Using Emojis to Promote Classroom Community

15 November 2018 / 2 comments
Learn how Emojis can be used to promote classroom community through icebreakers, communication, designing an Emoji to represent the class, and more!  Lots of engaging ideas students of all ages will love PLUS a FREE download at the link!

Emojis have become their own language and one that we can incorporate into the classroom to promote classroom community. Emojis offer a meaningful way to communicate without words. Using Emojis can have a large impact in the classroom depending on how they are used and especially when used by children who sometimes struggle to put their ideas into words. Here is a round up of how you can use Emojis in your classroom to promote classroom community all year long.

Build Community with Emoji Icebreaker Games

Adding Emojis to your icebreaker and all-about-me projects is just one more way to make them especially engaging.  At a glance, students can make connections to other students and Emojis even add an additional layer of translating that requires critical thinking skills.

These Emoji surveys for Google Classroom and the iPad have students answering All About Me style questions using ONLY Emojis:

Learn how Emojis can be used to promote classroom community through icebreakers, communication, designing an Emoji to represent the class, and more!  Lots of engaging ideas students of all ages will love PLUS a FREE download at the link!

Answering with Emojis adds a layer of comfort and makes icebreakers less awkward.  I also think it is important to do icebreaker style activities throughout the year so students have positive shared experiences in the classroom.  We actually did the above project in the middle of the year and students enjoyed guessing who each survey belonged to!

Build Community with a Class Emoji

Swiftkey determined which Emoji was the most popular by state.  Click the map to see the results.  I think the megaphone for my home state of New Jersey is spot on!  My Virginia friends will need to explain the whole frog thing though!


Students could come up with an Emoji or string of Emojis to represent the classroom.  Students could work in teams and even vote on the winner.  Schools could even assign Emojis to represent different classrooms or "houses" similar to how Ron Clark uses a house system to promote a sense of family and belonging.  Students could also use Google Drive to design an Emoji for the class.

Use Emojis to Improve Classroom Communication

I know when I text message, I use Emojis to add tone to my message that might otherwise be lost since we are not speaking face to face.  Likewise, sometimes students still need help developing tone.

Emojis can be used in a lesson about sarcasm, teasing, and sincerity.  I use the sentences on the handout below and have students practice saying the sentences in different ways.


Click here to download the "Emojine That"sentences for free.

We use a set of my Emoji accents printed small - each with a different feeling on it. Since it is editable, I just made another set and printed 8 to one page. Laminate them and use like cards or tape a popsicle stick or pencil behind them.

Learn how Emojis can be used to promote classroom community through icebreakers, communication, designing an Emoji to represent the class, and more!  Lots of engaging ideas students of all ages will love PLUS a FREE download at the link!

Get the editable Emojis here.  

Students then pick an Emoji and read the whole set of sentences in the tone that matches.

Learn how Emojis can be used to promote classroom community through icebreakers, communication, designing an Emoji to represent the class, and more!  Lots of engaging ideas students of all ages will love PLUS a FREE download at the link!

They learn right away that tone can affect a seemingly innocent statement.  This helps with classroom community because it opens the door to solve miscommunication when it arises.

Emojis Help Students Show Support

Vodaphone released a free Emoji keyboard specifically to help kids and teens show support to one another.  They even involved over 5,000 kids in the process.



The idea came about because many students lack the words to help a friend who is being bullied or cyber bullied.

Display Emojis to Promote Classroom Community

Emojis are definitely having a moment, so why not sneak some character education with displays that students can connect to. Hang an Emoji pennant with reminders, character quotes, and expectations for students to look at.  Study All Knight's pennant has 58 different designs to choose from:


Emojis also make a motivating display for super student work.  Students could even opt to display work themselves or hang a classmate's paper if they choose.  I love these tags by Tanya Villacis:


Students can also use Emojis to check in with their feelings when it is difficult to express in words.  Hang this poster by Caffeinated in Third in a calm down spot for younger students to reference:

Learn how Emojis can be used to promote classroom community through icebreakers, communication, designing an Emoji to represent the class, and more!  Lots of engaging ideas students of all ages will love PLUS a FREE download at the link!

Maybe I'm a little Emoji obsessed, but after using them in my classroom, I see the benefits of Emojis as a tool for learning, communication, and promoting a sense of community in the classroom!

Click here for more ideas for using Emojis in the classroom (including more free downloads) and share your thoughts below!

2 comments:

  1. Absolutely wonderful post with TONS of great ideas! Thank you for the freebie!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Love this idea! This might be just what my kiddos need to switch things up and refocus! Thanks!

    ReplyDelete

Powered by Blogger.
Back to Top