What is TeamBuilding?

Team building can be defined as a cooperative learning situation in which the team must work together to solve a challenging problem. Team building is structured so that everyone in the group succeeds and no individual loses; everyone is a winner.

Important Parts of TeamBuilding

Perseverance - It is important for students to understand that success doesn't always come easy. Failure only means the need to try again or to re-think strategies.

Rules - In team building there must be clear rules that are followed and if they are not then consequences should result. Whether the rules are for a game or for expected behaviors, they must be set up to promote respect, responsibility, and safety but at the same time they must be open enough to allow for student creativity, exploration, and experimentation.

Social Development - It is important to remember in team building that to be successful, the process is more important than the produce. The team does not necessarily have to solve the problem; success is demonstrated in how well the group works together to complete the task at hand.

Why Develop Teamwork?

  1. To improve communication - For teambuilding to be effective everyone must be involved. By developing teamwork, students will learn to encourage one another by talking and by listening to each other in order to solve a problem.
  2. To learn different roles - By working together in groups, natural leaders and followers will emerge. Students put into new activities and into new positions will establish new roles and be able to experience new things.
  3. To improve risk taking - When students have the support of a group around them they are more willing to take greater risks and to try new things. In short, like the saying goes: the greater the risk, the greater the reward. Students will often develop more self confidence when they have the comfort of others behind them.
  4. To develop a more positive class environment - When students have to work together to solve a common goal it can reinforce current friendships and develop a new respect for others. Teamwork can have a long lasting positive influence throughout your classroom in many different areas.

Teaching Hints in TeamBuilding

  1. Remember that safety is always the number one concern. Make sure rules are clear regarding appropriate uses for equipment and expected behavior for each challenge.
  2. Keep in mind that the main goal of team building is for students to work together and support one another (it is not always how fast you can complete the challenge). This means positive comments only and definitely no putdowns towards others.
  3. Team building should stress cooperation over competition
  4. Note that most team building activities can be modified to fit students of all ages and abilities. Changing the rules, equipment, and/or distances can make a big difference in the challenge (to make it easier or harder depending on your students’ abilities).
  5. Praise students when you see examples of positive life-skills, cooperation, and/or sportsmanship. You can award points in many of the games based solely on positive behavior or words. This will help reinforce those positive behaviors in your class.
  6. As a teacher you want to make sure that you don't solve the challenges for the students. It is important that they work together and even struggle together to take on a challenge. Remember, we often learn best from our struggles and our mistakes. If the students are really struggling, you can modify the activity or give little hints; don't make it so easy that they don't have to think for themselves.
  7. One of the best parts of team building activities is the discussions that can follow up a group challenge. Some good questions to ask your students after participating in a team building activity include:
  • What worked well?
  • What did not work well?
  • Was the group successful? Why or why not?
  • What would you do different if you could try it again?

H. You can also use team building activities to discuss (but not limited to) the following life-skills in relation to the challenges:

  • teamwork
  • trust
  • cooperation
  • respect
  • support
  • communication
  • perseverance
  • sportsmanship
  • patience
  • sharing

I. Another good reminder for students (and teachers) is that just because one solution doesn't work doesn't mean it is the wrong way to do it and just because a solution works the first try doesn't mean it was the most effective way to do it!

Zack Dee, Petaluma Junior High

Team-building activities help establish a positive community atmosphere in your classroom. When your students get to know you and each other in a fun and supportive environment you are able to establish the kind of rapport that will enable you to have a trusting relationship with them throughout the year. Listed below are activities aimed at building a classroom community. Each class has a different makeup and different needs. Please read through the activities and choose the ones that you like and feel will help your class the best. Remember that the processing/debriefing after the activity is very important, putting the focus on the cognitive process rather than the activity itself.

TIPS ON FORMING A CIRCLE:

Ask participants to form a fingertip circle. Bend the arms, putting the hands at shoulder height, and then turn the palms away from the shoulders. Join fingertips with the two participants on either side. This puts just the right amount of space between players!

COOPERATIVE MUSICAL HOOPS

This has the same basic rules as the traditional game of musical chairs except no one is ever out. Spread hula-hoops on the floor and play lively, fun music. As you remove the hoops, let the group know that no one is out. Let them figure out that they must share the hoops in order to remain playing. It's fun to see how many people can share a hoop.

PEOPLE TO PEOPLE

Everyone has a partner except for the leader. The leader chants body parts for partners to touch. For example: "head to head" or "elbow to elbow." After doing a few of these, the leader calls out "people to people," at which time everyone, including the leader, must find a new partner (thus there's a new leader). The game continues in this fashion.

GROUP JUGGLING

Players form a circle. The leader gives each member a number. Consecutively numbered people should not be near each other, but across the circle from each other. The players must then toss a ball starting with person #1 up to the last numbered person who returns the ball to person #1. As the players get used to the pattern with one ball, add another, and another, etc. For smaller children, whose coordination is still developing, use stuffed animals to toss. Lower elementary children can use medium to large Nerf balls, while junior high and above can use tennis balls. Another variation for older kids: when doing multiple balls, use balls of different sizes and/or texture.

HOOP CIRCLE

Have players form a circle and join hands. The leader has a hula-hoop resting on his arm (and is holding hands with those beside him/her). Without breaking hands, the leader must pass the hoop to the next person and the hoop continues around the circle with each player stepping into the hoop and then over his/her head and on to the next person. Once this concept is learned, see if you can get two players through the hoop together, then three and so on. Some smaller children have actually gotten five in at a time!

MOONBALL

Players begin by forming a circle. Toss a beach ball or balloon ball (balloon with cloth cover) into the circle and see how long the group can keep the ball in the air (count number of hits). If the ball hits the ground, start again and try to improve your record. Help teach problem solving: when the ball hits the ground, ask the group what they think will help them do better. Then try their suggestions.

ZOOM

Have players form a circle. Players must get in the zoom position (leaning into the circle, one foot in front of the other, both hands on the front knee) - "Assume the zoom." Begin by passing the word "zoom" around the circle (verbally). You can't "pass" the "zoom" until you've received "it." Record the time it takes to get the word all the way around the circle. Ask for suggestions on how to improve your time. Try to beat your previous time. Incorporate any reasonable suggestions.

HUMAN KNOT

Ask a group of ten to thirteen people to form a tight circle. Have each person extend both hands into the center, and grasp the hand of two different people. When this is completed, the group must then untangle the knot they have created. Physical hand-to-hand contact may not be broken to untangle the knot. Grips may change and palms may pivot on one another, but contact must be maintained. If time is running out, the problem can be simplified by breaking one grip and asking the group to form a single line instead of a circle.

ALL ABOARD

The goal is to get a group of twelve to sixteen people on a two-foot square platform without anyone touching the ground. Rules:

1.Each person must have both feet off the ground.
2.Everyone in the group must remain on the platform for at least 10 seconds.
3.Participants can not lay on top of each other, forming a dog pile, as a solution to this activity. Variation: use hula-hoops instead of platforms.

BLIND HEIGHT ALIGNMENT

Blindfold each member of the group and instruct them to align themselves according to height. Group members are not allowed to talk to each other and blindfolds must remain in place throughout this activity.

BLIND SQUARE

The object of this game is to have a group of at least eight participants form a perfect square while blindfolded. After participants have put on blindfolds, place a rope that is tied in a circle in each person's hands. Participants must then form the rope into the shape of a square. When they believe the square has been formed, the participants place the rope carefully on the ground and remove their blindfolds. All participants must have at least one hand on the rope at all times.

Variation: after successfully forming a square, try a triangle, or another shape.

COMMONALITIES AND “UNIQUITIES”

Summary: A group team-building activity in which people identify things that everyone has in common along with interesting characteristics that are unique to a person in the group. Recommended number of people: groups of 5-8. Messiness factor: no sweat. Materials required: two sheets of paper and a pen for each group. Recommended setting: indoors.

Form groups of five to eight people and give them two sheets of paper and a pencil or pen. The first part of the activity is Commonalities, where each subgroup compiles a list of the things they have in common. In order for it to make the list, it must apply to everyone in the subgroup. You want to avoid writing things that people can see (e.g. “everyone has hair,” or “we are all wearing clothes”). Try to get them to dig deeper. After about five minutes, have a spokesperson from each subgroup read the group’s list.

Then, depending on your goals for the session, you can have half of each subgroup rotate to another group for “Uniquities” or you can leave everyone in the same group. On thesecond sheet of paper have the groups record “uniquities,” meaning that each item applies to only one person in the group. The group tries to find at least 2 “uniquities” for each person. After 5-7 minutes, you can have each person say one of their “uniquities” or have a person read them one by one, having others try to guess who it was. (Again, you want to go beyond the superficial, avoiding those things that people can readily see). This is an excellent team-building activity because it promotes unity, gets people to realize that they have more in common than they first might realize. The awareness of their own unique characteristics is also beneficial in that people can feel empowered to offer the group something unique.

THIRSTY STRAWS GAME

Summary: A funny relay racein which players must quickly drink as much water as they can and then pass it on to the next person.

Ages: 10 and up. Recommended number of people: teams of four. Messiness factor: Better have a bathroom available! Materials required: A liter of water per team, straws long enough to reach the bottom of container. Recommended setting: outdoors.

Instructions: In groups of four, choose the order in which each personwill drink. Thirsty Straws isa relay race to see who finishes first. The object of the game is to be the first team to drink the entire liter of water –with the requirement that each member of the team can only drink once. The catch is that if each person does not drink his/her share, the last person is left to finish off whatever is left. This is usually an extremely difficult task and usually hilarious to watch. Note: this game may not be the most sanitary of games. As a cleaner alternative, consider a relay using multiple bottles of water, in which the next person can drink when the person finishes his or her one bottle.

ZIG ZAG ZOP

  1. Everyone is in a circle. One person starts by saying, "zig" and looks at another person.
  2. That person now says, "zag" while looking at another person.
  3. Now the third person says, "zop" while looking at another person and pointing to them with a fully extended arm. Only "zop" has the arm motion. If a person moves his/her arm on "zig" or "zag" he/she is out and must sit down. If a person does not move an arm on "zop" he/she is out and must sit down.
  4. Advanced -- speed it up. If a person hesitates, he/she is out.

Skill -- Concentration
COUNTING

  1. Class forms a circle, looking down with no eye contact.
  2. One person at a time, but in no preplanned order or pattern, the group counts from one to ten.
  3. If two people speak at once, they have to start over.
  4. If you get past ten... see how high you can go!

Skills -- Ensemble, Giving and Taking Focus

KOOSH BALL

  1. Everyone stands in a circle. One person starts by throwing the Koosh ball to another person.
  2. Continue passing the ball around so that everyone gets the ball once. The ball should end up with the person who started it.
  3. Remember the order and then time how fast the group can get the ball through everyone.
  4. See if the group can beat their fastest time!

Skills -- Concentration and Team Work