Looking for engaging, prep-free, and effective French Back to School icebreaker activities for your Core French and/or French Immersion students? Don’t stress, fellow French teachers — because I’ve got you covered!
If you are looking for more ideas, be sure to read my blog post on general French Back to School activities. I also have a blog post on activities to do in the first week of school and activities to do in the second week of classes.
1. French Four Corners – jeu de quatre coins – the BEST French Back to School icebreaker IMO
To begin, this first French Back to School icebreaker activity is my students’ favourite.
How it works: Intermediate to advanced French students move to labelled corners of the French classroom (1-4) according to their opinion!
Why should you play this French icebreaker activity with your students?:
It’s a really great way to incorporate movement into the first week of school while getting to know your students AND reviewing important French vocabulary!
2. Levez-vous si…
Next, we’ve got another simple, but effective French ice breaker game.
How it works: project the slides. Explain to your students that as you class you will read the statement and they will stand up if it applies to them.
Why should you play this ice breaker with your students?:
This icebreaker is perfect for second-year language students. It’s also a great way to soft launch or review passé composé.
3. D’accord ou pas d’accord ?
Next up, we’ve got a (not so) controversial statements ice breaker.
How it works:
Explain to your students that one side of the classroom represents “d’accord” (I agree with the statement) and the other side represents “pas d’accord (I do not agree). Read the French statement projected on the board and have your French class move to the side of the room along an axis depending on whether they agree or disagree.
Why should you play this icebreaker with your students?:
This French Back to School icebreaker activity is a great way to soft launch the French conditional. I also think it’s super important to allow students to express their opinions.
4. Trouve quelqu’un qui…
This next one is a classic! a summer-themed Find someone who activity.
How it works:
Print and hand out this activity to your French class. They walk around the classroom and ask one another the questions.
In this free download, I’ve got present tense and past tense versions.
Why should you play this icebreaker with your students?:
This French Back to School icebreaker is a safe speaking activity for our students after a summer or multiple semesters without having French class.
5. Deux vérités et un mensonge
Last but least, we have got one of my favourite French Back to School icebreakers.
Two truths and a lie! I play this with every level of French except for absolute novice students.
How it works:
Begin by doing a Two truths and Lie sample activity about yourself. For high-novice students (second-year of French), I keep things really simple:
- Je suis née en Inde
- J’aime manger de la viande
- Ma saison préférée, c’est l’été.
I set this up on a slide and use images on Canva to help with any vocabulary.
Students then write their own on their sheet of paper. I go around the classroom circling errors where necessary. They correct them.
Finally, I have 1-2 students who type everyone’s statements onto slides.
Why should you play this icebreaker with your students?:
It’s a creative way to get to know your students. It incorporates review, community-building, French reading, writing AND listening. Honestly, could there be a better French Back to School icebreaker out there??
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