Introductory activities

Creative ways to do student introductions on your first week of classes

Do you have an activity that you would like to suggest?

Equity Unbound Activity

Asynchronous & Synchronous Introductions

Discover three creative ways students can introduce themselves at the beginning of the semester.

Mia Zamora, Maha Bali

Equity Unbound Activity

Choose a Plant

This activity helps students reflect on their feelings and needs by comparing themselves to a plant. It promotes self-awareness and strengthens community through sharing and discussion.

Jen Alexander

Equity Unbound Activity

Human Scavenger Hunt

Create positive engagement and ensure centrality of student voices from the first day of class.

Susan D. Blum

Equity Unbound Activity

Introductions: Story of Your Name

The purpose of this activity is to get to know people's name on a more personal level through storytelling.

Patrice Prusko

Equity Unbound Activity

Language Portrait

Reflect on language experiences with your students and share biographical information.

Francesca Helm

Equity Unbound Activity

Pass the Ball & How Do You Make Rice?

This storytelling activity invites participants to share personal or cultural experiences of cooking rice, fostering conversations about identity, difference, and shared learning. It builds community, celebrates diverse backgrounds, and encourages an inclusive, open classroom culture through reflective, humanising dialogue.

Autumm Caines, Patrice Prusko

Equity Unbound Activity

Share an Object From Home

This is a simple icebreaker activity that encourages students to share something about themselves.

Maha Bali

Activity

Something Behind You

A fun, low-pressure activity for online introductions where students describe something behind them - real, virtual, or imagined - to spark conversation and connection during the first class. No preparation needed.

Rebecca J. Hogue

Equity Unbound Activity

Surrealist Free Drawing Introductions

Creative take on doing intros that can help students to know one another and challenges perfection paralysis.

Autumm Caines

The Shape of You

This fun icebreaker will help your students to get to know each other.

Sarah Neuwirth

Equity Unbound Activity

Tour of Where You Are

This activity builds community by inviting students to share where they are studying from, fostering connection, empathy, and inclusivity through storytelling - using simple tech tools in synchronous or asynchronous formats.

Patrice Prusko