This article includes several different team building games that you can play. The games serve as great icebreakers to get new groups familiar with each other. Enjoy!!

Team Building Activities

1. Safety Net Game

a. Split up into 4 groups of 10.

b. One student will stand on a platform with back facing the group.

c. The rest of the group will weave arms together and make a safety net/web.

d. Student on the platform will trust the group and fall back into the safety net with out looking.

2. Unholy Alliance (4 way tug of war)

a. Split class into 4 groups of 10

b. Use a rope in the form of a cross-hair

c. There is a 6 foot rope circle in the middle of the field

d. There is red piece of cloth attached to each section of the cross-hair.

e. Object is to get your groups piece of cloth outside of the circle first.

3. Name Game

a. Split class into 4 groups of 10

b. Need four 2x4 boards

c. Each group will line up and stand on the board

d. Students will have to arrange themselves in alphabetical order by name without talking.

e. May only use non-verbal forms of communication

4. Rope Shapes

a. Need two 100 foot ropes.

b. Split class into two groups.

c. Each student maintains contact with the rope.

d. Teacher will call out a shape and students will race to finish the shape.

e. Students have to use the whole rope, leaving no excess rope.

5. Spider Web

a. Boys in one group and girls in the other

b. Everyone holds hands all crossed up

c. Try to untangle the web with out letting go to form a circle

6. Hula-Hoop Game

a. Form a circle

b. Object is to get the hula-hoop around the circle with out letting hands go.

c. Log Walk

d. Get into groups of 5-6

e. Stand on both logs- everyone’s left foot on one log and right foot on the other log

f. Each group has to walk in unison

g. This is a timed race from point A to point B.

h. Group with the fastest time wins.

7. Log Transfer

a. Get into groups of 6

b. There will be two logs per group

c. Place two logs in a straight line

d. Every member of each group will stand on their group’s log

e. Every member must get onto log #2 in front of them. If an member touches the ground or falls off the log, the group must start over.

f. Once all group members have reached log #2, the must pass log #1 in front of log #2, with out falling off the log.

g. If anyone falls off the log, they must start over.

h. This will continue until one group crosses the finish line.

8. Cardio Card Flip

a. Form a circle with a rope

b. Students partner up (2 together)

c. Have to flip cards over in numerical order. If a card is not the right one you have to flip the card back over and run a lap around the circle.

d. Here is the catch. Between the two students, there can only be two feet in the circle at one time.

e. Work together while working against the clock

9. Survival Scenarios-

a. Scenario 1: Choose Survival Equipment

b. Class splits up into groups

c. Your plane crashed...your group needs to choose the 12 most useful items to survive...

d. Choose / rank equipment items in terms of their relative survival value:

e. Participants choose/rank the items individually

f. Discuss choices/rankings in small group and come to a group consensus

g. Score answers against "expert" opinion

h. Modification: After first scenario, continue with these. You may add or change scenarios as needed.

i. Lost at sea or island survival (shipwreck)

j. Lost on a Wilderness field trip

k. Space or Moon

10. Cardio Mine Field-

a. Objects are scattered in an indoor or outdoor place.

b. In pairs, one person verbally guides his/her partner, a blindfolded person, through the minefield.

c. Fruit Basket-

d. The class sits in a circle on chairs, with one person standing in the middle.

e. Participants are equally divided between three fruits (such as apples, oranges and pineapples).

f. When the middle person calls out a fruit (e.g., "apples"), all the apples change chairs, including the middle person.

g. The person "out" becomes the next caller.

h. If a caller says "fruit basket" all participants have to change chairs.

11. In-Motion-

a. This game is similar to mirroring, except that in addition to movement, it incorporates sounds and more extensive movements.

b. In the beginning, a suggested rule is, "Keep your feet on the ground and stay where you are standing."

c. One person (initially the teacher) conducts an action involving both movement and sound.

d. Everyone repeats the model, then another person in the circle models an action with everyone repeating.

e. The order can be determined by proceeding around the circle or from a caller who selects the next person.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Team Building Activities

1. Safety Net Game

a. Split up into 4 groups of 10.

b. One student will stand on a platform with back facing the group.

c. The rest of the group will weave arms together and make a safety net/web.

d. Student on the platform will trust the group and fall back into the safety net with out looking.

2. Unholy Alliance (4 way tug of war)

a. Split class into 4 groups of 10

b. Use a rope in the form of a cross-hair

c. There is a 6 foot rope circle in the middle of the field

d. There is red piece of cloth attached to each section of the cross-hair.

e. Object is to get your groups piece of cloth outside of the circle first.

3. Name Game

a. Split class into 4 groups of 10

b. Need four 2x4 boards

c. Each group will line up and stand on the board

d. Students will have to arrange themselves in alphabetical order by name without talking.

e. May only use non-verbal forms of communication

4. Rope Shapes

a. Need two 100 foot ropes.

b. Split class into two groups.

c. Each student maintains contact with the rope.

d. Teacher will call out a shape and students will race to finish the shape.

e. Students have to use the whole rope, leaving no excess rope.

5. Spider Web

a. Boys in one group and girls in the other

b. Everyone holds hands all crossed up

c. Try to untangle the web with out letting go to form a circle

6. Hula-Hoop Game

a. Form a circle

b. Object is to get the hula-hoop around the circle with out letting hands go.

c. Log Walk

d. Get into groups of 5-6

e. Stand on both logs- everyone’s left foot on one log and right foot on the other log

f. Each group has to walk in unison

g. This is a timed race from point A to point B.

h. Group with the fastest time wins.

7. Log Transfer

a. Get into groups of 6

b. There will be two logs per group

c. Place two logs in a straight line

d. Every member of each group will stand on their group’s log

e. Every member must get onto log #2 in front of them. If an member touches the ground or falls off the log, the group must start over.

f. Once all group members have reached log #2, the must pass log #1 in front of log #2, with out falling off the log.

g. If anyone falls off the log, they must start over.

h. This will continue until one group crosses the finish line.

8. Cardio Card Flip

a. Form a circle with a rope

b. Students partner up (2 together)

c. Have to flip cards over in numerical order. If a card is not the right one you have to flip the card back over and run a lap around the circle.

d. Here is the catch. Between the two students, there can only be two feet in the circle at one time.

e. Work together while working against the clock

9. Survival Scenarios-

a. Scenario 1: Choose Survival Equipment

b. Class splits up into groups

c. Your plane crashed...your group needs to choose the 12 most useful items to survive...

d. Choose / rank equipment items in terms of their relative survival value:

e. Participants choose/rank the items individually

f. Discuss choices/rankings in small group and come to a group consensus

g. Score answers against "expert" opinion

h. Modification: After first scenario, continue with these. You may add or change scenarios as needed.

i. Lost at sea or island survival (shipwreck)

j. Lost on a Wilderness field trip

k. Space or Moon

10. Cardio Mine Field-

a. Objects are scattered in an indoor or outdoor place.

b. In pairs, one person verbally guides his/her partner, a blindfolded person, through the minefield.

c. Fruit Basket-

d. The class sits in a circle on chairs, with one person standing in the middle.

e. Participants are equally divided between three fruits (such as apples, oranges and pineapples).

f. When the middle person calls out a fruit (e.g., "apples"), all the apples change chairs, including the middle person.

g. The person "out" becomes the next caller.

h. If a caller says "fruit basket" all participants have to change chairs.

11. In-Motion-

a. This game is similar to mirroring, except that in addition to movement, it incorporates sounds and more extensive movements.

b. In the beginning, a suggested rule is, "Keep your feet on the ground and stay where you are standing."

c. One person (initially the teacher) conducts an action involving both movement and sound.

d. Everyone repeats the model, then another person in the circle models an action with everyone repeating.

e. The order can be determined by proceeding around the circle or from a caller who selects the next person.