EFL Icebreakers and More | Go To One Side

Looking for an icebreaker or short game to get your class up and moving around? This is great to do any time of the year, especially if you want your students to feel like more of a community because they will have a chance to see what they have in common with other students. 

You simply ask a series of questions and assign a side of the room for them to go to based on their answers. (You can also use the corners of the room if there are more than two answers.)

How It Works:

Have the students stand up.
Explain that you will ask questions, and they are to go to one  side of the room or the other based on their answer.

This is the basic idea of this activity. It gets the students up and moving around which is always a nice change of pace.
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Add whatever rules or stipulations you want for the game.

Topic Ideas to Use:

ESL Warmer Game: Go To One Side

Hold your hands out to the side.
Bring your hands together. 
Which thumb is on top?
If your right thumb is on top go to this side of the room (direct to a side)
If your left thumb is on top, go to that side.

Whoever's birthday or birth month is an odd number, go to one side of the room.
Whoever's birthday or birth month is an even number, go to the other side of the room. 

Whoever has more than one sibling, go to one side of the room.
Whoever has one sibling or less, go to the other side.

​Whoever has watched a documentary on TV or YouTube in the past week, go to one side of the room.
Whoever hasn't, go to the other side.

Whoever can roll their tongue, go to one side of the room. (also demonstrate it)
Whoever can't roll their tongue, go to the other side.

Whoever can balance on one foot for more than X seconds, go to one side.
Whoever can't, go to the other side.

If your dominant hand or foot are dominant for most things, go to one side. (For example if your right side is dominant for writing, throwing, kicking, etc.)
If your dominant side depends on what you're doing, go to the other side. (For example, if you write with your right hand, but play hockey from the left side.)

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Pro Tips:

- Understand that it's kind of a pain in the butt to be asked to get up... especially as a teenager.
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- Take the opportunity  to teach the bold expressions if necessary. Write them in the car park.

- Use their answers to stimulate short conversations or to ask and answer questions.

Easter Egg Lessons:

Community - They will feel a part of a group as they see what they have in common with other students.

Vocabulary - They will be using a lot of new and useful expressions that we usually overlook in our EFL classes.

Health - Ok, maybe it's not the most exercise-filled activity, but it will get your students out of their seats and get their blood flowing a bit, which will help them think a little differently.

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