Whether it’s a new 6th-grade class or a newly formed group , the first week of middle school is more than just about settling in—it’s an opportunity to lay the foundation for a strong sense of community.
Icebreaker games are more than just a way to “break the ice”: they help learn names, discover common interests, and gently develop social roles. Especially in linguistically diverse classes, they offer a low-threshold way to start conversations—provided the rules are clear, visualized, and explained in an understandable way, such as through a Teaching Board in the classroom.
Here, we present three proven methods to strengthen your group from grade 6 onwards through playful activities while fostering a respectful environment from the start.
How it works: In small groups (up to 5 students), participants look for five things they have in common—such as hobbies, favorite subjects, or everyday experiences. External similarities (e.g., hair color, clothing) are deliberately excluded to deepen the conversation.
Support with ideas: Provide themec-cards (e.g., “Music,” “Sports,” “Leisure”) or project them digitally on the board. This helps quieter students find an entry point into the conversation more easily.
Recording results: Groups can note their commonalities on a poster or digitally in a collaborative Text Editor and then briefly present them.
How it works: Each student anonymously fills out a profile,without their name. The profiles are then mixed and randomly distributed. The task is to find out whom the profile belongs to by asking targeted questions.
Breaking down language barriers: Use templates with symbols, checkboxes, or icons (e.g., check favorite color, picture for “likes animals”) to enable participation for all students, including those still trying to master the language.
Tools: On the Teaching Board, you’ll find an editable overview of biographical content that you can adapt to your class level. This gives your students an overview of what can be included in each profile.
How it works: Each student thinks of three statements about themselves—two are true, and one is made up. The class must guess which statement is the lie.
Tip for the process: Give students some preparation time. Then, each presents the three statements. The group then votes on which statement they believe is not true. Laughter and surprises are guaranteed, creating a relaxed, open atmosphere!
Especially in secondary/middle school education, simple, participatory games are a powerful gateway to successful social learning. They build trust, encourage exchange, and quickly create connections in new groups.
With Teaching Boards or presentations, you can make instructions visible and language-sensitive—particularly important in classes with diverse linguistic backgrounds.
Tip: Use our digital templates for these games right in the first week of school to create a lively, inclusive start to the new school year.
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