Every year in our classroom, we do many community-building activities at the beginning of the year,

after a long break, and when we needed a reset. For many years I also had a community circle at the end
of the day, where we would reflect on our day and get to know each other just a little bit better. In this
circle, we would ask questions to build community.

Here are 67 questions you can use in your elementary classroom to build community. Use them at the
beginning of the year or after a break to establish classroom routines. The questions range from surface-
level to more thoughtful and are great for any elementary grade. Use them as journal prompts or as a
quick fill activity. #journalprompts #questionsforelementarystudents

Throughout the years, I have collected fun discussion questions or opinion writing prompts that I could
easily ask to promote a positive classroom environment. The questions below range from surface-level
icebreaker questions to more thoughtful questions that are great for any elementary grade.

WAYS TO USE THESE QUESTIONS TO BUILD COMMUNITY

There are many ways to use these questions throughout the school year or on the first day of school.
Here are a few ideas:

Use them as community circle questions at the beginning or end of the day

Use them as an opinion writing prompt

Think-Pair-Share after recess

Inside-Outside circle

Line of two groups of students who share with one student then move down the line

Musical Partners, where students find a partner, ask and answer the question and then trade questions

Have students choose a number and answer that question

Use them as restorative circle questions for elementary school

Make an acronym, like Thoughtful Thursday Questions

Use them as SEL questions for students

The beauty of these questions is that you can use them to establish classroom routines around student
sharing. Use them to practice expectations of taking turns and how you want students to move around
the classroom. Help students sustain relationships and build a deeper connection with one another at all
grade levels.
These questions and prompts are also great for opinion writing. Most of the prompts are centered
around expressing student ideas. Use them for your opinion writing unit.

You can also use these questions to build community in a variety of activities featured in our 80 Sponge
Activities or Brain Breaks list.

You can also use them for writing journals! The possibilities are endless.

WHAT ARE SOME GOOD DISCUSSION QUESTIONS TO BUILD A COMMUNITY OR TO USE AS OPINION
WRITING PROMPTS?

Here are 67 questions you can use in your classroom to build community with your elementary (and
middle school) students!

“WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE” QUESTIONS . . .

What’s your favorite flavor of ice cream?

What’s your least favorite type of candy?

What’s your favorite television show?

What’s your favorite class?

What’s your favorite color?

What’s your least favorite food?

What’s your favorite movie?

What’s your favorite vacation spot?

What’s your favorite sport?

What’s your favorite hobby?

Who is your favorite person in history?

What’s your favorite car?

What’s your favorite type of food?

What would you change about today?

What’s your favorite soda?

What’s your favorite book or movie?

What is your favorite thing to do during recess?

What is your favorite fairytale?

What is your favorite book character?

Talk about your favorite season and what you love about it.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE QUESTIONS

What is one thing that you like about yourself?

What do you enjoy doing with your family?

What do you like to eat in the lunchroom?

What are you looking forward to learning about this year (week, month)?

What do you like to do on a rainy day (sunny day)?

“IF” QUESTIONS

If you could move anywhere, where would you live?

If you could go to any point in history, where would you go?

If someone could predict your future, would you want yours predicted? Why or why not?

If you could be any animal, what would you be?

If you could change one thing about the world what would it be?

If you could have one animal as a pet what would it be?

If you could be a wild animal, which one would you choose and why?

If you could improve on any gift that you have what would it be?

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

If you could change one event in history, what would it be?

If you could be any place in nature, where would you go?

If you were a plant, what kind would you be and why?

If you could be someone else for a day, who would you be and why?

If you could have dinner with anyone living or dead, who would it be and why?

If you were to have a tattoo for a week, what would it be and why?

If this week of your life were a movie or book, what would the title be and why?

What would be one of the first things you would do if you became president?

If you had three wishes what would they be?

What superpower would you like to have and why?

If you could change your name would you? What would you change it to?

QUESTIONS ABOUT THE FUTURE

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Where do you want to go to college?

What’s your dream job?

What is something that you really want to do in your lifetime?

Name one thing you would like to have in the future.

Close your eyes and imagine yourself ten years from now. Where are you? What are you doing?

Pick a word to describe your future. Why did you choose that word?

REFLECTIVE QUESTIONS

Who is most inspiring to you?

What are you most afraid of?

What’s your greatest accomplishment so far?

What motivates you?

What’s your first memory?

What is something you do that bothers other people?

What are three things that you do every day?

Are you organized or messy?

What is a positive quality that you have?

Name something that you’ve done recently for the first time.

Name something that you’ve never done, but would like to try.

Tell about something for which you are thankful.

Talk about something happening in the world that concerns you.

Talk about something happening in the world today that excites or inspires you.

Talk about a funny or scary adventure you had with a friend.

Do you have good discussion questions to build community in your classroom or questions that you use
for circle time? Leave a comment below and let us know the questions that you ask your students!