The Dreaded Icebreaker
Can I tell you a secret? I dread icebreakers. As an introvert, I would much rather sit at the back and not have to talk to anyone. But if I’m being honest with myself, I usually find that they do help me grow closer to my teammates. Getting to know each other is an important part of building a positive climate and culture in the workplace. Classroom teachers are encouraged to have morning meetings to build their classroom community. At many schools, teachers are encouraged to take the first two weeks to build community in the classroom. The best teachers include community building activities all year long!
Breaking the Ice in the Speech Room
I strongly believe it is equally important to build a positive climate and community in the speech room. We are constantly challenging our students to take risks as they practice new speech and language skills. It is critical to slow down and focus on building positive relationships and connection with our students before we ask them to take risks. Because without that connection, they won’t make progress. As a result, I always try to include icebreakers at the beginning of the school year as I am getting to know my students. I also use conversation starters throughout the year to continue building a positive culture in the speech room. In addition, they are perfect for practicing conversation skills and working on speech carryover skills!
Why Include Icebreakers and Conversation Starters?
Most speech therapists use conversation starters and icebreakers frequently in the speech room because you can target a wide variety of speech and language skills. These types of activities are perfect for mixed groups because articulation students can work on speech carryover skills while language students practice their receptive/expressive language skills. I also love icebreakers for my social language groups because we can target conversation skills (e.g., asking questions, answering questions, staying on topic, taking conversational turns) and other social skills.
Pinwheel Speech Conversation Starters
My favorites: This section summarizes the different conversation starters that I love using in the speech room:
1. This or That – Like the popular game, “Would you Rather…”, this activity offers two options for students to choose between. I also have a bundle of This or That activities that feature specific articulation sounds. Examples follow:
- Would you rather build a snowman or build a sand castle?
- Would you rather rake leaves or shovel snow?
- Would you rather go to the beach or go to the mountains?
2. Let’s Talk – These games feature themed questions that relate to different times of the year (Let’s Talk about Winter, Let’s Talk about Fall, etc). Here are some examples from the Let’s Talk about Fall deck:
- Describe your perfect fall day.
- Would you rather go to a pumpkin patch or an apple orchard?
- What is your favorite family fall tradition?
3. If You Could – This activity gets kids imagining what COULD be. Here are some examples:
- If you could make a movie, what would it be about?
- If you could choose a new nickname for yourself, what would it be?
- If you could change your hair color, what color would you choose?
4. Favorite Things – This is a great icebreaker to use at the beginning of the school year to learn more about your students. It asks them about their favorite things. Here are some examples:
- What is your favorite drink?
- What is your favorite sport?
- What is your favorite snack food?
5. In Your Opinion – This is my favorite conversation activity for older elementary and middle schoolers. Students will practice stating their opinion and explaining their thinking. Here are some examples:
- In your opinion, should fidgets be allowed in the classroom?
- In your opinion, should schools sell soda?
- In your opinion, should schools require uniforms?
6. Printable Conversation Starters (shown above): This printable deck of 100 task cards includes a variety of conversation starters from all of the above decks! When you join the Pinwheel Speech Community, you will receive a set of FREE “Favorite Things” conversation starter task cards. CLICK HERE to access this FREE activity!
7. Conversation Dice – In this activity, players will roll a die and answer questions based on the number that they roll. Includes printable task cards as well as Boom Cards with virtual dice!
8. IF – This is fun icebreaker for a large group. It gives a conditional direction and group members follow the direction IF it is true for them. Here are some examples:
- If you have a dog, touch your nose!
- If you like pizza, rub your belly!
- If you like to play video games, wiggle your fingers!
- If you have been on an airplane, point to the ceiling!
To thank you for visiting Pinwheelspeech.com, I have included the FREE dice icebreaker above that you can download and use today! Simply click on the image to download the icebreaker.
What are your thoughts?
I would love to hear how you build rapport and community in your speech room! What are your favorite icebreakers? Please comment below!
