14 Awkward Icebreakers That Started Every New School Year
Here's a hilarious look at the most cringeworthy icebreakers teachers used to kick off every school year.
- Chris Graciano
- 3 min read
We’ve all been there — sitting in a new classroom with a dozen unfamiliar faces, only to be met with the most awkward attempts to “break the ice.” From bizarre personal questions to trust-fall disasters, these rituals were meant to bond us but mostly just made us sweat. This list runs through the 14 most painfully awkward school year icebreakers we still can’t forget.
1. “Tell us one fun fact about yourself”
Max Fischer on Pexels
It sounded simple until your mind went completely blank. Suddenly, you couldn’t remember a single interesting thing you’d ever done. Cue the panic and the weirdest fact you could come up with on the spot.
2. “Two Truths and a Lie”
Max Fischer on Pexels
This game always started out fun until someone took it way too far. You’d be stuck between a boring truth and a lie so wild it made people question your whole personality.
3. “What’s your spirit animal?”
Samuel Yongbo Kwon on Unsplash
There’s nothing quite like being forced to spiritually identify as a hedgehog. Half the class didn’t even know what a spirit animal was, and the other half picked a lion to sound cool.
4. “If you were a color, what would you be and why?”
Yan Krukau on Pexels
Existential crises don’t usually come this early in the year. Trying to connect your personality to a color left most people stumbling through answers like “blue… because I like jeans?"
5. “Find someone in the room who…”
Max Fischer on Pexels
This scavenger-hunt style game required you to awkwardly approach strangers with oddly personal questions. “Do you have a pet iguana?” wasn’t the best conversation starter.
6. “Describe yourself in three words”
RDNE Stock project on Pexels
Three words to sum up your entire existence? No pressure. Most people defaulted to “fun, kind, creative,” which was basically the holy trinity of safe answers.
7. “What superpower would you choose?”
Thirdman on Pexels
Meant to be fun, but somehow turned into a debate about the ethics of mind-reading. You thought flying was a safe bet until everyone chose invisibility and made it weird.
8. “Build the tallest tower using spaghetti and marshmallows”
RDNE Stock project on Pexels
Who knew snacks could be so stressful? You’d be stuck in a group where no one agreed on a strategy, and marshmallows kept disappearing.
9. “What’s your dream job?”
Yan Krukau on Pexels
You thought saying “YouTuber” was safe until you saw the teacher’s reaction. Everyone tried to pick something impressive, like an astronaut or a brain surgeon.
10. “Stand up if you…”
Yan Krukau on Pexels
This turned classrooms into awkward confession booths. “Stand up if you’ve ever cried during a movie” seemed harmless until it turned deeply personal.
11. “The Human Knot”
kimmi jun on Pexels
Physical closeness with new classmates? Hard pass. You’d spend half the time tangled in arms and avoiding eye contact. No one ever figured out how to actually solve it.
12. “M&M Personality Game”
RDNE Stock project on Pexels
You picked a color, and it revealed something about your soul — supposedly. Red meant you were bold, yellow meant fun, and no one knew what green meant.
13. “What’s your most embarrassing moment?”
Yan Krukau on Pexels
Sharing trauma with strangers on Day One was not the vibe. You could either make something up or relive your 5th-grade disaster in front of 30 kids.
14. “Draw your personality”
Pavel Danilyuk on Pexels
Art class anxiety kicked in immediately. You’d stare at a blank paper, hoping your stick figures didn’t betray your social awkwardness. Meanwhile, someone always drew a dragon and got way too deep.