I’ve used the same activity on the first day of every new EFL / ESL class for the last 8 years. This is by far the simplest, most interesting lesson for getting to know your new students. If your students can read and write even a little bit, then you can (and SHOULD!) use this fun, no-prep, ice-breaker lesson. It works amazingly for all age-levels from children to teens and adults.

This lesson works with all grades except VYL (kindergarten and first grade). An alternative lesson for those grades is linked at the bottom of this page.

Step 1: Write 8-10 “answers” on the board. (2 minutes)

Write 8-10 things about yourself on the board like the image below. Do not give any context for the things you have written on the board.

Step 2: Students guess the questions. (15 minutes)

Now put students in partners and let them try to write down the get-to-know-you questions that correspond to the answers which you have written on the board.

For example, number 1 is “Oscar,” so the question should be “What’s your name?”

Give students plenty of time to guess as many questions as they can. Then ask students to raise their hands and tell you what they think the questions ought to be. The questions for the examples in the image above, should be as follows.

1. What’s your name?
2. What’s your favorite movie?
3. What other language do you speak?
4. How old are you?
5. What kind of pet do you have?
6. What instrument do you play?
7. What sport do you do?
8. What’s your significant other’s name?
9. How many siblings do you have?

Step 3: Students ask each other the questions. (10-20 minutes)

After writing all the questions next to the answers on the board, students might have a few additional questions for you. Let them ask a few clarifying questions if they want.

After checking that everyone understands the questions and the answers, let students ask their partners these questions. Tell students that they’ll be introducing their partner in a moment, so ask them to remember as much as they can about what their partner said. They can write their partners’ answers down if they like.

Give them at least 10 minutes to ask and answer their questions with one another.

Step 4: Introduce one another. (10-20 minutes)

There are a few ways that students can introduce their partners. One way is for the teacher to ask students random questions about other students. For example, “Ella, what is Javier’s favorite movie?” This is the quickest way to introduce one another.

Another option is for students to stand up and formally introduce their partner. This will take a long time, so it isn’t a good idea for large classes. It also might be too stressful for some students on the first day, but for smaller advanced classes this can be a good idea.

A final option is to tell students they have to introduce their partner, but they only have to say three things about him or her. So someone could say, “This is Bess. She’s 22, she has three brothers, and she likes sailing.”

Step 5: Who remembers? (5-10 minutes)

First erase the board, then check which students were really paying attention to everyone’s introductions by asking them questions about yourself and their classmates. “Who remembers what sport I like? Does anyone remember who can play the trumpet in this class? Who remember’s Javier’s favorite movie?”

After doing a short quiz, your students should all know and remember something about each other.

Step 6: Extra questions (5 minutes)

Let students ask you any questions they want for the last 5 minutes of class. If your students are cheeky, make sure they know the questions have to be classroom appropriate, but on the first day of school students are typically very polite.

And that’s it! Your students have all gotten to know a little bit more about you and their classmates, all while asking and answering loads of questions in English. 

Note: You can write whatever you want about yourself on the board at the beginning of class, keeping in mind that whatever questions your answers generate, your students will be answering those too. Great questions/answers to use are…

1. What’s your name?
2. How old are you?
3. Who is in your family?
4. Where are you from?
5. What countries have you been to?
6. What languages do you speak?
7. Do you have any pets?
8. What are your hobbies?
9. What sports do you do?
10. What instruments do you play?
11. What movies or TV shows do you watch?
12. What books or video games do you like?
13. How long have you studied English?
14. What’s your job?
15. What did you do over summer vacation?

What about VYL students?

If you’re teaching younger students, then reading, writing, and asking questions is going to be too difficult. The classic All-About-Me worksheet is a nice, easy solution. Here are a few great and FREE All-About-Me pages on Canva. VYL students can draw their answers rather than write.

All About Me Canva Printable #1

All About Me Canva Printable #2

If you want to edit or design an All About Me page, then sign into Canva (it’s free!) and search for free “All About Me” worksheets. From there you can edit the pages however you’d like.

Looking for more ways to make your class fun after the first day of school? Try 7 Sentence Structure Games – Make Writing Fun.