10 Get to Know Your Students Activities That Actually Work
- Sarah
- May 31, 2023
- 10 min read
Updated: May 2
The first thing that I love to do the first day in class is get to know my students.
Let’s be honest.
The first week of school can make or break your entire year.
If students don’t feel:
seen
comfortable
willing to talk
they won’t engage when the math gets harder.
Get to know the students' interests, backgrounds, and personalities. Students will light up when you ask them “What do you like?”. They can talk about their interests all day, every day.
And here’s the truth most people don’t say "Classroom management doesn’t start with rules." It starts with relationships!
If you want better behavior, stronger engagement, and students who actually participate…
You have to get to know them first.
Building Relationships Why this Matters
When students feel heard, safe, and known; they participate more, are more confident to take risks, have better behavior, and engage with the content more.
FREE RESOURCES
before you scroll... I put together a FREE First Week Math Survival KIT with ready-to-use activities and Routines.
*Coming soon* INSERT LINK
10 Get to Know Your Students Activities
Gallery Questions "Museum" Walkabout
Best for: movement + quick class data
Set up 5–10 posters around the room with questions like:
What type of learning do you prefer?
How do you like to practice math?
What classroom environment helps you focus?
Students walk around placing stickers or marking answers.
You will post questions around the room just like a museum.
You will write a question on each poster at the top. The rest of the page can be a multiple choice answer or a survey line (Disagree-Agree variation) or number line rating. The questions should be student opinion based. I like to use questions that will help with my teaching for each class. I find that this is a great way to visually see what types of lessons my students prefer, what type of work they like to do, and other useful information. I also like to change up the color of stickers for each different class period so it is visually easy to see the different class responses.
Here are my posters "Gallary Walk" get to know you from this school year.
Examples of questions and answers to get to know you activities:
What type of instruction do you prefer? a) one-to-one note taking b) whole
group notes c) discovery- you find the answer d)small group-doing different tasks at once
What type of work do you prefer to practice your skills? a)paper and pencil b) online website platform of some kind c) gamified (kahoot, etc.) d) group practice
How many hours a week do you hope to work on Math homework outside of the classroom? Number Line answer from 0-10 hours
How many extra-curricular activities are you participating in this school year? Examples are school sports, clubs, boy scouts, girl scouts, Club sports, volunteer work, etc. Number Line answer from 0-20 activities
When you work on skills in class how do you prefer the class atmosphere to be? a) quiet with no talking/noise. b) quiet with only whispering. c) quiet with headphones allowed d) noises don't bother me.
How do you prefer to be rewarded? a)phone call home b) free choice time c)food for sure d) verbal or written praise from the teacher
I will place the posters with the questions around the room. Each poster had only one question. I will pass out as many stickers to each student as they need to answer each question. I will pass out different stickers for each class period so I know which class has which answers. The Students will walk around and place their stickers on each poster for their answers. At the end of the activity I will look around and the posters and ask any clarifying questions about each poster that I might need. As well as ask the students if they have anything to add to their thoughts about the poster questions.
Find a Photo that Best Represents You
Best for: deeper student reflection
Students choose a photo that represents who they are.
Example questions:
What’s your biggest accomplishment?
What defines you?
What do you want to improve?
This is a favorite get to know you of the activities. Many students struggle with this idea and need guiding questions to help them get started. Here are some more questions to ask them:
How would your friends describe you?
What is your favorite hobby?
How would you describe your relationship with your friends and family?
What is a character trait you would like to try and change about yourself?
What is something you want to learn?
What song would be your life soundtrack?
These questions should spark some ideas into the students and help them decide on their picture. The best way to have students share this is create a google slideshow and then each student will edit their own slide.
Here a FREE Slides of Empty Frame, download and convert to google slides to share with the students.
Online Investigator
Students search public info about classmates (safely + appropriately).
Then reflect:
What assumptions did you make?
Were they accurate?
This one is a great one if you are wanting to get kids aware of social media and the safety of the internet. You will have students search for their classmates on the internet and social media accounts to see what they can find out about them. They will write down their findings and present it to the class. It is always fun to see what kinds of assumptions the kids make based off of pictures they see of their classmates online. It is also really eye opening for the kids to see how posting their life on social media can be unsafe.
People Bingo
Students walk around finding classmates that match prompts.
👉 Pro Tip:Students complain at first—but always end up talking and laughing.
Each student would get a bingo board. You can decide if you want the bingo to be vertical, horizontal, diagonal, or all boxes. The students will walk around to talk to their peers. Each student will find one student for each box that applies to them. For example: student 1 will walk over to student 2. Student 2 says “I have 2 dogs” so they can sign the box that says “Who has dog(s)”. Student 2 can not sign any more of student 1’s sheet. Student 1 must find a new student to complete the next box. The kids usually grumbel when asked to do this, however, once they get into the activity they will be conversing and smiling getting to know their classmates. DOWNLOAD the EDITABLE "Find a Friend" bingo board if you want to make it easy on yourself. I also have a free one in my shop if you don't want the editable copy.
Ice Breaker Activities
If you want students to communicate during lessons then getting to know their peers is also important. The first day of class is the best time, as students have yet to develop any judgment or bias about their peers. Allow students to walk around the room and meet their classmates. This will get them familiar with students they may have never met before. Students need to feel safe in your room to learn best, this includes feeling safe to fail in front of their peers.
Beach Ball Toss
Write questions on a beach ball.
Students answer based on where their thumb lands.
👉 Why this works:
random + fun
high engagement
👉 Fix the chaos:
Add rule → “Answer once, then sit down”
You will need a large beach ball for this game. You will take a permanent marker and write questions on the ball. They can be any type of question. You can also modify this game as a review game for later. (PROtip- fingernail polish remover takes off permanent marker so you can totally reuse the ball for another time.) My rules are that the person's right thumb determines the question they will answer, if it is not touching a question they answer the question closest to their right thumb. The students will throw the ball around the room and answer questions when they catch the ball. The main issue I have with this game is you will have kids who really get into this game and catch the ball more frequently than other students. I have had to make an additional rule that once you have answered a question you have to sit down and let someone else catch the ball and answer. The questions can be as simple as “What is your favorite food?”, to “What is your biggest regret?”. You get to decide what questions you want your students to answer and write them on the ball. Here is a site with some great get to know you questions to help you get started. 101 Inclusive Get-To-Know-You Questions by Panorama.
Hula Hoop Who
Students move between hoops while music plays.
When it stops → introduce yourself.
👉 Why this works:
structured movement
low-pressure interaction
This game follows similar rules to musical Chairs. You will lay Hula Hoops around the room on the floor. Students can move around the room, but must have at least one foot in a hula hoop at all times. You, the teacher, will play music to let the students know when it is ok to move. When the music stops the students must also stop. After the music stops the students are to introduce themselves to their hula hoop partner and tell one fact about themselves. You can play this game for as long as it needs to be completed. You could level it with themed facts. First round is your favorite food, but the second round is your wishlist favorite place. The kids get to move around and engage in conversation with each other.
Jenga Team/Groups
Write questions on blocks.
Students: pull block & answer question
👉 Why this works:
small group safe space
predictable structure
Jenga is a game that most everyone knows how to play.
If you are able to get a few jenga games at a
thrift store and you could write some “get to know you” questions on the blocks. Have the kids play jenga and as they take a brick from the game they will read the questions written on it and answer the question. If you get a few sets of jenga you could have the class broken up into smaller groups to play. Again, here is a site with some great get to know you questions to help you get started writing those jenga block questions. 101 Inclusive Get-To-Know-You Questions by Panorama.
Just 5 Things
Teacher Prompt:
“Give me 5 things…”
Examples:
foods you love
places you want to go
things you hate
👉 Why this works:
fast
easy
perfect for last 5 minutes
When asking the kids to talk about themselves sometimes the students get overwhelmed. When I notice this or when there is only a short amount of time left in class I will ask them “Just give Me 5 Things”. It could be any themed question. Just give me 5 things that you love to eat. Just give me 5 movies that you hated watching. You can come up with these questions on the fly. There is no prep needed at all. The students can write their answers on a post-it note and stick it to the door when they leave class. It is easy, quick, and can be very informative to students and their interests. This is a quick go to in my class when we have only a few minutes left but I want them to stay focused before they start packing up to leave my room.
Toilet Paper Fun Fact
Students take toilet paper → each square = 1 fact
👉 Why this works:
funny
memorable
builds comfort quickly
This activity is always a funny one. I stand at the door with a roll of toilet paper and hand it to the students as they walk into the room and tell them “take as much as you think you need.” The students will then count the amount of squares they took. Each square is the amount of facts the kids need to tell about themselves. The kids are so confused and awkward when they take the toilet paper, it is funny to watch them react.
BONUS: Have You Ever
This is similar to the drinking game you played in college, but appropriate questions for the classroom version. I have the students stand and then ask the “have you ever…” questions. If the students have done it they sit down. Alternatively, you could have students start sitting then stand if they have done the thing. Make it more fun by having students create and submit the “have you ever…” questions to you. You of course would need to read them, so they are kept appropriate.
BONUS #2: Flip Grid Tell Me 5 Things That Make You Unique
During the Pandemic and after I have loved doing this. Flip Grid is great if you have not tried it before. Students are so tech savvy and can usually figure out the app quickly if they haven't used it before. I like this choice of getting to know the students because it also helps me remember their names and connect their names with their faces. It almost feels like a 5 minute one-on-one with them. Here is the link to get started, Flip Grid Get Started.
Getting to know your students can be fun! Make it a fun experience and think outside the normal activities. Try and remember that all their other teachers are doing similar activities in their class, so it would benefit to mix up the students' day to keep them engaged. Additionally, students will respond and make their day fun. Students will look forward to your class the next day, even if it is content filled.
More Ideas for the First day of class!! Get to know your students activities
I believe that students who feel safe and heard the first day of class will behave better for their teachers throughout the school year...
🛒 PRODUCTS
👉 Want the full system? Check out these ready-to-use resources:
⭐ Back-to-School Math Teacher Survival Kit
Everything you need for your first week—planned and ready.
👉 [View Resource]
👉 First Week Activities Pack
Simple, engaging activities that actually work.
👉 [View Resource]
👉 Editable Math Games + Ice Breakers
Keep students engaged beyond day one.
👉 [View Resource]
What's your go-to first week activity?
👉Drop it in the comments—I’d love to hear what actually works in your classroom.
Comment below to let me know what types of activities you do in your class.
What do you love doing in your class to get students engaged?
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