Coloured Candies

And here we are at the beginning of a brand new semester... Interested in colouring your 1st day with an icebreaker your students might enjoy?

Here is Coloured Candies, which I believe students at any age like playing on the 1st day:

Level: All
Materials Needed:  Lollipops in different coloured packs (it is a good idea to have as many colours as possible.)
Preparation: None
Interaction Patterns: Whole-class activity
Time: 30 minutes

Procedure:
- Ask students if they like candies and distribute the lollipops you have brought. Students take as many as they want; encourage them to choose different colours.
- Tell students that they will not eat the lollipops yet because they will be using them in the ice-breaker activity.
- Write on the board what each colour represents:
E.g.
Yellow: Favourite hobbies
Red: How they feel on the very first day of class
Blue: Favourite city
Green: Favourite movie
Pink: Anything you want to say about yourself

- Students, one by one, introduce themselves by giving their name first and then briefly talking about themselves according to the colour of the lollipops they have.

Variation:

·  Instead of candies, you may use M&Ms, strips of paper or any other type of candy in different colours.
·  You may prefer to do this activity in groups rather than a whole-class activity, depending on the size of your class.
·  You may change what each colour represents according to the level of your students. 

Personal Comment:
- Students generally enjoy this activity and the associated reward.

- As they select the candies themselves, they are more motivated while introducing themselves according to the colour of the candy.

For more icebreakers, you may read the chapter on first day activities in my activity book, The Activist.