Ice Breaker Lesson #4 Coat of Arms

Summary:

This is the fourth lesson of a series of ice breaker lessons that you can use with a variety of different children/adolescents over the start of the new year. Ice breakers are great for encouraging cooperation, getting to know each other, feeling comfortable in a group environment and many, many more benefits. If you like this lesson, please share your thoughts in the comments below.

Australian Curriculum Links:

This lesson has a large amount of correlation to the ‘Personal and Social Capability’ section of the Australian Curriculum. Click here to access the information.

Lesson:

Introduction:

In a whole class setting, explain to the children/adolescents that they are going to (we are going to) participate in some ice breaker activities. Explain the importance on always being enthusiastic throughout the lesson. Reassure that we are not trying to embarrass anyone and highlight that the main purpose is to get to know everyone just a little bit better than before.

Explain to your students that today we are going to create our own coat of arms that will represent everything that we feel is important to us.
Discuss the meaning of symbols in our world (such as a stop sign meaning that we have to do something or a smile being symbolic that we are happy)
Tell the students that we are going to create our own coat of arms with symbols that represent ‘who’ we are and ‘what’ we believe in.
Ask for examples from the children to gauge their understanding.

Body:

Hand out the coat of arms template (below) and allow children to start to create their own.
Encourage detail and colour and advise that you will hang these up around the room to signify who we are as a class.

Conclusion:

Ask students to come back in as a whole and get them to share their coat of arms to the rest of the group.
Encourage them to express their ideas behind why they chose the drawings / colours that are on their coat of arms.