Break the Ice! 3 ESL Icebreaker Games

If your students change each semester, then you can basically just stick with one icebreaker game on the first day of class and re-use it each semester. If, however, your students change each semester, or maybe you just want to use icebreaker games get to know your students throughout several weeks, here are three ESL icebreaker game ideas!

1) Paper War

If you want students to get up and moving, then this is the perfect game. Have every student write a little-known fact about himself on a piece of paper. I usually call this a “secret.” I explain it as something not many people know about you, but not something you would never tell someone. “I have two brothers” wouldn’t be as good as “I started learning German in middle school, but quit.”  

Divide the class in half, and have all the students wad up their paper into a ball. Have the two sides face each other, and on the count of three, throw their paper balls at the opposing side. 

Each student should then pick up a piece of paper and walk around the room to find the owner. He can use strategic guessing or he can just ask each student, “Hey, did you ever learn German?” 

As a fun twist, after all or most of the class has found their paper’s owners, you can have them share the “secret” with the class.

This game is great for high-energy or sometimes hard-to-manage classes since it gives them the chance to work off all their energy, and gives them the excuse to get a little crazy.

Tips:

• It’s helpful to act this one out before beginning the class so students can clearly see what they’re supposed to do.

• Make sure students are all writing on white paper. The one student who wrote his secret on a neon yellow Post-it note is definitely going to be found first.

2) Two Truths and a Lie

This is a classic icebreaker game, for good reason. Give a few minutes for each student to think of two true facts about himself, as well as one lie. For example, “I have traveled to Japan. I have two dogs. I am really good at Ping-Pong.” 

Ask a student to stand and say his three facts. Together as a class, vote together on which one you think is a lie. Keep score on the board of how many the class got right.

This game is simple and great for promoting a team spirit mentality. 

Tips:

• Encourage students to write down their two truths and a lie. I’ve had students stand up and completely forget what they were going to say, especially if they weren’t the first student who shared. 

• You could also have students do this in pairs or small groups, but this is a little harder to control. 

3) M&M Reveals

This game could otherwise be called “Skittles Reveal” or even “Paper Reveal.” 

Put the M&Ms (or Skittles or any other small colorful thing) in a bowl and tell students to each take one. Don’t tell them why, and tell them not to eat them (There’s always that student who will anyway—It is hard to resist).

Each color relates to a type of fact they should reveal about themselves. For example:

Green            ---        Reveal your favorite movie

Yellow           ---        Reveal your favorite exercise/sport

Orange          ---        Reveal your favorite vacation destination

Blue                ---        Reveal your favorite food

You can swap out the meanings of each color if you like or you could even write conversation-starting questions on the board. For example, 

Green            ---        What is your biggest fear?

Yellow           ---        If you had a million dollars, what would you buy?

Orange          ---        If you were an animal, what would you be?

Blue                ---        Would you ever get a tattoo? If so, what would it be?

Variations:

• If you have a smaller class or extra time, you could tell students to take two or even three M&Ms, so they will share more. 

 Try these out if you need an icebreaker game on the first day or if you just want more opportunities to get to know your students better!