Back to School Icebreakers: Build Relationships during Distance Learning

LEsson Overview

Do you need a way to connect with your students for back to school? Are you looking to build a meaningful relationship that will last all year? Do you need ideas for maintaining relationships during distance learning?

This download includes interactive icebreaker activities that will help educators get to know their students and build a strong relationship in a distance learning environment with modifications for using Google Slides, Seesaw, Flipgrid, and take-home packets.

Activities are centered around the theme of student sparks. Sparks were developed by the Search Institute: 

“Sparks are the activities and interests that truly engage kids to be their best. Research shows that kids who know and develop their sparks—and who have adults in their lives to help—have higher grades, better school attendance, and a sense of purpose.”

We have successfully used student sparks throughout our STEM programs to cultivate a relationship with our students. We feel that students are more eager to share and connect with instructors as well as the other students. They are also the perfect tool for connecting to STEM careers. You can read more about this here. 

Help students discover their personal spark and use it to develop relationships with each student and among the class.

1. Introduce Sparks: Introduce the idea of sparks, share your personal spark, and virtual games to explore sparks.

2. Instructional STEM Video: Led by an engineer, this instructional video provides an overview of how astronauts create mission patches, explores different sparks, and gives an overview of STEM careers.

3. Sparks Quiz: What is your personal spark? Help students find their spark using this quiz to get them to reflect about themselves. 

4. Personal Mission Patch: Students design their own (digital or physical) mission patch using their spark along with ideas to connect to a STEM career.

5. Share Sparks: Share and use student sparks to build relationships throughout the school year including games for virtual classes.

About STEM Challenges: Click here to learn more about the 3 Stages of STEM. STEM challenges are an engaging way to incorporate the engineering design process into your classroom or afterschool program! These hands-on activities allow students to work in teams, apply the engineering design process, and connect science topics to real-world applications. The teacher will provide the structure to the project, but students will take an active role in designing and building their own device.

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