6 Teacher Professional Development Ice Breakers That Staff Will Actually Enjoy

Have you ever sat through a cringe-worthy ice breaker at a professional development meeting and stared at the clock on your phone, wishing the session would end? Are you an introvert who dreads being asked to share an interesting fact about yourself to a group of 20 people? 

In this post, I'm going to share some fun ice breakers that were recommended by other teachers. These teacher-approved activities are sure to be a hit at your next professional development session. 

1. Share your top emojis 

Ask teachers to share the first five emojis on their phones. This can be a really fun conversation starter. 

2. Try an escape room 

There are lots of free printable escape rooms, as well as virtual escape rooms (for those of you doing Zoom trainings). This can be a fun way to collaborate as a team under a tight time crunch. It reveals communication patterns and specific strengths that each person has to offer. 

3. Play minute-to-win-it games to win prizes

Ask your school to provide some fun prizes like Starbucks giftcards, succulent plants, face masks, comfy socks, etc. Then, have teachers compete in a series of minute-to-win-it challenges to win the prizes. 

Here are my favorite minute-to-win-it games: 

• Cup stack (Red Solo cups needed) 
• Cookie face (Oreos needed) 
• Pencil catching
• Noodle challenge 

Pick a theme song for the year 

Team members can pull out their phones and search for a song on YouTube that represents their hopes for the year. (Examples: We Are the Champions, I Will Survive, Respect) Then, one teacher from each grade level can play 15 sec of the song to the entire group and share why they chose it. 

Share a recent photo 

Ask staff members to get out their phones and find a recent photo they took. It could be something as simple as a plate of fried chicken they ate for lunch or their summer vacation to Thailand. Ask them to share that photo with the person seated beside them. This activity is very low-key and only takes a few minutes. 

Tell something ordinary about yourself 

Many people freeze up when they are asked to say something interesting about themselves, but it's much easier to think of something ordinary. Often, the things that people perceive as "ordinary" are actually interesting connection points that others can relate to. 

What are your favorite ice breakers? Share them by leaving a comment below!