{"id":37277,"date":"2025-07-16T06:59:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-16T10:59:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nearpod.com\/blog\/?p=37277"},"modified":"2025-07-16T12:25:15","modified_gmt":"2025-07-16T16:25:15","slug":"ice-breakers-high-school","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nearpod.com\/blog\/ice-breakers-high-school\/","title":{"rendered":"Icebreakers for high school students that will actually engage them"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We\u2019ve rounded up some great icebreakers for high school students to help ease those first-day-of-school apprehensions! We all can think back to those good ol\u2019 high school days and the awkwardness that can come with meeting new teachers and new classmates. Whether it\u2019s the first day at a new school or even just a new grade, the unknown of what lies ahead can cause insidious anxieties. Yet, all educators aspire to begin building classroom camaraderie from day one to contribute to a positive school culture<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And icebreakers are not just for the first week of school. High school icebreakers can be instrumental in bringing students back together after school holidays and vacations. Icebreaker activities can help students regroup when attention or energy wanes during the school day. They can also encourage teamwork while injecting a bit of classroom spirit among your students at any given point. Icebreakers are designed to be energizing and playful, in order to build that all-important connection in your classroom community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why do icebreakers for high schoolers?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Icebreakers are a great way to start building a positive high school classroom community, which is a key goal for any new school year. And this sense of community starts with developing a foundation of mutual respect for one another. Creating those concrete connections takes effort and time, but it\u2019s important to establish these interpersonal relationships in order to build trust and rapport between you and your students, as well as between students. Research has shown<\/a> that a positive and strong classroom climate and culture can encourage students to be more invested, engaged, and successful during the school day. Strong peer connections can help students stay motivated while building lifelong skills around collaboration, cooperation, and communication. Plus, using icebreakers for teens is simply a fun and spirited way to promote student engagement, both physically and mentally! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nearpod<\/a> offers an engaging way to bring these icebreaker activities for high school students to life, helping teachers facilitate meaningful connections through technology that resonates with today’s high schoolers. The platform’s interactive features transform traditional icebreakers into dynamic experiences where all students can participate, even those typically reluctant to speak up. By incorporating Nearpod into your community-building toolkit, you can gather real-time feedback and create memorable shared experiences that strengthen those essential classroom bonds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New to Nearpod? <\/strong>Teachers can sign up for free below to access these resources, interactive activities, and engaging lessons. Administrators can schedule a call with an expert to unlock the full power of Nearpod for schools and districts.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Teachers: Sign up for free<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Administrators: Schedule a call<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

12 Icebreaker activities for high schoolers that will actually engage them<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

1. What\u2019s in a name?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

One\u2019s name doesn\u2019t have to be unique for our monikers to have an interesting backstory. Our names often connect to our heritage or our family. Our first (or middle) names may reference someone of importance in our lives. Give everyone a couple of minutes to jot down notes, but then have your students share one-minute stories about their given names in small groups or with the whole class. You may learn that students have preferences on how you should refer to them, or they may have a favorite nickname. These shared personal details will begin building familiar bonds between students. If you want to capture these stories, ask your secondary students to add them to a Collaborate Board<\/a> — they can even add some family images at a later date to create an updated version of a class lookbook!<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Collaborate<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

2. Six degrees of separation<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A pop-culture version of this icebreaker game, \u201cSix Degrees of Kevin Bacon,\u201d challenges pairs to name actors who have worked together until reaching a movie in which Kevin Bacon also appeared (FYI, you can swap out Kevin Bacon for another actor). While your class may not be full of film buffs, you can play a similar game of connection with pairs of students. Ask each pair to make a list of five things they have in common. You may want to suggest some questions to help students to find such commonalities: What sports do you like? What do you do in your free time? Which foods do you love\/detest?<\/em> Once they have a list of five things that they have in common, they move about the room to find a new partner who shares at least one commonality from their list. Then this new pair creates a new <\/em>list of five things that they <\/em>have in common. You can set a timer, but the goal is to see who can find six shared connections quickly. Consider using Nearpod\u2019s open-ended questions<\/a> to gather some fun student reflections: What was the strangest or most interesting connection? What a shocking or surprising commonality?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Open<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

3. I am a tree<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s always good to get students up and moving. First, form a large circle. Ask for a volunteer to go first and pose as a tree in the middle of the circle. There are only so many ways for a human to pose as a tree, so this is left up to creative interpretation. As they pose, they should say, \u201cI am a tree<\/em>.\u201d Then, any student can jump in by adding an element to this center scene. For instance, the next person may jump in by saying, \u201cI am a swing!<\/em>\u201d They could strike a swing-like pose (perhaps with arms up simulating how a swing might hang from a tree branch). Kids will become very creative. One might lay on the floor pretending to be the picnic blanket beneath the tree\u2019s shade! After two additions to the tree, the first person takes out one element\/one person, and the improvisation continues (see video link below). This icebreaker for high schoolers can be done over and over, with everyone\u2019s imaginations inspired by that central tree — talk about a Giving Tree<\/em>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Long-lost friends<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This icebreaker is best done with a larger group of high school students. Have students begin by milling about the room. Within seconds, shout out a prompt like, \u201cYou see your long-lost friend!<\/em>\u201d Your students should stop and turn to a person close to them and pretend that they are greeting someone dear they haven\u2019t seen in ages. The more dramatic they act, the better! After about 30 seconds, have them move about again until you share another prompt. You could create a Nearpod presentation with a prompt on each slide to provide supporting visuals. Add an audio file of music<\/a> to signal when students should mingle versus meet-and-greet. Other such meet-cute or introductory prompts could be: <\/p>\n\n\n\n