25 Favourite Morale Boosters for the Classroom!

We all know how important creating a sense of belonging is for the classroom and within our schools. I’m in the process of writing a new book called, The Belonging Blueprint, which will discuss and share critical frameworks, research, and actionable strategies for building strong cultures of belonging in our schools. In the meantime, I wanted to share 25 of my favourite activities and icebreakers for the purposes of building school culture at the beginning of the year. Please feel free to share widely and email me if you have any more to add! morganemichael19@gmail. I always love to hear from readers.

• Two Truths and a Lie: Students share two true facts and one lie about themselves, and others guess the lie.
• Human Knot: Students hold hands across a circle and try to untangle themselves without releasing hands.
• Tower Building: Teams use materials like marshmallows and spaghetti to build the tallest tower.
• Egg Drop Challenge: Teams design a contraption to protect an egg from breaking when dropped from a height.
• Blind Drawing: One student describes a picture, and their team tries to draw it without seeing it.
• Charades: Students act out a word or phrase without speaking, and teammates guess what it is.
• Relay Race: Students participate in a race where they complete a series of tasks as a team.
• Scavenger Hunt: Teams race to find a list of items within a set time.
• Class Mural: Students collaborate on a large-scale art project, contributing to a collective masterpiece.
• Compliment Chain: Students sit in a circle and take turns complimenting the person to their right.
• Positive Affirmation Cards: Students write positive affirmations on cards and exchange them with classmates.
• Smile Pass: Students sit in a circle and pass a smile from one person to the next.
• Class Talent Show: Students showcase their unique talents in a class talent show.
• Secret Friend: Students perform anonymous acts of kindness for an assigned “secret friend” for a week.
• High Five Train: Students form two lines and high five each other while sharing positive news.
• Joke Day: Students share their favorite jokes, bringing laughter to the classroom.
• Bingo Icebreaker: Students fill out Bingo cards by finding classmates with specific characteristics.
• Positive Name Game: Each student assigns a positive adjective that starts with the same letter as their name.
• Fruit Salad Game: Students sit in a circle and assign fruit names, then switch seats when their fruit is called.
• The Sun Shines On: A student in the center points to someone and says, “The sun shines on people who…”, then those who match the criteria switch places.
• Hi Hi Hi: Students pass a handshake and say “hi” to three people in quick succession.
• Four Corners on Moral Dilemmas: Each corner represents a response to a moral dilemma, and students choose a corner based on their stance about a particular topic or “would you rather” question. 
• Break the Code Game: Teams try to decipher a code or solve a riddle using clues.
• Paper Not Floor: Students try to cross the room stepping only on paper, working together to move the paper.
• Zip Zap Bop: Students stand in a circle and quickly pass “Zip”, “Zap”, or “Bop” to each other with corresponding hand movements.
• Four Small Words: Students try to communicate complex ideas using only four simple words.
• Texas Hug: Students greet each other with a hearty handshake and a friendly pat on the back, promoting camaraderie.
• Paper Tower: Teams compete to build the tallest tower using only paper and tape within a set time.
• Group Juggling: Students pass multiple objects around the circle, ensuring everyone catches and throws each object once.
• Silent Line-Up: Students are challenged to line up in order of their birthdays without speaking, using only non-verbal communication.