7 Get to Know You Activities for Back to School
The start of a new school year brings a sense of excitement and opportunity to build a strong classroom community. Engaging in fun and interactive get to know you activities helps students connect with their peers and fosters a positive and inclusive environment. In this blog post, I’ll explore 7 fantastic get to know you activities specially designed for K-2 students, ensuring a memorable back to school experience. These activities promote active listening, empathy, and shared experiences, setting the stage for building friendships, enhancing collaboration, and creating a supportive classroom community.
The 7 get to know you activities in this blog post include:
1. Circle Time
One of the easiest get to know you activities you can do is circle time. During circle time the first 1-2 weeks of school, allow for students to share something unique about themselves. At the beginning of the school year, it might be helpful to have a prompt each time for students to answer. This can be a recent accomplishment, a special talent, or sharing their favorite _____.
Every Monday in my classroom we have circle time after the announcements. Students get to share up to 2 “sunshines” or “clouds” with the class (trust me, you’ll want to set a limit!!) While this might seem like such a little thing, it was my students’ FAVORITE thing to do. If I ever forgot to announce circle time, they were quick to remind me and were so eager to share with their peers.
Be sure to set the expectations for this time early on. Encourage active listening and positive reinforcement from their peers, creating an environment of support, listening, and understanding. Circle time share sessions not only promote self-expression but also allow students to appreciate the diverse talents, backgrounds, and interests within the classroom.
2. Partner Interviews
Next up on the list of get to know you activities is partner interviews. Pair up students and provide them with a set of prepared questions to interview each other. Questions can revolve around favorite foods, TV shows, books, hobbies, pets, or family members. After the interviews, give each student an opportunity to introduce their partner to the class, sharing a few interesting facts they discovered. This activity encourages active listening, communication, and empathy. It helps students discover shared interests, build connections, and appreciate the uniqueness of their classmates.
3. Find Someone Who… Activity
Engage students in a fun “Find Someone Who…” activity by giving students a paper with various characteristics or hobbies. Each student receives a paper and moves around the classroom, trying to find classmates who fit the descriptions on their cards. If a peer matches a characteristic, they ask that student to write their name down in the box. This interactive game promotes social interaction, communication, and teamwork. It helps students find commonalities with their peers and fosters a sense of belonging within the classroom (and students get lots of practice writing their names!)
You can grab a FREE Find Someone Who… Activity complete with visual cues to use with your students below!
4. All About Your Teacher Book
One of my favorite get to know you activities on the first day of school is letting the class know more about me! I have had a book about myself ever since my first year of teaching. I read it on the morning of the first day of school so that students can learn more about me, my family, and my interests early on. Students love to find things they have in common with me and truly enjoy this book every year.
When I say this is a class favorite, I’m not kidding… I put this book in our classroom library after reading it and students love to put it in their book box and read throughout the year. I even had students write book responses with facts they learned about me (it is a nonfiction book, after all)! You can read more about my “All About Me” Teacher Book here.
5. Classroom Scavenger Hunt
Some get to know you activities are great at getting students up & moving, like organizing a classroom scavenger hunt to familiarize students with their learning environment while promoting teamwork and collaboration. Create a list of items or locations within the classroom, such as the classroom library, turn-in bin, locations for center activities, etc. Divide students into small teams and assign them the task of locating each item or area. If you use Seesaw in your classroom, have a slide for different areas of your classroom with a picture placeholder for students to capture a picture of that area.
This fun back to school activity encourages communication and through collaboration, students build connections and a sense of shared accomplishment.
6. All About Me Flower Craft
This Flower Craft is a fun back to school activity students can do to get to know more about each other. Provide students with a template of a flower where their picture is placed in the center (you could also have students draw their picture in the middle or just write their names). Each petal represents a different trait or fact about the student (you can choose between prompts for each petal or blank petals for students to pick their own traits/facts).
This All About Me Flower activity not only helps students share information about themselves but also promotes appreciation for the unique qualities of their peers. By displaying the flower crafts in the hallway or classroom, students can see the diverse interests and experiences that make up their classroom community. You could even arrange the flowers on the wall and add some paper “grass” to the bottom to make a classroom garden!
7. All About Me Poster
My first grade team sends these posters home on the first day of school as first week “homework” every year. Each student gets a turn having their poster displayed outside the classroom (usually when they are line leader). Students take great pride when their poster is being spotlighted. I have a poster I share with students on the first day as an example.
I’ve had all students share their posters the second week of school or I’ve had students share their poster with the class on the week it’s displayed in the hall. Regardless of when they share, I like to call on a few students each time to share things they have in common with the spotlighted student (after they are done talking). I love using these posters, as they help students see similarities and differences they have with their peers.
So there you have it! These 7 awesome get to know you activities for K-2 students are a surefire way to build an amazing classroom community. From circle time shares to partner interviews, finding someone who…, all about your teacher books, classroom scavenger hunts, flower crafts, and all about me posters, these getto know you activities will help you foster active listening, empathy, and shared experiences in no time.
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