First day of class. You’re standing in front of your classroom, twenty-five faces looking back at you. Your students. They’re waiting, expectant. You introduce yourself, go through the little get-to-know-me presentation you prepared and they seemed to enjoy it enough. But you don’t know anything about them and they may not even know each other very well yet. You’re going to need an ice breaker. An activity they can do that will allow them to get to know each other, get comfortable with each other and, just as importantly, tell you a little about them.

I learned this one during my TEFL certification course and, to be honest, it’s likely the most valuable thing I took away from that course aside from the qualification itself. I’ve used this ice breaker ice breaker at every school I’ve worked in and with nearly every class.

Here’s how it works:

Write up a list of statements describing people. For example, “A person who has more than two siblings,” or “A person who plays a musical instrument,” or maybe, “A person who has met a celebrity.” I usually use a list of at least ten items but rarely more than fifteen.

Write or display the list on the board and go through it with your students, prompting them to explain each item and focusing on any potentially troublesome words or concepts (sibling, instrument, celebrity, for example). Ensure that the students seem to understand each item.

You then explain that they will need to find an individual in the class that matches each of these items. For example, they will need to find someone who has more than two siblings and, once they’ve found that person, they right their name next to the matching item. Depending on your students’ level of ability and the size of the class you may also want to make it a rule that they cannot use the same name for more than one (or two or three) items and they cannot use themselves. You’ll also need to decide if you want to allow them to include you. You can also give them a specified amount of time to fill as much of their list as possible.

Make it clear that they are expected to get up and walk around, not simply seek out their immediate neighbours or best friends in the class. If they are of a lower ability you may also want to practice a few questions with them. “What would you ask to find out if someone has more than two siblings?” for example.

Now hand out printed copies of the list or have them write the list down for themselves. It’s recommended that you only hand these out after you’ve given your instructions to ensure your students pay attention.

Lists in hand, the students then walk around asking each other questions to find classmates to match each item on the list. You walk around as well and monitor, checking that they keep to English. This is also a good opportunity to assess your students’ individual abilities by listening in on them as they interact in English.

Once students have completed their lists have them return to their seats. I then like to address each student one by one, having them give their name and then asking them who they found for a random item on the list. Whomever they name, I have that person raise his or her hand. This way I get “introduced” to most students several times throughout the activity. If students are advanced enough I also ask them questions about how they matched the item, such as “So, what musical instrument do you play?” or “Which celebrity did you meet?”

The activity works on several levels. It introduces students to new vocabulary, which you can decide upon when crafting the items on your list. It gets students to get up and move around, which is important to include on a semi-regular basis. It has students engaging and getting to know each other, especially valuable if the students are mostly or all new to each other. It gives you an opportunity to monitor and assess your new class’s abilities, as a group but individually, as well. And, finally, it allows you to get to know your students and hear their names a few times in a short amount of time. It also works with nearly any age group ( it may be beyond the abilities of very young students) and most levels of ability.

As an example, here’s a full list of ten items I’ve used a few times but, obviously, there are hundreds of possibilities.

Give it a try during your first class with a group and let me know how it goes.