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Starting the school year can be a thrilling yet daunting experience, especially for ESL (English as a Second Language) students. The first few days are critical for setting a positive tone, building rapport, and creating a supportive learning environment. As teachers, it's essential to use engaging ice breakers to help these students feel welcome, break down language barriers, and foster a sense of community. Here are some effective ice breakers tailored for ESL students that can help make those first days of school both fun and productive.
1. Blobs and Lines
This icebreaker resource is a great first day of school activity and is designed specifically for ESL and bilingual classrooms (English/Spanish). Students are required to form lines or blobs based on the prompt on the screen about various topics.
Example: Line up in alphabetical order by first name.
Example: Which do you prefer: Cat or dogs? Form blobs (groups).
The tasks get students talking to each other in a low stress way, develop social emotional skills, and build classroom community. Because the slides are bilingual, ESL students can also start to connect the Spanish to words to their English equivalents. This is also a great activity even if you are not an ESL teacher but perhaps you have some ELLs (or former ELLs) in your classroom. The bilingual slides support comprehension and allow everyone to participate.
The movement around the classroom promotes high engagement in the activity. You can expand on the language demands by asking students questions about their responses.
2. Find Someone Who…
How It Works: Create a list of statements like “Find someone who has traveled to another country” or “Find someone who likes pizza.” Students mingle and ask each other questions to find classmates who match the descriptions. When they find a match, they write that person’s name on the list.
Adaptation for ESL: Provide a sample list and model the activity to ensure students understand how to ask questions and record answers. Consider using visual aids or simplified statements to make the task more accessible.
In the example I've included, the students need to practice creating affirmative and negative statements. They go around the room asking each other questions. The person to whom they ask the question must answer in a complete sentence and sign their name. Once the entire paper is filled out, the game is complete.
3. I have...Who has...?
Do your ESL students need to build speaking confidence? Do you need a fun game or centers activity that ELLs can independently play while developing their English skills? Try this fun, engaging, and practical I have, Who has game!
This deck covers days of the week, months, and seasons vocabulary. This is a great way to build speaking fluency, listening skills, vocabulary acquisition, and collaborative learning!
I have used this as a centers activity and as a whole class (teacher led) game for years and students love it. I recommend going over the rules of the game/demonstrating the game first and reviewing the vocabulary before you turn students loose to play on their own.
4. Go Fish! School Supply Vocabulary
Do you need a fun game or centers activity that ELLs can independently play while developing their English skills? Try this fun, engaging, and practical Go Fish game!
This Go Fish deck is school supply themed and comes with adorable pictures, clear text, and bright colors so that your ESL students are engaged and can play the game independently. The game comes with a language reference sheet for students so that they have all the vocabulary and phrasing they need in order to play. This is a great way to build speaking fluency, vocabulary, and collaborative learning!
I have used this as a centers activity for years and students love it. I recommend going over the rules of the game/demonstrating the game first and reviewing the vocabulary before you turn students loose to play on their own.
4. Classroom Scavenger Hunt
Objective: Familiarize students with their new classroom and classmates.
How It Works: Create a list of items or features in the classroom for students to find, such as “Find the teacher’s desk” or “Locate the book corner.” Include social elements, like “Find someone who has the same favorite color as you.”
Adaptation for ESL: Provide a visual scavenger hunt list with pictures or symbols representing the items. This makes it easier for students to understand and participate in the activity.
5. Picture Share
Objective: Facilitate sharing and conversation using visual aids.
How It Works: Ask students to bring a picture that represents something about themselves, such as a photo from a vacation, a family portrait, or a favorite hobby. Students take turns sharing their pictures and explaining their significance.
Adaptation for ESL: Encourage students to use simple phrases or sentences to describe their pictures. Provide sentence starters like “This is a picture of…” to support their speaking.
Tips for Success:
Be Patient: Allow extra time for explanations and be patient as students navigate new activities in a new language.
Encourage Participation: Use positive reinforcement to motivate students and build their confidence.
Adapt as Needed: Be flexible and adjust activities to meet the needs and language proficiency of your students.
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