The #1 ESL Ice Breaker Game

Welcome to Part 2 of my “How to Get to Know Your Students” series. Out of the 4 ways, this one just might be my favorite.

Not even kidding. I love this game. The first day of class is always a little tricky, being full of so many variables. But no matter how chaotic or, let’s face it, how badly the class went, I can always pull out this game to save the day. And if you killed it on your first day of class, this game is the perfect bow to cinch it all together 

Materials:

• Pen and piece of paper for each student

• Small prize (candy or a coke) {Optional}

Preparation:

Think of 15 questions for the students to answer (or just use my list).

How to Play:

This is an incredibly simple game, but it needs to be explained very well in order to work. I’ll give you a quick run-down of how it works, and I’ll also include my instructions.

On the board or PowerPoint, you’ll have a list of 15 “people to find.” Maybe they need to find someone who has visited Beijing, or someone who can play the guitar. Each student has his own paper, and will walk around collecting signatures from the people who fit those descriptions. The first person to collect 15 signatures wins!

How to Explain:

Step 1: Tell each student to number a piece of paper 1-15. Make sure they do this vertically, not horizontally. Hold up an example for them to see. 

Step 2: Have them all stand up. This encourages them to actually start the game when you say go, instead of shyly looking around, wondering who will stand first. Also, it helps makes sure they’ll actually move around the room.

Step 3: Without showing the list of people to find, do an example. The example I usually use is “find someone with glasses.” I tell them I’ll show them an example, and say, “For example, number one is “find someone with glasses. So, I’ll look around the room and find someone who is wearing glasses.” Actually find a student with classes and point him out. “Look! John has glasses!”

Step 4: I then walk up to John, and ask him to sign his name on my paper. I actually hand the paper to him, and have him sign it for everyone to see. This ensures the students are actually interacting with each other and speaking English instead of just writing down names of people they see who fit the profile. 

Step 5: Start the game! “Are you ready? Go!” I walk around the room with them, monitoring, and answering questions, but then also playing the game with them. It’s a great way to motivate everyone to participate, and you’ll get to know your students a little better on the first day!

Step 6: Tell them the first student, first three students, or first five students who collect all 15 signatures will get a prize. {If you don’t want to give a prize, that’s perfectly fine. For lower-level students, younger students, and students who need more motivation to get involved, I’ve found it works better. For upper-level students or English majors, I’ve found the satisfaction of the game is more than enough.}

My list:

1. Someone who is wearing white

2.  Someone who is from Guangdong

3.  Someone who is older than you

4.  Someone who has a sister

5.  Someone who likes superhero movies

6.  Someone who loves sushi

7.  Someone who has visited Beijing

8.  Someone who had a part-time job this summer / winter holiday

9.  Someone who has a pet dog

10.   Someone who traveled during the summer / winter holiday

11.   Someone who has glasses

12.   Someone who wants to be a teacher

13.   Someone who can play an instrument

14.   Someone whose favorite color is green

15.   Someone who has a boyfriend or girlfriend

Tip: Be sure to explain it very, very well. Go slowly and clearly. Give the students examples. It’s a little overwhelming the first day of class, but once they get it, you’ll have a great time.