It's vital that teachers get to know what their students are like and vice versa early in the school year. Its also important for classroom team building that students new to each other get to know each other as well.

Over the many years that I have been an elementary school teacher I have successfully used these 5 fun classroom games and activities.

1. Name The Student

This game was a great way to start the new school year on the first school day. Depending on how you have set up your classroom seating arrangements, divide your students into groups of 4 to 6 students.

Choosing one group at a time, have each student give their first name. After each student says their name he must also repeat each of the students' names that have preceded them. Once one group is finished, move on to the next group.

This is where it becomes more difficult since each student must repeat the names of the previous groups' students as well. Make sure to include yourself in the game. Whatever the outcome the kids all had a great time.

2. My Favourite

Here's another fun activity for you and your students to get to know each others names and to learn a few things about each other. Students sit in a circle on the floor. I start the game by thinking of a topic, food for example. I tell the students my favourite food and roll a ball to one of the other students. They give their name and favourite food and roll the ball to another student. This continues until all students have said their favourite food. The last student gets to select the favourite topic for the next round. The list of topics can go on and on - movies, TV shows, music groups, etc.

3. Have You Ever

This is a wonderful activity that your students will have great fun playing and learning about some of the interesting things about their fellow students.

Create a list of about 30 statements that describe different activities that your students may have done such as, ridden a horse, won an award, been part of a championship team and so on. Provide each student with a sheet of paper with these activities listed on it.

Each student's task is to go around the class trying to find up to 3 fellow students who have done the activity. As they find one they write down the name of the student on the sheet of paper.

After about half an hour you can start a discussion with your class about the things they found out about their fellow students.

4. Three Amazing Comments

This game should only be played after three months or so have gone by in the school year. Here's why.

Ask your students to sit in a large circle. Hand out a sheet of paper to each student and ask them to write their name at the top of the sheet and then have them pass the sheet to their neighbour to their right (or left, as long as they all go in the same direction).

Here are the rules. Each student must write 3 positive comments about the student whose name is written at the top. Give them some examples, such as very considerate, friendly, good athlete, good writer, speller or some other subject, etc. Students should try not to look at the other comments on the sheet.

Once the sheets have traveled around the circle and each student receives their sheet back there will be many positive comments that will make them feel good about themselves and what a great way to build self esteem.

5. Special Talk and Student of the Week

Every Friday afternoon for the last period of the day, my students and I sat down together in a circle at the back of the class had a fun discussion about what we might be doing this weekend, happenings in the school, shared jokes and other fun things and selected a "Special Student of the Week". The special student was selected by the previous student of the week and was chosen for any positive reasons; friendliness, helpfulness, consideration of others, etc. The student received a classroom reward (a prize or treat). Each student had to be selected at least once before another student could be selected a second time.

These wonderful classroom games and activities are a great way to build student camaraderie, self esteem and student motivation and not to mention they are great fun and your students will love them.

Honey Krumholz has taught elementary school for 33 years. She is presently a college supervisor and mentor to student teachers. She presents seminars on teaching strategies at York University in Toronto. Visit her website and get her effective teaching strategies on a wide variety of topics, for example, different games for classroom http://www.priceless-teaching-strategies.com/classroom_games.html motivation.