5 Engaging Icebreaker Ideas for the Fifth Grade Classroom (2024)

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As a teacher, you know the first week of school sets the tone for the entire academic year. As a fifth-grade teacher, my goal was to create a positive and inclusive learning environment right from the start. One way to do this is by incorporating icebreakers into your back to school lesson plans. Icebreakers are fun, low-stakes activities that break down barriers between students and promote communication and active listening skills. Read on to find out about a few of my favorite back to school icebreakers.

This classic icebreaker encourages students to actively listen and engage in critical thinking. Each student takes turns sharing three statements about themselves, two of which are true and one that is a lie. The rest of the class then has to guess which statement is the lie. This activity promotes attentive listening as students carefully consider the statements and ask questions to uncover the truth.

Find Someone Who Can

This icebreaker is similar to the “Find Someone Who” activity you may have seen on the internet. The difference is instead of finding someone in class who went to Europe this summer (and boo to those who stayed home), I create a page with easy review academic questions, such as, “Which word is spelled incorrectly?” or “What is the sum of 6 x 4?” This activity helps students to showcase their academic skills and find others that may be good at either math or language arts while at the same time encouraging them to talk with students they might not get to know right away.

The Human Knot

In this physical icebreaker, students stand in a circle and extend their hands into the center, randomly holding hands with two different people. The challenge is to untangle the “human knot” without letting go of anyone’s hand. Students must communicate and actively listen to one another to strategize and solve the puzzle. This activity encourages teamwork and enhances listening skills, as students need to pay attention to their classmates’ suggestions. Here is a great video that shows this activity in action.

Find Someone Who Can...

This icebreaker sparks lively discussions and encourages students to express their preferences while listening to others’ opinions. Divide students into small groups of three or four people. Write a series of scenarios on index cards or task cards, such as “Would you rather have the ability to fly or be invisible?” You can also focus questions on school or academic scenarios, for example, “Would you rather read a novel or a short story?” or “Would you rather play PE or do an art lesson?” Students can share their choices and explain their reasoning while also actively listening to their peers’ justifications. This activity promotes communication skills and develops active listening skills by encouraging respect for differing opinions.

Emoji Sharing

Emojis are a popular way to express emotions, and this icebreaker harnesses their familiarity to encourage students to share their feelings. Prepare a set of emotion cards featuring different emojis, such as happy, sad, surprised, or confused. Each student selects a card and expresses why they feel that way, while the rest of the class actively listens and shows empathy. Another option is to show the class the emoji cards and ask students to tell what they would do to help someone that seems to experiencing the emotion. For example, show the anger emoji to students. They then can brainstorm how they could diffuse the anger or ask questions as to why the students might be angry. This activity promotes emotional intelligence, active listening and creates a supportive classroom environment.

Icebreakers are powerful tools that can enhance communication and active listening skills in the fifth-grade classroom. You can build a positive and inclusive learning environment by incorporating these engaging activities during the first week of school.

If you are looking for fun and engaging icebreakers that will not only break the ice but also promote a positive classroom environment, take a look at some I have created just for you!

5 Engaging Icebreaker Ideas for the Fifth Grade Classroom (2)

5 Engaging Icebreaker Ideas for the Fifth Grade Classroom (3)

5 Engaging Icebreaker Ideas for the Fifth Grade Classroom (4)

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 5 Engaging Icebreaker Ideas for the Fifth Grade Classroom (2024)

FAQs

What is the best ice breaker for 5th grade? ›

Two Truths and a Lie

This classic icebreaker encourages students to actively listen and engage in critical thinking. Each student takes turns sharing three statements about themselves, two of which are true and one that is a lie. The rest of the class then has to guess which statement is the lie.

What are 5 great ice breaker questions? ›

  • Quirky Ice Breaker Questions. ❖ If you could hang out with any cartoon character, who would you choose and why? ...
  • ❖ What would you like to be known/remembered for? ❖ What sport would you compete in if you were in the Olympics? ...
  • ❖ If money and time were no object, what would you be doing right now?

What is just 5 things icebreaker? ›

Just Five Things - This icebreaker is so versatile and can work for any group. Break up into groups of four or five and tell them they'll be coming up with a list of five things to answer a prompt. Create a question that relates to your group.

What are 3 fun ice breaker questions for kids? ›

Preschool
  • If you were invisible for a day, what would you do?
  • Why do you think we sleep?
  • If you could, what two animals would you combine?
  • What is your favorite game to play?
  • If you could play with just one toy this year, what would it be?
  • If you could invent anything, what would you invent?

What are some great quick ice breaker questions? ›

Get to know your team icebreakers
  • Where did you grow up?
  • What day in your life would you like to relive?
  • What is the kindest act you have ever done?
  • Describe yourself in three words.
  • What was your dream job as a kid?
  • What are the top three items on your bucket list?
  • What movie scene is worthy of an Oscar?
Dec 23, 2022

What are the 4 C's icebreaker? ›

Ice Breaker 4: Four C's

Ask each person to name a cartoon character, a color, a car, and a cuisine that best describes his or her personality and explain why.

What are the best 3 icebreaker questions? ›

Icebreaker questions for small groups
  • What's your one piece of advice to everyone here?
  • What question do you wish people would ask you?
  • What is one thing we would never guess about you?
  • What's one thing you want to do in life but don't know where to start?
  • What's a cause or purpose you deeply believe in?

What is a one word icebreaker? ›

The One-Word Icebreaker

Once you've decided on the theme, ask each participant to think of one word that describes their thoughts or feelings about it. As each participant shares their one-word response, the group can discuss their perspectives and insights.

What is the one good thing icebreaker? ›

ONE GOOD THING Participants introduce themselves and share one good thing (can be work related or personal).

What is the most common icebreaker? ›

Best Icebreaker Questions for Meetings
  • What's is one thing we don't know about you?
  • What is your favorite meal to cook and why?
  • Are you a morning person or a night person?
  • What is your favorite musical instrument and why?
  • Are you a cat person or a dog person?
  • What languages do you know how to speak?
  • Popcorn or M&Ms?
Sep 17, 2021

What is the marshmallow game for icebreaker? ›

What is the marshmallow challenge? The challenge is to build the tallest free-standing structure with a marshmallow on top! This is lots of fun when you have multiple teams competing against each other, but you can also do this with just a single team.

What is a good ice breaker fun fact? ›

How To Pick The Perfect 'Fun Fact' For Icebreaker Questions
  • “I used to do magic tricks.”
  • “I'm 6' 3” and I do not play basketball.”
  • “I have a background in astrophysics.”
  • And if you're in charge of deciding to use an icebreaker, aim to have it be a stress-free experience for employees.
Nov 2, 2022

What are creative questions for kids? ›

25 engaging questions for kids
  • If you could be any animal, what would you choose to be?
  • What was the funniest thing that happened at school today?
  • What's one thing you wish grown-ups knew about kids?
  • If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?
  • Who is your favorite superhero, and why?
Dec 20, 2023

Would you rather ice breaker questions for kids? ›

Would You Rather Questions For Little Kids
  • Would you rather read a book or watch TV?
  • Would you rather have blue hair or green hair?
  • Would you rather eat a cupcake or an apple?
  • Would you rather have a pet dog or a pet cat?
  • Would you rather play at the sand pit or paddle pool?
  • Would you rather eat an apple or an orange?
Nov 17, 2023

What would be a good ice breaker? ›

Icebreaker questions for small groups
  • What's your one piece of advice to everyone here?
  • What question do you wish people would ask you?
  • What is one thing we would never guess about you?
  • What's one thing you want to do in life but don't know where to start?
  • What's a cause or purpose you deeply believe in?

What is the most powerful icebreaker? ›

Arktika is one of the latest nuclear-powered of Russia under the Project 22220 icebreakers. It is currently the largest and most powerful icebreaker ship in the world.

What is the age rating for icebreaker? ›

Children should not read this book unless they are over 15, as it does contain a few graphic scenes that may worry them. Overall, it is a great fluffy read for the holidays for teens.

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