Teach17

A new tutor group can feel awkward at first, especially when pupils do not know each other well. The best icebreakers are quick, easy to explain and give everyone something simple to talk about without forcing anyone too far out of their comfort zone.

1. Two truths and a lie. Each pupil gives three statements about themselves and the rest of the group tries to spot the made up one.
2. Find someone who. Give pupils a list of things to find out, such as who has a pet, who plays an instrument, who has travelled abroad or who supports a football team.
3. This or that. Give the group quick choices such as beach or mountains, sweet or savoury, early mornings or late nights, then ask a few pupils why they chose their answer.
4. Name and favourite. Each pupil says their name and one favourite thing, such as a film, food, subject, sport or place.
5. Would you rather? Use light questions such as “Would you rather always be too hot or always be too cold?” and let pupils compare answers.
6. Three things in common. Put pupils into groups of three or four and ask them to find three things they all share that are not immediately obvious.
7. Birthday order. Ask the group to arrange themselves in birthday order without you organising it for them. It gets everyone moving and talking straight away.
8. Guess who. Pupils write one unusual or interesting fact about themselves on a piece of paper. Read them out and let the group guess who each one belongs to.
9. My top three. Ask pupils to choose their top three foods, films, songs, games, hobbies or places. They can then compare choices with someone nearby.
10. Four corners. Give four possible answers to a question and ask pupils to move to the corner that best represents their choice. It works particularly well with favourite subjects, hobbies or holiday destinations.
11. Question swap. Give each pupil a simple question. They ask someone, swap questions and move on to another person. Within a few minutes they have spoken to several classmates.
12. Introduce someone else. Put pupils into pairs and give them two minutes to find out a few things about each other. They then introduce their partner to the group.
13. One thing people might not know. Ask each pupil to share something small about themselves that would not be obvious from meeting them.
14. The perfect weekend. Ask pupils what they would choose to do if they had a completely free Saturday. This often brings out hobbies and interests naturally.
15. One thing I am good at. Pupils share something they feel confident doing. It could be a subject, sport, gaming, cooking, drawing or anything else.
16. One goal for this year. Ask everyone to write down one thing they would like to achieve by the end of the year. It can be academic, personal or extracurricular.
17. Make a tutor group time capsule. Ask pupils to write down a hope, prediction or goal for the year. Keep them and open them again during the final few weeks of term.