Three Finds 3: Number Word Partners1. Write the number words from one to fifteen on cards and the numerals 1 to 15 on a second set. Use one pair for every two children.2. Each child takes a card. The teacher helps anyone holding a word to read it.3. Walk to find your match: the word "three" finds the numeral 3.4. Partners trade names, clap their number together, and line up in number order with the other pairs.Players: 6 to 30. Time: 7 min. Props: number cards, one for each child. Noise: loud. First day: yes.
Find Your Own Name on the Wall1. Before school, write each first name on a card and tape the cards around the room at the children's eye level. 2. On "go", everyone walks to find their own name and stands under it. 3. Each child looks at the nearest card on either side, and the teacher helps read those two names. Say hello to both classmates by name. 4. Carry your card back to your seat. It is your desk name tag for the week. Players: 6 to 30. Time: 6 min. Props: a name card for each child and tape. Noise: medium. First day: yes.
Flashlight Hello1. Dim the lights a little and sit in a circle. The teacher holds a flashlight. 2. The light lands on one child's shoes. That child says their first name, and the class answers "Hello, Mia" with a wave. 3. Move the light around the circle until every child has been greeted. 4. In the second round the light lands, and the class tries to say the name before the child does. Players: 6 to 30. Time: 5 min. Props: a flashlight. Noise: medium. First day: yes.
Line Up by First Sound1. Children sit at their seats. The teacher says one sound, not a letter name, such as "mmm". 2. Everyone whose first name starts with that sound tiptoes to the line at the door. A child who is not sure looks for the teacher's nod. 3. The class greets them together: "Good morning, Mia, Max and Maria." 4. Go on with new sounds until the whole class is in line and ready for the hallway. Players: 6 to 30. Time: 5 min. Props: none. Noise: medium. First day: yes.
Show all 24 games (21 more)
Name games with a move, continued
Name Freeze Picked by Two1. Play music while the class dances on the spot, beside the desks or on the rug. 2. Stop the music and call two children by name. Those two agree on a frozen shape, such as a star or a flamingo, and show it. 3. Everyone copies the shape and says both names: "Mia and Ben's star." 4. Start the music again and call two new names, until every child has helped pick a freeze. Players: 6 to 30. Time: 6 min. Props: music. Noise: loud. First day: yes.
Name Stick, Pick a Move1. Write each first name on a craft stick and stand the sticks in a cup. 2. The teacher pulls a stick and reads the name. That child stands and picks one move: a hop, a clap, a spin or a stomp. 3. The whole class does the move three times and says the name on each one. 4. The stick goes into a second cup, so everybody has a turn before any name comes up twice. Players: 6 to 30. Time: 6 min. Props: a craft stick for each child and two cups. Noise: loud. First day: yes.
Name Towers: One Cube a Letter1. Give each child a handful of linking cubes. 2. Each child snaps together one cube for every letter of their first name and stands the tower on the desk. 3. Carry your tower around and find a classmate whose tower is as tall as yours. Say both names and count the letters together. 4. Stand all the towers on one table, the short ones at one end, and read a few names along the row. Players: 6 to 30. Time: 8 min. Props: linking cubes, about eight for each child. Noise: medium. First day: yes.
Find a friend, read aloud 6
Capital Finds Small Letter1. Make one pair of cards for every two children: a capital letter on one card and the same letter in lowercase on the other, such as B and b. 2. Hand the cards out face down. On "go", turn yours over and walk to find the classmate who holds your letter. 3. Partners trade names and think of one thing that starts with their letter. 4. Each pair holds up its two cards and says the word. Mix the cards and play again for a new partner. Players: 6 to 30. Time: 6 min. Props: letter cards, one for each child. Noise: loud. First day: yes.
Find a Friend, One Box at a Time1. Give each child a sheet with six picture boxes: a dog, a bike, a pizza slice, a book, a swimmer and a ball. 2. The teacher reads the line for one box aloud: "Find a friend who likes dogs." The other five are a friend who rides a bike, who likes pizza, who has a favorite book, who likes to swim, and who plays ball at recess. 3. Children walk, ask "Do you like dogs?" and have a friend who says yes write a first name in the box. 4. Ring a bell, read the next box, and find a different friend. Nobody has to read the sheet alone. Players: 6 to 30. Time: 10 min. Props: a picture sheet and a pencil for each child, a bell. Noise: loud. First day: yes.
Five Names on My Bookmark1. Give each child a strip of card as long as a hand, and a pencil. 2. Walk up to a classmate, tell them your first name, and trade strips. 3. Write your own first name on your classmate's strip, as neatly as you can, and hand it back. 4. Collect five names. The strip is a bookmark for your first library book and a list of five friends to greet tomorrow. Players: 6 to 30. Time: 8 min. Props: a strip of card and a pencil for each child. Noise: medium. First day: yes.
Rhyme Partners: Cat Finds Hat1. Make picture cards in rhyming pairs: cat and hat, dog and log, bee and tree, star and car, fox and box, moon and spoon, snail and whale, goat and boat, king and ring, cake and snake, bear and chair, duck and truck, pig and wig, hen and pen, sock and clock. 2. Each child takes one card and says its word quietly. 3. Walk and say your word to the classmates you meet until you hear the one that rhymes with yours. 4. Rhyme partners sit down together, trade names and think of one more word that rhymes with their two. Players: 6 to 30. Time: 6 min. Props: rhyming picture cards, one for each child. Noise: loud. First day: yes.
Three Finds 3: Number Word Partners1. Write the number words from one to fifteen on cards and the numerals 1 to 15 on a second set. Use one pair for every two children. 2. Each child takes a card. The teacher helps anyone holding a word to read it. 3. Walk to find your match: the word "three" finds the numeral 3. 4. Partners trade names, clap their number together, and line up in number order with the other pairs. Players: 6 to 30. Time: 7 min. Props: number cards, one for each child. Noise: loud. First day: yes.
Three Friends, Three Recess Games1. Fold a sheet of paper into three parts. Each child takes the sheet and a crayon for a walk. 2. Find a friend, trade names and ask: "What do you like to play at recess?" 3. Draw the answer in one part of your sheet, and have your friend write their name under it. 4. Find two more friends the same way. Back at your seat, tell your neighbor who plays what. Players: 6 to 30. Time: 10 min. Props: paper and a crayon for each child. Noise: loud. First day: yes.
Draw it with a partner 6
Clap and Swap: A Line Each1. Partners sit side by side with one sheet of paper. Each holds a crayon of a different color. 2. On the teacher's clap, the first partner draws one line or one shape. On the next clap, the second partner adds one. 3. Nobody talks or plans. Keep going for twelve claps. 4. Now talk: partners decide together what the picture shows, say a title for it and write both names on it. Players: 2 to 30. Time: 5 min. Props: paper and two crayons for each pair. Noise: quiet. First day: yes.
Cut-Up Name Puzzle for a Partner1. Each child writes their first name in large letters on a paper strip, with a gap between the letters. 2. Cut the strip between the letters and mix the pieces up. 3. Trade piles with a partner. Put your partner's name back in order and read it aloud. 4. Partners check each other's work, then slide each name into an envelope to build again tomorrow. Players: 2 to 30. Time: 8 min. Props: paper strips, scissors and an envelope for each child. Noise: quiet. First day: yes.
Five Lines, Then a Guess1. Partners sit face to face. One thinks of something they love to play with and keeps it secret. 2. That partner draws five lines of it and stops. The other makes one guess. 3. Five more lines, another guess, until the thing is named. 4. Swap jobs. At the end each child tells the table what their partner loves to play with. Players: 2 to 30. Time: 6 min. Props: paper and a pencil for each pair. Noise: medium. First day: yes.
The Middle Is for Both of Us1. Each pair draws two large circles that overlap in the middle of one sheet. 2. Partners ask each other about foods, games and animals until they find one thing they both like. They draw it in the middle. 3. Each partner then draws, in their own circle, one thing that only they like. 4. Pairs show the sheet to the pair beside them and say what the middle holds. Players: 2 to 30. Time: 10 min. Props: paper and crayons for each pair. Noise: medium. First day: yes.
My Animal in Your Place1. Partners trade names. One names a favorite animal, and the other names a favorite place to play. 2. Together they draw that animal in that place on one sheet: a giraffe at the swimming pool, a hamster on the slide. 3. Turn the sheet over and swap: the second partner's animal goes to the first partner's place. 4. Each pair holds up one side, and the class guesses the animal and the place. Players: 2 to 30. Time: 10 min. Props: paper and crayons for each pair. Noise: medium. First day: yes.
Roll a Pizza for Your Partner1. Each child draws a large circle: a plain pizza. Partners sit together with one die. 2. Ask your partner for a topping they like. Roll the die and draw that many pieces of it on their pizza. 3. Swap jobs after each roll, three rolls each. 4. Count all the toppings on the pizza made for you, write the number beside it, and tell another pair what your partner likes. Players: 2 to 30. Time: 8 min. Props: paper, crayons and one die for each pair. Noise: medium. First day: yes.
One question for the whole class 6
Answer in a Mouse Voice1. The teacher asks a question that everyone can answer in a word or two: "What is your favorite fruit?" 2. On three, the whole class answers at once in the voice the teacher names: a mouse voice, a giant voice or a robot voice. 3. The teacher repeats three answers they heard and asks who else likes each one. 4. Ask a new question in a new voice. A child who would like to pass says "pass" in the silly voice. Players: 6 to 30. Time: 4 min. Props: none. Noise: loud. First day: yes.
Clip Your Answer at the Door1. Write each first name on a clothespin. Hang a card by the door with a question and two pictures, such as "Apples or bananas?" 2. As children come in, each finds their own clothespin and clips it under the picture they pick. 3. On the rug, count the pins on each side together and say which side has more. 4. Read the names on one side aloud, and those children wave. Tomorrow the card asks something new. Players: 6 to 30. Time: 5 min. Props: a clothespin for each child and a question card. Noise: quiet. First day: yes.
Guess the Teacher, Then Tell Yours1. The teacher asks a question about themselves with three answers, such as "Which pet lives at my house: a cat, a fish or a turtle?" 2. Children show one, two or three fingers for their guess. 3. The teacher gives the true answer and one sentence about it. 4. Each child turns to a neighbor and says a pet they have or would like. 5. Two more to ask: "What do I eat for breakfast: toast, cereal or eggs?" and "How do I get to school: by car, by bike or on foot?" Children answer for themselves after each one. Players: 6 to 30. Time: 5 min. Props: none. Noise: medium. First day: yes.
Pick a Picture, Tell a Partner Why1. Spread about forty picture cards on the rug: animals, foods, toys, weather, places to go. 2. Each child walks around the cards and picks one that shows something they like. 3. Sit facing a partner. Take turns: show your card and finish the sentence "I picked this because". 4. On the bell, lay the cards back down, pick a new one and find a new partner. Players: 6 to 30. Time: 8 min. Props: about forty picture cards and a bell. Noise: medium. First day: yes.
Sit, Stand or Reach: Three Ways to Answer1. Everyone starts standing. The teacher reads a question with three choices and a move for each: sit down, stay standing, or reach for the ceiling. 2. Questions to use: "At recess: swings, slide or ball?" "For lunch: sandwich, noodles or rice?" "To read about: animals, trucks or space?" "On a Saturday: park, pool or library?" 3. On "show me", everyone moves at once and looks around to see who picked the same. 4. Wave to one classmate who made your choice, then stand up for the next question. Players: 6 to 30. Time: 4 min. Props: none. Noise: medium. First day: yes.
Vote With Your Feet for the Read-Aloud1. Stand four picture books on the board ledge with their covers facing out. Say each title and show one page. 2. Each child walks to stand in front of the book they would like to hear first. 3. The children at each book tell the classmates beside them what they see on its cover. 4. Count each group aloud. The book with the most children is read first, and the other three wait on the ledge for the week. Players: 6 to 30. Time: 6 min. Props: four picture books. Noise: medium. First day: yes.
How this list was compiled: Written on 2026-10-14 for a teacher opening the first weeks of first grade with 6 to 30 children aged six and seven. The games and their steps are our own wording, and the questions, rhyming pairs and lines printed inside the steps are our own. No child has to read a sentence: the teacher reads every line aloud, and the only things children read or write are first names, single letters, numbers and, in one game, number words with help. Nobody is out, nobody is touched, no game has a winner, and a child shares no more than a first name, a favorite or an everyday fact such as how they get to school. No question asks about family, money, health or beliefs. "First day: yes" means that no child needs to know a classmate's name before the game starts; it is true of every game here. These games have no rule book, so each set of steps is one good way to play. Player ranges, minutes and the age band are planning estimates, not measurements, and nothing here claims to follow a curriculum. Licence: own work
How it works
These icebreaker games for first graders ask no child to read a worksheet alone: children answer by moving, drawing or finding a friend.
Read the full guide
1st grade icebreaker games for the start of school
Start with names. In Name Stick, Pick a Move the class says each name three times with a hop, a clap or a stomp, and in Line Up by First Sound the game ends with everyone at the door. All six are under Name games with a move.
A 1st grade icebreaker question, answered by moving
In Sit, Stand or Reach the teacher asks "At recess: swings, slide or ball?" and each child sits, stands or reaches. One question for the whole class holds five more.
Questions and answers
What are fun icebreakers for first grade?
Try Rhyme Partners: each child holds a picture card and walks the room saying its word until cat finds hat. Name Freeze Picked by Two and Roll a Pizza for Your Partner also get a new class laughing in week one.
What is a good first day first grade icebreaker?
Line Up by First Sound. The teacher says a sound, such as "mmm", and every child whose name starts with it tiptoes to the door while the class greets them. It needs nothing, and no child has to know a name yet.
Do these 1st grade icebreaker activities need reading?
No child reads a sentence in any of the 24. The teacher reads every line aloud. Children read and write only first names, single letters and numbers; one game uses number words, with help.
How long does an icebreaker activity for 1st graders take?
Each game prints its time, from 4 to 10 minutes. The 7 shortest take five minutes or less, among them Sit, Stand or Reach and Answer in a Mouse Voice. The times are planning estimates for one class, not measurements.