16 Fun College Orientation Activities & Icebreakers to Encourage Student Engagement in 2022!
/
16 Fun College Orientation Ideas to Encourage Student Engagement in 2022
For many students, college orientation can be their first experience on their own. As they embark on an exciting new journey, they are suddenly faced with some new pressures — and without the familiar and structured environment of home and high school.
The obstacle? They may be feeling a little lost in a sea of new faces and places.
The good news? Campus and orientation leaders planning summer orientation can help relieve some of the pressure! By carving out time and creating opportunities for new students to be social and share more about themselves, they create a positive and welcoming atmosphere.
Why is this so important? Building campus community and cultivating a sense of belonging are critical for a student’s success and retention (especially for those at risk for dropping out).
In this article, we explore 16 of our favorite college orientation ideas, activities, and icebreakers to help incoming students get to know each other!
1) New Connections Bingo Game
Break the Ice! Orientation bingo is a classic game to connect and engage incoming freshmen. If your campus is very large, you may want to divide participants into breakout groups for easier interaction.
Players must find students who meet different criteria and be the first to mark off five squares in a row to win. But here’s the catch — you cannot use the same name on more than one square.😉
Award the winner with some campus swag!
Here is a free printable Bingo card you can use for your school’s NSO. 🙌 (If you would like to customize your own version with your school’s branding for your orientation, start designing now with our free template!)
Feel free to use our template to design your own printable game!
2) campus scavenger hunt
Turn your campus tour into an interactive game! A scavenger hunt doubles as a fun way to team up with new classmates and to help students get acquainted navigating their new home.
Create clues for must-visit places on campus such as the library, student center, gym, health center, bookstore, advising center, and other important buildings to know. Then divide students into small groups, and challenge teams to take a group selfie at each spot.
Award prizes for different categories such as the fastest team and the most creative photo!
3) meet your match
Promote perfect pairings! Utilize student surveys to coordinate welcoming meet & greets with individuals and groups of students who share similar answers during orientation week.
Building bonds in pairings or small groups makes it easier for students to build new relationships with each other. Here are a few ideas:
💡 BUDDY BLIND DATES: This is a fun activity to spark conversations during or before orientation week. Pair students off yourself or add all incoming students to a Slack channel and use an app like Donut to assign pairs randomly.
💡 RECEPTION LINE RELAY: Otherwise known as orientation speed dating! Divide students into two groups facing each other. Each students gets a chance to talk one-on-one with the student across from them until the timer sounds. The student on the end of one line moves down to the opposite end and everyone shifts over one place, ensuring a new person to meet in the next round! (Be sure to post a list of conversational topics & questions to get them started and avoid awkward silences!)
💡 MENTOR MATCHING: An assigned mentor or student ambassador can help freshmen navigate the first few weeks on campus by answering questions and offering advice on study skills, budgeting tips, and how to balance class, work, and social obligations.
Ask upperclassmen to volunteer as an orientation mentor for a new student, and offer new students the option of mentorship. Be sure to communicate the time commitment involved! Assign your mentees and mentors, and introduce the pairs via email or your orientation app chat, and encourage students to connect!
💡 Tip: Provide dedicated meeting spaces for international, neurodivergent, veterans, and underrepresented students to connect, meet and interact with each other. This helps ease their transition to college and ensure they feel welcome, seen and heard from Day 1!
4) Beach ball icebreaker game
Here’s a personal fave -- perfect for introverts, extroverts, ambiverts and the like! All you need is a blow-up beach hall and a permanent marker. This simple game is phenomenal at easing awkwardness and encouraging students to share their voice.
How to play: Use the Sharpie to cover the beach ball with questions. Favorite book, film or sports team, describe your summer vacation, what superpower would you choose... Then have the person who catches it answer the question underneath their right thumb, before tossing the ball to another player.
5) Incorporate campus traditions
College traditions are a particularly fun & engaging way to promote involvement among new students. Being part of something larger than oneself helps build both community and a sense of belonging for new students. So be sure to introduce incoming students to the unique and timeless traditions of your campus during orientation!
Teach students about campus traditions and the school fight song. Incorporate your mascot and give out campus-branded swag throughout various orientation activities.
6) TEAM TRIVIA Game
You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t enjoy a game of trivia. If you’re looking for the perfect activity to ensure incoming students meet some new friends and gather important information in a fun, dynamic activity, this is it!
Team trivia is a great activity for freshmen to relax and blow off steam, connect with classmates, earn campus-branded swag, and learn something new (whether the topics are educational or just fun)!
💡 SCHOOL SPIRIT JEOPARDY: Build school spirit by sharing a video or presentation about favorite campus moments, resources and traditions. Then test students’ knowledge of campus life by creating a jeopardy game filled with fun facts and helpful things to know!
7) SHOWCASE STUDENT PERFORMANCES
Take advantage of student talent to offer freshmen a glimpse of what they can expect on campus. Enlist art, music, dance & theater students to produce and direct entertaining performances or skits that promote campus life and culture! A production led by students adds authenticity to the experience. 💙
💡 RISKY BUSINESS: Help students learn to stay safe and make smart choices on campus. Have orientation leaders present a skit exploring possible dangerous scenarios and campus resources like SafeWalk and emergency phone locations.
8) HOST A WELLNESS FAIR
Acclimating to a new lifestyle and sudden independence can be overwhelming. It’s essential to educate and inform incoming students about the many ways to stay active and healthy in their new home.
One way to connect students with the resources available to them is offering a presentation, workshop or interactive wellness fair during Welcome Week.
💡 HOST A BREAKFAST FAIR: Set up booths hosted by different departments to share important information with students on nutrition, exercise, health, counseling, safety and beyond. Invite students to grab a green smoothie or other healthy snacks and walk through the fair as they meet, chat, and learn about campus resources and best practices.
9) connect students to volunteer opportunities
Spare a second for service! For college students, donating some of their time for a volunteering project reaps many benefits, including strengthening ties to the community and broadening their support network.
During orientation, you might host a workshop in which departmental leaders share information connecting students to volunteer opportunities such as local charitable organizations, tutoring & mentoring programs, and alternative spring break treks.
10) A.M.A. Student panel discussion
Q: Who has the best and most sincere answers to students’ and parents’ most burning questions? A: Currently enrolled students!
Organize a student Q&A panel hosted and moderated by upperclassmen. This type of event can be in-person, virtual or hybrid for more inclusivity (with consideration of students who may not be able to attend orientation). Invite everyone to ask questions live, in a Zoom chat, or posted on social media or your orientation app feed.
💡 Tip: Offer an option to submit questions anonymously. Some students may be more likely to ask tough questions this way!
11) Letters & lists
Get students thinking about what kind of experiences they would like to have early on.
💡 WRITE A LETTER TO YOURSELF:
Give incoming students a piece of paper and an envelope. Ask them to write a letter to their future self as a senior. How are they feeling at the start of their journey? What are their goals and aspirations? Collect the letters and present them to each student on graduation day!
💡 CREATE A BUCKET LIST:
Break out in small groups to brainstorm ideas about what students are most excited to do or try during college. Working collaboratively will surely spark creativity and inspiration! (Odds are everyone will learn of at least one new opportunity they had not considered!)
12) game: a step in someone else’s shoes
The Shoes game is an insightful activity to help students observe the diversity and different background experiences of the student body. They can also see firsthand similarities they have with others.
How to play: Have students line up in a large space such as a gym or field. Have an orientation leader read statements about some different types of situations and circumstances students may have experienced.
For example, if the statement is “I’ve experienced bullying”, invite students who have been bullied to step forward, if they feel comfortable sharing.
13) Host a tech tutorial
Set incoming students up for success right off the bat! Help them learn how to access and complete essential digital tasks at a hands-on training session. Orientation leaders can guide students through the steps to find resources, access academic materials, join clubs and register for events, and book meetings with advisors.
14) Share fun facts
Fun facts games are an exciting activity to help students share more about themselves and learn about each other in a sociable way. They can also be played in-person or online on your orientation app but are best when students are divided into small groups.
Here is one of our faves:
💡 TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE: Ask each student to write down three statements, one of which is a lie. Take turns sharing with their new classmates who get to guess which statement is the false one. Then take a moment to share a little bit more about the two truths.
15) Cafeteria cook-off
Incorporate food and competition into your Welcome Week programming! Students will eat it up, literally. 😉
Host a cook-off event in which students need to use specific ingredients or create concoctions aligning with a college theme. Some great options: Gourmet (packaged) Ramen, repurposed cold pizza, fancy mac & cheese, or best mug dessert.
Invite local chefs, the school president, popular faculty members, or notable alumni to serve as judges!
16) Faculty meet & greets
Aside from connecting with peers, building strong relationships with professors is an important step for a student’s success during and even after college. Knowing exactly who and where to go for assistance can mean the difference between a student accessing needed resources vs. hesitating to reach out (and suffering in silence).
Offer incoming students an introduction to departmental heads, teaching assistants and advisors in an informal social gathering. Plan department-specific events during orientation such as an open house (with snacks & swag to incentivize participation!)
Starting college is one of the most exciting times in a student’s life, but it can be daunting to leave one’s familiar environment and structure. Bringing a fun, relaxed and welcoming vibe to your NSO will help ensure new students get to know each other and feel comfortable and supported in their new campus community. 💙
A few quick tips:
Create digital communication channels to make it easy for students to find friends with common interests and discuss topics that interest them!
Break it down: Consolidate large groups of people into smaller groups whenever possible to make it easier for students and parents to meet new people and actively participate.
Mix it up: Alternate between informational sessions and opportunities to get moving and interacting.
Include virtual and hybrid programming. Many barriers, such as financial burdens, can prevent new students from being able to attend college orientation. By making some orientation activities, communication channels and resources available online, you can ensure everyone is able to participate!
Share an orientation agenda in advance so that students can take time to familiarize themselves with what to expect. A dedicated orientation app can be an essential resource to set students up for a successful transition!
Be sure to check out our list of 26 tips for hosting a successful and engaging virtual student orientation for more ideas and tips!
Are you a higher education professional planning for upcoming new student orientation programs? Contact us to chat about how CampusGroups can help you cultivate an environment of happy, active and engaged students on your campus!
