Back to School: Community Building Activities

10 Activities

Overview

Build community at the start of any program with this collection of activities that give children and youth fun ways to get to know each other!

All About Me (Grades K-2)

Arts, Social and Emotional Awareness

Grades K - 2

All About Me (Grades K-2)

K - 2

45 Minutes

Representing themselves in visual formats can help young children develop their identity and sense of place in the world by identifying elements and personal items that make up their lives.

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All About Me (Grades K-2)

Arts, Social and Emotional Awareness

Grades K - 2

Get to Know You Bingo (Grades K-2)

Social and Emotional Awareness, Literacy

Grades K - 2

Get to Know You Bingo (Grades K-2)

K - 2

45 Minutes

In this activity, children play a bingo game to get to know one another. They practice skills in drawing, communication, and relationship-building.

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Get to Know You Bingo (Grades K-2)

Social and Emotional Awareness, Literacy

Grades K - 2

Same as Me

Social and Emotional Awareness, Literacy

Grades K - 2

Same as Me

K - 2

30 Minutes

In this activity, children learn how they are similar to other members of the group. First, the adult gives prompts from the Similarities Sheet, such as “Find someone whose favorite color is the same as yours.” Next, the children walk around the room, asking each other questions to determine which traits they have in common. Then they write down a different child’s name next to each trait on the worksheet, just one name per trait. Finally, the children reconvene as a whole group for discussion.

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Same as Me

Social and Emotional Awareness, Literacy

Grades K - 2

Answer This!

Social and Emotional Awareness, Literacy

Grades 3 - 5

Answer This!

3 - 5

30 Minutes

Students form two concentric circles to discuss different topics and learn more about their peers.

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Answer This!

Social and Emotional Awareness, Literacy

Grades 3 - 5

All About Me (Grades 3-5)

Social and Emotional Awareness, Literacy

Grades 3 - 5

All About Me (Grades 3-5)

3 - 5

45 Minutes

Students create a poster about themselves. This activity can help students to develop a public identity and sense of place in the world.

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All About Me (Grades 3-5)

Social and Emotional Awareness, Literacy

Grades 3 - 5

Get to Know You Bingo (Grades 3-5)

Social and Emotional Awareness, Literacy

Grades 3 - 5

Get to Know You Bingo (Grades 3-5)

3 - 5

45 Minutes

Students play Bingo with a difference: Numbers have been replaced with personality traits and fun facts. By the end of the game, group members will know one another a little better.

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Get to Know You Bingo (Grades 3-5)

Social and Emotional Awareness, Literacy

Grades 3 - 5

My Goals List (Grades 6-8)

Leadership and Teamwork, Social and Emotional Awareness

Grades 6 - 8

My Goals List (Grades 6-8)

6 - 8

45 Minutes

In this activity, students generate a list of goals to accomplish for their upcoming time in high school. Their goals need not be serious or part of an overarching plan but instead should reflect desires, wishes, hopes, or expectations. By brainstorming a list, students can help to refine their goals, identify what they really want, and discover what is truly important to them.

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My Goals List (Grades 6-8)

Leadership and Teamwork, Social and Emotional Awareness

Grades 6 - 8

Get to Know You Bingo (Grades 6-8)

Social and Emotional Awareness, Literacy

Grades 6 - 8

Get to Know You Bingo (Grades 6-8)

6 - 8

45 Minutes

Students complete a Bingo card about themselves and then play a collaborative Bingo game, learning personality traits and fun facts about one another along the way.

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Get to Know You Bingo (Grades 6-8)

Social and Emotional Awareness, Literacy

Grades 6 - 8

Concentric Circle Discussion

Social and Emotional Awareness, Literacy

Grades 9 - 12

Concentric Circle Discussion

9 - 12

45 Minutes

Students strike up conversations with one another on a wide variety of topics. During the process, they discover that a productive conversation requires skills in both speaking and listening, with perhaps listening being the more important skill.

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Concentric Circle Discussion

Social and Emotional Awareness, Literacy

Grades 9 - 12

Get to Know You Bingo (Grades 9-12)

Social and Emotional Awareness, Literacy

Grades 9 - 12

Get to Know You Bingo (Grades 9-12)

9 - 12

45 Minutes

In this fun activity, students complete a bingo game card about themselves, and then the whole group works together to play the bingo game. Students will learn interesting facts about one another and, perhaps, begin some new friendships.

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Get to Know You Bingo (Grades 9-12)

Social and Emotional Awareness, Literacy

Grades 9 - 12

Back to School: Community Building Activities

Grades K - 12

Overview

All About Me (Grades K-2)

Arts, Social and Emotional Awareness

Grades K - 2

All About Me (Grades K-2)

K - 2

45 Minutes

Representing themselves in visual formats can help young children develop their identity and sense of place in the world by identifying elements and personal items that make up their lives.

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All About Me (Grades K-2)

Arts, Social and Emotional Awareness

Grades K - 2

Get to Know You Bingo (Grades K-2)

Social and Emotional Awareness, Literacy

Grades K - 2

Get to Know You Bingo (Grades K-2)

K - 2

45 Minutes

In this activity, children play a bingo game to get to know one another. They practice skills in drawing, communication, and relationship-building.

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Get to Know You Bingo (Grades K-2)

Social and Emotional Awareness, Literacy

Grades K - 2

Same as Me

Social and Emotional Awareness, Literacy

Grades K - 2

Same as Me

K - 2

30 Minutes

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Same as Me

Social and Emotional Awareness, Literacy

Grades K - 2

Answer This!

Social and Emotional Awareness, Literacy

Grades 3 - 5

Answer This!

3 - 5

30 Minutes

Students form two concentric circles to discuss different topics and learn more about their peers.

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Answer This!

Social and Emotional Awareness, Literacy

Grades 3 - 5

All About Me (Grades 3-5)

Social and Emotional Awareness, Literacy

Grades 3 - 5

All About Me (Grades 3-5)

3 - 5

45 Minutes

Students create a poster about themselves. This activity can help students to develop a public identity and sense of place in the world.

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All About Me (Grades 3-5)

Social and Emotional Awareness, Literacy

Grades 3 - 5

Get to Know You Bingo (Grades 3-5)

Social and Emotional Awareness, Literacy

Grades 3 - 5

Get to Know You Bingo (Grades 3-5)

3 - 5

45 Minutes

Students play Bingo with a difference: Numbers have been replaced with personality traits and fun facts. By the end of the game, group members will know one another a little better.

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Get to Know You Bingo (Grades 3-5)

Social and Emotional Awareness, Literacy

Grades 3 - 5

My Goals List (Grades 6-8)

Leadership and Teamwork, Social and Emotional Awareness

Grades 6 - 8

My Goals List (Grades 6-8)

6 - 8

45 Minutes

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My Goals List (Grades 6-8)

Leadership and Teamwork, Social and Emotional Awareness

Grades 6 - 8

Get to Know You Bingo (Grades 6-8)

Social and Emotional Awareness, Literacy

Grades 6 - 8

Get to Know You Bingo (Grades 6-8)

6 - 8

45 Minutes

Students complete a Bingo card about themselves and then play a collaborative Bingo game, learning personality traits and fun facts about one another along the way.

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Get to Know You Bingo (Grades 6-8)

Social and Emotional Awareness, Literacy

Grades 6 - 8

Concentric Circle Discussion

Social and Emotional Awareness, Literacy

Grades 9 - 12

Concentric Circle Discussion

9 - 12

45 Minutes

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Concentric Circle Discussion