If your goal as a teacher is to build classroom community, nurture relationships among classmates, and cultivate a safe, risk-taking environment where students can excel emotionally, socially, and academically, then you should use icebreaker questions for students.
Though student icebreaker questions are normally utilized at the beginning of the school year when students are getting to know each other, they can be used throughout the year for many purposes such as…
- fun first-day questions
- for small groups,
- 5-minute filler activities,
- whenever you want to encourage teamwork, collaboration, cooperation, and camaraderie among students.
I’ve taken all my best icebreaker questions that I’ve used over the years in various grades and compiled them here.
If you’re looking for fun questions to ask students for any purpose, this collection of good icebreaker questions for students will serve you well.
Icebreaker Questions For Students
1. When feeling down, how do you cheer yourself up?
2. If you had a free day off from school, how would you spend the time?
3. Can you pat your head and stomach at the same time?
4. What’s your favorite line from a children’s movie?
5. How many times have you complimented someone today?
6. What is something that tugs at your heartstrings?
7. Do you prefer cereal or oatmeal for breakfast?
8. If you could change your middle name, what would it be?
9. What’s your biggest pet peeve?
10. In the next five years, what hobby would you like to explore?
11. Would you rather have an identical twin or be part of a set of triplets?
12. When watching a movie, what must-haves make the experience more enjoyable?
13. With which celebrity would you like to hang out for a day and why?
14. If there was an option for you to change your first name, what would you change it to?
15. What’s your favorite healthy snack?
Related Content: Funny Icebreaker Questions for Students
16. With what are you currently obsessed?
17. What school year has been your favorite so far?
18. Have you ever won a prize at a fair? If so, what was it?
19. During the weekends, what favorite place do you like to visit with your family?
20. What’s the coldest temperature you’ve experienced? Where were you?
21. Which is best in your opinion: water parks or amusement parks?
22. What don’t you want to be when you grow up?
23. If you were famous, for what would you be known?
24. What superlative would you choose to describe yourself?
25. Do you prefer to wear tennis shoes or sandals?
26. What’s your favorite amusement park ride?
27. Of all the things you own, which can’t you live without?
28. What is the most beautiful scene you have witnessed in nature?
29. Which word in the English language is tricky to spell?
30. What’s your favorite knock-knock joke?
31. Has someone ever stolen from you? If so, what?
32. What’s the best city you have ever visited?
33. Would you rather travel by plane or by car?
34. What’s on your travel bucket list?
35. Which first lady, past or present, would you most like to meet and why?
36. What’s the most exotic food you’ve tried, and how would you describe its taste?
37. How many states have you visited?
38. What one thing have you scratched off your bucket list?
39. In what city and state were you born?
40. What is one fact about you that most of the class doesn’t know?
41. If you could be a celebrity for a day, who would you choose to be and why?
42. What superpower would you not like to have?
43. If you could be a professional athlete, what would be your sport of choice?
44. What was the first thing you thought about when you awoke this morning?
45. Who in your family is the funniest and why?
46. What do you consider your best personality trait?
47. When have you ever broken a promise to a friend or family member?
48. What is the last thing you read that made you laugh?
49. Do you prefer to eat at home or go out to a restaurant?
50. What’s your motto for life?
51. Can you do a split?
52. What positive traits did you inherit from your parents?
53. Who is your favorite athlete?
54. What is your favorite thing about Valentine’s Day?
55. Are you a light or deep sleeper?
56. What is something that cheers you up right away?
57. If you could escape to an island, what would you do while there?
58. What one word describes your overall personality?
59. If you had to evacuate your home in 30 minutes or less, what three items would you grab?
60. What is your favorite type of plant?
61. Have you ever lost a bet with a friend?
62. What book would you not recommend to others and why?
63. Do you clean your teeth with an electric or regular toothbrush?
64. What is something that you feel is overrated?
65. Have you ever been to a pumpkin patch?
66. What’s your favorite supermarket?
67. If a friend gave you a gift card, which store would you like it to be from?
68. What’s a good decision you made this week?
69. If you had to wear clothes from any decade for a week, which decade would you choose?
70. Which crayon color do you feel like today and why?
71. What is your fondest memory of last school year?
72. If you were to author a nonfiction book, what would the topic and genre be?
73. Would you rather have three ears or three arms?
74. What would classmates be surprised to learn about you?
75. Which character from a chapter book would you like to hang out with for a day?
76. Are you good at listening to your inner voice?
77. Which superhero do you think is the coolest and why?
78. Have you ever been part of a parade? If so, when?
79. Do you consider yourself outgoing or shy?
80. Would you rather live in a log cabin or a teepee?
81. Have you ever participated in the school’s talent show?
82. Between extrovert and introvert, which describes you best?
83. What’s your favorite way to exercise the body?
84. Do you prefer fried chicken or fried fish?
85. Which is best: buttered or caramel popcorn?
86. What one thing fills you with the most joy?
87. Do you tend to see the glass half-full or half-empty?
88. What’s your favorite room in your home?
89. Have you ever been a Boys or Girls Scout?
90. Do you prefer to have ice cream, mac & cheese, or something else as comfort food?
91. What is something that you do that probably annoys others?
92. Have you ever met anyone famous?
93. What tasks did you like doing most when you were younger?
94. Do you walk, ride in a car, or bus to school?
95. Would you rather know how to fly or swim?
96. What’s a trick to remembering the difference between there, their, and they’re?
97. Which wild animal would make a cool pet?
98. What’s your favorite dessert?
99. Can you name five red foods in ten seconds or less? Do it.
100. When you want to celebrate with family, what is your go-to restaurant?
101. What bad habit would you like to break?
Final Thoughts
When you need to support students in becoming acquainted with one another, try engaging icebreaker questions for students as fun get-to-know-you activities.
The end result will be better peer relationships, greater productivity, and optimal learning.