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23 January 2025

Fun Group Icebreakers for Every Teaching Need [PDF Download]

Image of Digital Theatre+ 'Icebreaker Toolkit' against glowing green asset

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A good icebreaker activity sets students up for success. It can build trust, develop communication skills, and spark creativity - all essential criteria for a theatre lesson.

But the best icebreakers don't just energize your students; they have the power to engage your class in lesson material before you've even introduced the day's topic.

To help you make an impact in every lesson, we're sharing some of our favorite theatre icebreakers in today's blog.

Plus, explore our new Theatre Icebreaker Toolkit, available to download as a free PDF today...

Icebreaker #1: Group Acting Warm-Up

In a classic movement game, each student picks a specific movement they will do while introducing themselves. This could be a gesture, a dance move, or a dramatic expression.

Standing in a circle, a student will say their name while performing their chosen movement.

The class then repeats their name/movement in a call-and-response chant.

If you are preparing for a class performance, or exploring different roles in a play, assign each student with a character. Ask them to come up with a movement that represents a personality trait of their character.

For example, if you are studying The Wind in the Willows, the student who is assigned Toad may choose to jump while introducing themselves.

💡 Too many students? You can give the same character to more than one student, and tell them that they must not repeat previous movements, encouraging them to think outside the box!

Why this works: This activity encourages active listening, and encourages students to think about the relationship between words and movement, the perfect warm-up for an acting lesson!

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Perfect for Middle Schoolers, combine this activity with the Beyond the Wild Wood series, which speaks directly to Toad, Mole, Ratty, and Badger from The Wind in the Willows.

Icebreaker #2: Improv Conversation Starters

Break your class into groups of 3-5, and assign each student a different character from a text you have recently studied.

Students should ask one another ‘silly’ and fun questions, which they must then answer in character. For example, if you asked Macbeth what his favorite colour is, he would be unlikely to say ‘pink’.

💡 Character Analysis: The questions asked do not need to directly relate to the play that a character is from. By asking unrelated questions, students are encouraged to dive deep into their understanding of a character. 

Why this works: This activity asks students to ‘inhabit’ and get to know their character through improv, encouraging deeper analysis and sparking small group conversations.

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Explore this activity in the In Defence of Character series.

Download your Theatre Icebreaker Toolkit today!

Inside this exclusive resource, you will find:

  • 8x diverse icebreakers and warm-up games
  • Multimodal and interactive resource suggestions to accompany each activity

Each icebreaker is tailored to a real teaching need, meaning you'll find fun games and activities that answer questions like...

  • How do I warm up a shy theatre classroom?
  • What should I do with an extra two minutes of lesson time?
  • How can I spark confidence and build trust in a large classroom?
  • How can I consolidate Middle School learning without boring my students?

Sound familiar? Download your Theatre Icebreaker Toolkit today.