Welcome Class: First Day Activities and Tips for New Students

The first day of class is a crucial moment for both teachers and new students. It sets the tone for the rest of the term and provides an opportunity to establish a welcoming and interactive environment. Whether all the students are new, only the teacher is new, or just one or two students have recently joined, it’s essential to create an inclusive atmosphere where everyone feels comfortable.

Here are some first-day activities to encourage students to interact and get to know one another: It’s a great idea to prepare a slide with some images and key vocabulary to support students. By doing this, you provide visual support and context that can help students better understand the activity. Including images related to hobbies, common questions, or classroom items can spark ideas and make the tasks more engaging, especially for visual learners.

Some activities below are designed for classroom interaction in an open group setting, while others encourage new students to mingle and interact with one another. In cases where mingling is involved, it’s important to include an accountability moment where students report back to the group some of the interesting things they’ve discovered about their classmates. This allows everyone, including the teacher, to learn about these curiosities and fosters a sense of community and connection among the students.

Open Interaction Activities

1. Names with Gestures

• Introduce yourself with your name and a gesture: “Hello, My name is [Your Name],” followed by a unique action.
• Motivate students to say, “Hello, [your name], nice to meet you,” while imitating the gesture you’ve just made.
• Roll a ball to a student, prompting them to say their name and make a gesture.
• The class repeats: “Hello, [Name], nice to meet you,” while imitating the gesture.
• Ask the student to roll the ball to another student and proceed in the same manner.

Objective: Help students learn each other’s names through interactive exercises.

2. The Name Chain Game

• Start by saying: “My name is [Your Name], and I like [hobby].”
• The next student repeats your name and hobby, then adds their own.
• Continue around the circle, creating a memory chain.

Objective: Practice memory and listening skills for new students.

3. Question Ball

• Write questions on strips of paper attached to a ball or make a ball by wrapping one question over the other.
• Students toss the ball to each other, choose/peel a question, and answer it.

Objective: Encourage students to share fun facts about themselves in an interactive environment.

4. Rolling the Ball

• Ask them to introduce one of their friends by saying their name and something about their friend, such as likes, dislikes, or abilities. If they don’t know, they can invent, and then the student who was mentioned can correct if it’s not accurate.
• Use a slide with images and key vocabulary to give them ideas if necessary.

Objective: Encourage peer-to-peer interaction and introducing friends to the new teacher.

5. Spinning Bottle

• Spin a bottle in the center of the room. The student the bottle points to answers a pre-prepared question or completes a sentence, such as “My favorite hobby is…” or “I love to eat…”

Objective: Randomize participation and create a relaxed atmosphere for new students.

6. Personal Information Bingo

• Show a slide and ask students to copy the table into their notebook with 9 spaces (3 columns and 3 rows). The spaces should be large enough for them to write in later. Ask them to use the whole page. Then, tell them to put a number (1–15) in the corner of each space in any order they wish. Show an example.
• Once they finish, show a slide with a list of numbered questions. Explain that these questions relate to the numbers they chose. For example, if they chose number 1, they must write the answer for question 1 in the corresponding space. Show the prompts for the answers and let them work silently while you walk around, helping as needed.

Examples of questions for the slides (these questions may be adapted to the level of the students):

1. Are you new in this class?
2. How old are you?
3. Where are you from?
4. Who do you live with?
5. Where do you live?
6. Have you got any brothers and sisters?
7. Have you got any pets?
8. Tell us about something you can do very well.
9. Tell us about something you can’t do at all.
10. What’s your favorite game?
11. What sports do you like?
12. What food do you like?
13. What do you like to drink?
14. What don’t you like to eat?
15. What don’t you like to drink?

In the same slide, show prompts for the possible answers:

1. Yes, I’m new here./No, I’m not new.
2. I’m … years old.
3. I’m from…
4. I live with my…
5. I live in…
6. I’ve got…
7. I’ve got…/No, I haven’t got any pets.
8. I can… very well.
9. I can’t…
10. My favorite game is…/I love (playing)…
11. I like…
12. I love (eating)…
13. My favorite drink is…
14. I hate (eating)…
15. I don’t like (drinking)…

• Tell them they will play a bingo game. The winner is the first one to mark three spaces in a line or column.
• Have a student draw a number from a plastic bag containing papers numbered 1 to 15.
• The student draws the paper in secret, looks at the board, and asks the corresponding question.
• Students who have that number should raise their hands and take turns answering.
• If no one has the number, move on and have another student draw a new number.
• Continue until a student says “Bingo!”

Objective: Foster student engagement while learning about classmates.

Closed Interaction Activities

7. Introduction Bingo

• Create a bingo card with characteristics (e.g., “Someone who likes pizza” or “Someone who has a pet”).
• Students move around, asking classmates questions to find someone who fits each description.

Objective: Promote quick interactions and discover shared interests among new students.

8. Find Someone Who…

• Create a worksheet with phrases like “Find someone who plays a musical instrument” or “Find someone who has traveled abroad.”
• Students circulate, finding peers who match the descriptions and noting their names.

Objective: Encourage mingle activities and discover commonalities among new students.

9. Human Bingo

• Similar to “Find Someone Who…,” but students create their own bingo cards with characteristics or facts shared by classmates.

Objective: Reinforce memory and encourage interaction in a socializing environment.

10. Hobby Match-Up

• Prepare cards with hobbies or activities (e.g., playing soccer, reading books, listening to music).
• Hand out a card to each student and ask them to find someone else in the class with the same hobby.

Objective: Encourage interaction and highlight shared interests on the first day of class.

11. Picture Charades

• Provide images of activities, hobbies, or foods.
• Students pick a card, act it out, and the group guesses what it is.
• Once guessed, the student introduces themselves: “I’m [Name], and I like [the activity].”

Objective: Combine fun with speaking practice for new students.

12. Speed Friend Introductions / Hot Seat

• Arrange students in two rows facing each other. Each pair has 30 seconds to share their name and a favorite activity before switching to the next partner.
• Encourage them to say, “Hi, my name is [Name], and I like [Activity].”

Objective: Make sure everyone has a chance for active participation in a relaxed and engaging way.

13. Two Truths and a Wish

• Have students share two true things about themselves and one wish (e.g., “I play basketball, I love pizza, and I want to learn to swim”).
• The class guesses which one is the “wish.”

Objective: Engage new students and foster curiosity through fun activities.

14. Guess Who?

• Students write a fun fact about themselves on a slip of paper. The teacher reads them aloud, and the class guesses who it is.

Objective: Build community and curiosity about classmates, especially for new students.

15. Classmate Interviews

• Pair students and provide them with simple interview prompts, such as “What’s your favorite color?” or “Do you have siblings?” Afterward, they introduce their partner to the class.

Objective: Develop conversational skills and encourage partnerships on the first day.

Creativity

16. Dream Map

• Ask students to draw or write about a goal or dream they have for the future.
• Then, have them share it with the class.

Objective: Stimulate creativity and allow classmates to learn about each other’s aspirations.

17. My Passport

• Provide a “passport” template for students to fill out, including their name, a place they’d like to visit, and a fun fact about themselves.
• Share the completed passports with the class.

Objective: Help new students introduce themselves while practicing basic English vocabulary.

18. Favorite Things Poster

• Students create a small poster about their favorite things, such as foods, hobbies, or movies, and present it to the class.

Objective: Practice speaking and build confidence for new students.

By implementing these fun and engaging activities, you’ll create a positive and welcoming atmosphere for your new students. Remember, the first day of class sets the tone for the entire term, so make it count! For more tips on how to establish effective classroom expectations, be sure to check out our next blog post on Setting Classroom Expectations. Happy teaching!