Unique ways to introduce yourself to students.
The beginning of a new school year or semester usually means a new class full of unfamiliar faces, so introductions will most likely be needed.
Make an amazing first impression on students by using new and creative ways to introduce yourself to them. We have gathered a bunch of engaging ideas that can be used for introductions.
Hold a scavenger hunt.
With some arts and crafts, you can turn your students into tiny detectives. Put all your documents, such as riddles and clues, in envelopes marked as TOP SECRET and stash them around your classroom. Make it even more realistic and fun by giving your students magnifying glasses to read the fine print. Let them connect all the dots and watch them find all the items on your list to solve the final piece of the puzzle. You!
Mystery bags.
Bring a small bag filled with items that represent you, such as items relating to your interests and hobbies. Have your students guess what’s inside before revealing each item, then tell them what it means to you. This can also serve as an interactive ice breaker if you provide your students with mystery bags to do the same.
Truth or Lie.
A guessing game filled with surprises! Write down 10 statements about yourself of which five are true and five are false. Aim for a mix of creative, funny, and unique statements. Share the list with your class, and have them write down which ones they think are true and which are false. You can even reverse the roles of the game and have your students write two true statements about themselves and one lie on an index card. Collect the cards and try to determine what’s true or false. You’ll all learn something about each other and have loads of fun!
Let them do the math.
After the holidays, your students’ math skills might be a bit rusty. Sneak in a math review to your teacher introduction day to start up the school year! You can come up with a series of facts about yourself that can be represented in numbers, then turn those into math problems. This activity works at a variety of grades and kids always enjoy it!
Show them you’re one part of the puzzle.
It’s always the small pieces that make the bigger picture! You can make a couple of puzzle pieces and personalize your puzzle piece with pictures or facts about yourself. Hand the rest of the puzzle pieces to your students and let them do the same. Put all the pieces together to make a unique, yet amazing mural for your classroom.
Read, run and write.
Get your students up and moving with this fun English activity! Create a list of facts about yourself and print several copies to attach them to the board at the front of the room. Divide the students into groups. Leave one student to write and let the other students take turns running up to the board, reading and memorizing as much as they can. They should then run back to their group and recite what they can remember to the classmate standing at the desk to write it down. The first group to finish wins!
Toss ’n’ Talk ball
This outside activity can easily be used for introductions. Purchase an inexpensive ball, like a beach ball, and write a variety of categories on it in permanent marker. Categories can be favourite movie, favourite food, favourite colour, and so on. Take your class outside and toss the ball around in a circle. Whoever catches it has to reveal his answer to the category his/her thumb is touching before tossing the ball to someone else.
Finding creative ways to engage your students from the very beginning may be the key to capturing and maintaining students’ attention for the duration of the semester.
They are curious by nature, so why not try to draw them into conversation with you.