For the first few days of class I would do a short getting to know you
game at the beginning so that the students would become more and more
comfortable with each other and have some fun in the meantime! Here are
a few go to’s I would often do:
- Which Object Describes You? Pick about five
different objects like: a trophy, a cooking utensil, a wrench, a book, a
suitcase, etc… Tell the students to each pick the object that best
describes them and then go around the class and have everyone share why
that object describes them. Many of them will get really creative and
stretch the object to mean something – that is the fun of it! With this
game you can either put random objects out, or just list or draw them
on the board.
- Sticky Note on the Forehead: I always loved this
game. Start by giving everyone a sticky note and have them all write
something about themselves on the note. It can be anything! That they
love cheese, that they have moved 6 times, that they love going to
Disneyland, that their favorite toy as a child was Elmo…. And tell them
that they can’t show it to anyone! Then gather the sticky notes up and
then randomly stick them to students foreheads (he he he…). Now the
students have to go around the classroom asking each other “yes” or “no”
questions trying to figure out what their forehead says. The only rule
is that they can only ask one question per person – so they can’t just
sit there with their friend asking questions back and forth. After
about 5 minutes, have everyone sit back in their seats and if they still
haven’t figured it out, they have to leave the note on their forehead.
Now go around one at a time and have them tell what their note said and
their best guess of who wrote it. If they their note is still on their
forehead, it is fun to see them discover what it says.
- Signature Page: This is great for the very first
day. Come up with a list of things that is about the same number of
students in your class. Things like: I have my Young Women’s
Medallion, I had pizza in the last week, I can say all 13 Articles of
Faith, I have never had a cavity, etc…. Hand out a sheet to each
student and tell them to get as many signatures as possible, but once
someone has signed their page, they cannot sign it again (if you have a
small class you can have the 2 signatures per person rule). So the
strategy is that you don’t want someone who is the only person in the
class who has done something sign something that is pretty common. And
they can’t just say – “will you sign my page?” They have to ask them
specific questions like, “have you ever had a cavity?” When you call
times up, go down the list and have everyone raise their hand who could
have signed that line.
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