Preschool icebreakers

Preschool Icebreakers Getting to Know You

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Children (and adults) stand in a circle. An adult starts off the game by throwing a beanbag or ball at someone in the circle and asking a question at the same time - such as ▪ "What's your name?"

▪ "Do you have a brother or sister?"

▪ "What's your favourite colour?" and so on.

The person who catches the beanbag/ball must answer the question and then throw it on and ask their own question. The game works best if you keep it moving quite quickly, so you may have to step in to prod very young children.

My Bear

This is a game that shows children that they are unique but also allows them to see things that they have in common. It probably works best in smallish groups (about 10) of 4-8 year olds.

!You will need: ▪ ▪ ▪

A printout of My Bear (see index) Coloring pens, pencils or crayons A list of questions - make up your own or use ours (index)

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Give each child a black and white bear. Ask them to listen to your questions and colour in their bears in answer to the questions. For example you might say Do you have any sisters or brothers? If you have a sister colour the bears tummy red, if you have a brother colour it blue, if you have both colour the bears tummy purple. It is best to keep questions down to two or three answers, particularly with younger children.

!When they are finished ask the children to look at one anothers bears. Are any the !

same? Can they spot similarities and differences between them?

Name Chase

This is a particularly good game if you have a few new members joining a group. Based on the old favourite Duck, Duck, Goose, it helps everyone learn the children's names.

!This children sit around in a circle, facing each other. One child is chosen to be "it"

first.

That child who is "it" stands up and walks around the outside of the circle tapping each child on the head and saying their name, with prompting if necessary. At some point he when he taps a child on the head he will say the name of the group instead (the class name, Scout, Brownie, Daisy etc)

!The chosen child must now jump up and chase the first child around the circle, trying !

to tag "it" before he can sit down in their place. If he succeeds, "it" has another go. If he fails, he takes over as "it".

Wipe That Smile Off Your Face

Best played with a large group of kids but we have had fun playing this at family dinner times, with just four. It works with any age, but is best when the children are young.

!Sit round in a circle. Youngest starts. He smiles his widest, silliest smile at everyone round the circle, trying to make someone else giggle or laugh. He gets a point for everyone who can't keep a totally straight face. After a while, he uses one hand to

Preschool Icebreakers literally "wipe" the smile off his face, and hand it to the person next to him, and on it goes.

!When the kids are little this game can cause much merriment, especially if you are !

playing with mixed ages. Not many little children can keep a straight face when their Granny or Grandpa is grinning madly at them!

I Am Special

Let each of your little guys get comfortable with each other by sharing something special about themselves. Have the new group sit together in a circle and start the ice breaker by introducing yourself and telling the group something special. "My name is Rosie and I’m special because I have a German Shepherd puppy."

!Have the tot next to you do the same and continue all around the circle. The point of !

the game is to have everyone introduce themselves and get comfortable talking to the group.

Animal Groups

This ice breaker will have them comfortable and laughing in no time! Draw or print pictures of animals onto little slips of paper.

!Choose three or four different animals in total. The animals should be easy for your !

little munchkins to recognize and imitate the animal noises. Hand out a slip of paper to every one of your preschoolers. Have the kids make the animal noises and find the other kids who are making the same noises so they can form little groups and mingle.

Get Moving

Let a rambunctious little group move and mingle at the same time. Preschoolers have a ton of energy and you can use that to your advantage to get the group comfortable with each other. Play a few physical games, such as Duck, Duck, Goose, Ring Around the Rosie or Musical Chairs for plenty of smiles and preschool-age socializing.

!Play a variation of the traditional musical chairs so one is eliminated. Place numbered !

papers on the floor and fill a small jar with the same numbers. When the music stops, have each child dash for a number and call out one number from the jar. Have the child on the winning number share something about themselves and then continue the game. When everyone is having fun, the kids are more likely to open up and get comfortable with each other.

20 Questions

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Show the tots in your playgroup how they are the same and different with a game of 20 questions that also gets them moving. Make a list of questions, such as, "did you go swimming this summer?" or "do you have a swing set?" or "do you have pets at home?"

Have each child who says “yes” run to form a group. With each question, you’ll have the kids running from group to group, laughing as they bounce from place to place.

Scavenger Hunt

Play a popular party game to introduce your playgroup to each other and the playroom. Hide some simple items throughout the room and make pictorial lists of the

Preschool Icebreakers

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items. You can divide the kids into groups or pairs and send them on the hunt. Sit back and watch your little guys work together to search for the playroom treasure.

What Are You Doing?

Let the kids stand in a circle. If there are a lot of students, you can divide them into groups while you and your assistant (if you have one) roam around and supervise. Each is given a turn to ask the one beside him, “What are you doing?” When the child answers, “I am scratching my nose,” then everyone in the circle does the action repeatedly until the next one gives another action. The one who answered asks the classmate beside him the same question. Once an answer is given, everybody does the action again.

!If you think your kids are ready for a more challenging version, you can have them do !

this. One child asks the question. For example, his classmate answers, “I am brushing my teeth.” The child who asked will do the action of brushing his teeth. The child who answered asks the one beside him. When an answer is given, the one who asked is the one who will do the action. Everybody keeps on doing the action until the turn reaches them again.

Missing Words

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Sing a familiar song with accompanying actions. Cross out one or two words at a time, then sing the song without saying the omitted words but still doing the movements.

After several rounds, try singing the song faster. An additional challenge is to have kids replace some of the words with the first word they can think of. They will need to sing the song in the same way, but with these words in place.

Body Parts

Write names of different body parts in small pieces of paper. Fold them and let each child pick one. Have him draw that body part on a large paper. At the end, stick all the parts together to form a human figure. Usually, the result has everyone bursting into laughter. You can then have the children suggest names for the character.

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Hand Prints

Spread a huge paper on the floor. Prepare paints of various colors in large trays. Let the students dip their hands in the paints and make prints on the paper. They can combine colors and position their hands and fingers in different ways to create designs. Tell them that they have to fill up all the spaces.

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Hat Show

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Prepare different art materials--- buttons, sequins, paints, oil pastel, art paper, foam stamps, and more. Give each student a cardboard hat to design so as to represent himself. Present samples that exhibit this. For example, a child who loves to read books can cut out pictures of books and stick them on the hat. When everybody is finished, let them form a circle. Tell them that the “Hat Show” will begin. Have each child wear his hat and show to everyone, while the others try to guess what it tells about him.

There are many ice breaker games for preschool teachers to use with their students.

You may try a few at the beginning of the year to get them started on the right foot.

This is a great way to develop socialization skills and build friendships. It will also help you manage your class better, and have fun interacting with the kids at the same time.