First Day of School Jeopardy
Break the first-day ice with school trivia, getting-to-know-you prompts, and your class rules, all in a game that is free to set up with phone buzzers.
6 categories · 30 clues · Final Jeopardy · everyone buzzes in from their phone
Copies all 30 clues into an editor of your own. Free, no account needed.
Every clue on this board
This page is public, so anyone can read the answers — copy the board and swap a few clues before game day.
Getting to Know You
- $200
This is the polite word you say when meeting someone for the first time, such as Nice to meet you.
What is a greeting?
- $400
This is the term for a short activity teachers use at the start of the year to help students learn each other's names.
What is an icebreaker?
- $600
When introducing yourself, this is the word for the specific city or town where you live.
What is your hometown?
- $800
This word describes something you are especially good at or enjoy doing outside of school, like playing an instrument or a sport.
What is a hobby?
- $1,000
This is the word for the number of years you have been alive, a common icebreaker question on the first day of school.
What is your age?
Around Our School
- $200
This school staff member's office is often the first stop when a student feels sick or gets hurt during the day.
Who is the school nurse?
- $400
This school professional helps students plan their schedules and talk through personal or academic problems.
Who is the school counselor?
- $600
This room in a school holds rows of shelves filled with books that students can borrow and read.
What is the library?
- $800
This school leader is generally in charge of the entire building and staff.
Who is the principal?
- $1,000
This large room with a stage is where schools often hold assemblies, plays, and concerts.
What is the auditorium?
Rules and Routines
- $200
This is the polite classroom routine of lifting an arm to signal you have a question or want to speak.
What is raising your hand?
- $400
This sound or signal marks the start and end of each class period throughout the school day.
What is the bell?
- $600
This small pass lets a student step out of the classroom during class time, such as to use the restroom.
What is a hall pass?
- $800
Recited each morning in many American schools while facing the flag, this pledge begins with the words I pledge allegiance.
What is the Pledge of Allegiance?
- $1,000
Schools regularly practice this safety routine, lining up and walking outside calmly in case of a real emergency.
What is a fire drill?
School Supplies
- $200
This yellow writing tool has a graphite core and can be erased if you make a mistake.
What is a pencil?
- $400
This tool with two blades is used to cut paper for art projects and assignments.
What are scissors?
- $600
This three-ring container holds loose sheets of paper and is often organized with dividers for each subject.
What is a binder?
- $800
This handheld device with buttons quickly adds, subtracts, multiplies, and divides numbers for math class.
What is a calculator?
- $1,000
This bag with two straps is worn on the back and carries books, folders, and supplies to and from school.
What is a backpack?
Subjects We Study
- $200
In this subject, students practice reading, writing, spelling, and grammar.
What is English?
- $400
In this subject, students learn about numbers, shapes, and how to solve equations.
What is math?
- $600
In this subject, students study living things, chemicals, and how the physical world works through experiments.
What is science?
- $800
In this subject, students learn about the past, including important events, people, and civilizations.
What is history?
- $1,000
In this subject, students learn to speak, read, and write in a language other than their own, such as Spanish or French.
What is a foreign language?
Summer or School
- $200
This yearly event, held in June in most United States school districts, marks the last day before summer vacation begins.
What is the last day of school?
- $400
This annual tradition sends students home for around two months of vacation between school years.
What is summer break?
- $600
This required list, often sent home before school starts, tells families exactly which pencils, folders, and other items to buy.
What is a school supply list?
- $800
This event, usually held before the first day of classes, lets students and families visit their new classroom and meet the teacher.
What is open house?
- $1,000
This annual celebration in late summer, marked by new backpacks and freshly sharpened pencils, is the opposite of the last day of school.
What is the first day of school?
Final Jeopardy — School Icons
Painted a standard shade of yellow for visibility, this vehicle carries millions of American students to school every day.
What is a school bus?
How to run this board
First days are awkward by default, and a game gives everyone something to do besides sit quietly. This board mixes icebreaker prompts with light school trivia, questions about supplies and subjects, and a category you should rewrite with your own class rules and routines so the syllabus review becomes part of the fun.
Since nobody knows anyone yet, assign random teams and have each team pick a name before the first clue; it forces a first conversation. Keep scoring loose. The goal is names and laughter, not a winner.
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