Cambridge ELT expert Jade Blue has published an article on developing life competencies with back-to-school icebreaker activities.
She says, “For many learners, starting or returning to school after the summer break can be a daunting and overwhelming experience. Some learners may feel anxious about not knowing anyone in the class, others may feel nervous after an extended break. Icebreaker activities can help learners get to know each other, build rapport in the classroom and foster a more productive learning environment in which learners feel comfortable participating.
In this post, we share some easy-to-use icebreaker activities for different stages of learning. As well as helping to put your learners at ease and develop group cohesion in your class, these activities also support their development of key life competencies, to prepare learners for further education and the world outside of the classroom.
Young Learners: Feelings timeline
Ask learners to think about how they spent their time over the holidays. They should draw a timeline in their notebooks, divided into sections for each week. Have them mark what they did on their timeline with a quick drawing or note.”