their own items to share and talk about. You may want to invite parents or another class to join your Me-shirt party. Assign each student a partner, and provide them with the Interactive Google Slide version of the Interview a Classmate Template. (If necessary help kids circulate around the room and interact with one another.) ADD THE WORD “YET” to any negative assessment children express of themselves or other people. Any happy word will do. Do not let them see it. 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