Getting to know you wheel: icebreakers for the first weeks
Fourteen easy, low-pressure prompts for the first days of school, a new group, or any time the room needs to warm up.
14 entries
Hide a note behind a slice with a bar: cat | a small furry pet. It shows after the spin. Start a line with an emoji to draw it big. Two columns pasted from a spreadsheet work too.
Who's away today?
Tap anyone who is away. Their slice is hatched and skipped today only; at midnight they are back. Nobody is deleted.
Drag the wheel round and let go to flick it. Your flick sets the show. The draw is already fair: your browser's secure random generator picks the winner before the wheel moves.
Space spin, or stop sooner · R new round · M sound on or off · F full screen · Esc leave it
Your edits are saved in this browser only, and never sent anywhere. Turns and away marks never go into a link.
How to use it
- The wheel already holds 14 entries for “Getting to know you wheel”. Edit, add or delete lines in the box and it redraws; your changes stay in this browser.
- Tap the wheel, press Space, or drag it and let go to flick it. The winner is drawn first with your browser's secure random generator; the pegs, the clicks and the big reveal only show it.
- Choose Fade the winner or Remove the winner to use every entry once, or Keep everyone in for repeats. “Original list” brings back the starting entries, and Print makes a paper spinner of the list.
Ideas for class
- Circle time: one spin per round, and each student answers the same prompt in a sentence.
- Partner interview: the wheel picks a question, partners ask each other, and each introduces the other to the class.
- Build a class graph: after a spin like Favorite season, students put a sticker on a chart and the class reads the results.
- Use it with a new group of adults or students at a meeting, too, with the same low-pressure prompts.
- Keep a pass option available. A student who is not ready to talk can still listen and join the next round.
Related
Questions
Do the prompts reveal anything private?
No. They are about favorites, interests and dreams, never about family, home or health. If you add your own, keep them like that.
How should a shy student take part?
Allow passing, pair talk before whole-class talk, and let them point or draw instead of speaking. A comfortable first week matters more than getting everyone to speak.
When is the best time to use it?
The first week of school, after a long break, or when a new student joins. A few minutes a day builds the class community that makes learning work later.
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