Ask the fifth graders to sit in a circle and select one student to go first. She must say her name and an adjective that starts with the same letter as the first letter in her name. Some examples include "Silly Sally," "Funny Fred" or "Crazy Cathy." Alternatively, have the students name an adjective for each letter of their name. Another idea is to have the students make up a sentence using each letter in their name. For example, "Brad" could say "Brad runs at dawn."
Give each student an index card and have him write down three interesting facts about himself. Some examples include his favorite hobby, his pet's name and how many siblings he has. Tell the students not to write their names on the cards. Mix the cards up and hand everyone a card. Students must walk around mingling with the other students to find the owner of the index card. Alternatively, write four questions on each card and have the students all answer the same questions. Some questions include, "What is your favorite book" and "What is your favorite candy?"
Have each student select a partner, preferably a student she does not know. Give the students 20 minutes to interview each other. They can ask questions like "What is your favorite color" and "Who is your hero and why?" After 20 minutes, each student must come to the front of the class and share what she learned about her partner. For another idea, divide the students into groups of three or four. Each group will have one spokesperson to share the interesting facts about each person in her group.
For a funny game, allow the fifth graders to make animal sounds. Make cards with animal names, such as dog, lion, snake and horse, on each card. Make three or four cards of each animal. Mix the cards up and hand one card to each student. The students must make the noise of the animal on their card to find the other animals like him. Once the students find their matches, they must introduce themselves to one another. Another idea is to have them sit in a circle. The students must go around the circle and fill in the blanks of the following statement, "My name is ..... and if I was an animal I would be a ..... because ......" Have each student complete the statement.