Turning “Me Bags” Into a Connection-Making Activity

What if a simple “Me Bag” activity could become more than a show-and-tell?

I created this Lucid activity to help students move from sharing personal interests to finding meaningful connections with their classmates.

The idea is simple: students start with objects or images that represent themselves, then work together to identify themes and connections.

Here’s how it works:

1. Start with “Our Class”
Students contribute items that represent something about themselves—an object, image, interest, hobby, family connection, cultural tradition, or anything else that tells part of their story.

2. Organize into themes
As students look at everyone's contributions, they begin grouping items into larger themes. Maybe several students share an interest in creativity, family, culture, sports, books, or music.

3. Make connections
Students draw connections between items and explain why they belong together. The goal isn't simply to find things that are identical—it's to uncover relationships that might not be obvious at first.

4. Find the unexpected
Once students have made their connections, ask:

What is one connection you didn't expect?

This is where the activity gets interesting. Students may discover something surprising they have in common with a classmate—or find a connection between two ideas they never would have put together.

Why I like this activity

“Me Bags” can be a great community-building activity at the beginning of the school year, but it can also go beyond introductions.

Students are practicing categorization, critical thinking, communication, and making connections between ideas while learning more about the people in their classroom.

And because the thinking is visible, the class can literally see how individual experiences come together to create a community.

How could you use connection-making in your classroom?

Here’s the template: https://lucid.app/lucidchart/de4d4e0b-3c90-4331-a986-9a1b20c4812c/edit?invitationId=inv_c373a421-bb2d-40c4-b420-f2d918619962

Here’s the video explaining the template: https://lucid.app/lucidchart/de4d4e0b-3c90-4331-a986-9a1b20c4812c/edit?view_items=GjpnuY.7GzjN&page=0_0&invitationId=inv_c373a421-bb2d-40c4-b420-f2d918619962