Ultimate Guide to Team Building Activities

Team Building Activities- It is one of the primary objectives of education to help children with new, and better inventive ways to achieve success in the real world—especially in a more competitive environment. Performing group tasks teaches students the importance of listening, trusting and supporting each other, as well as developing life skills such as communication and collaboration, which cannot be acquired from a textbook, interactive or not. So, are you looking for excellent ways to teach students to collaborate, listen carefully, communicate clearly, and think creatively? These team-building activities and team building exercises are a must-try. They're an excellent way for students to get to know one another, build community trust, and, most importantly, have fun!

Also Read | Balancing Academics With Co-Curricular Activities

Let’s now look at some of the most popular team building activities in detail:

Team Building Activities - Mine Field

Students learn cooperation through this game. It also nicely transitions into a discussion about diversity. To begin with in a classroom, for example, a square is defined using tape. Then, in the square area, plastic cones or cups are scattered at random which are obstacles. This has now become a minefield. After that students are divided into pairs to play this team building activity. One student is blindfolded, while the other attempts to guide their partner through the obstacles verbally. The students must cross the minefield while wearing blindfolds without touching or knocking down the plastic cups. The other students issue precise commands, allowing the blindfolded students to cross the minefield without blowing up any "mines."

Also Read | How To Build Confidence And Self-Esteem: Check Top 10 Ways

Team Building Activities - Human Knot

Human Knot is a simple game that can be played both indoors and outdoors with no props. This is one of the team building games that teach problem-solving as well as teamwork. Students form a closed circle, facing inward, and place their hands and arms in the centre. They grab their peers' hands or wrists at random. It is now up to the students to untangle themselves. This game is best played in small to medium-sized groups. To make the task more difficult, the children should complete it without speaking.

Also Read | Certificate in Management Skills

Team Building Activities - Shrinking Classroom

This is one of the team building activities, and it is a strategy game in which students must work together to occupy a slowly shrinking space. Students must try to manoeuvre over time to ensure that they can all fit within the space provided. Students must organise themselves to fit into a rapidly shrinking classroom space. The classroom is divided into two groups, each of which is a competitor. They both stand in a defined location. The teacher, for example, uses a rope or small traffic cones to reduce the standing area. The students have to find a way to fit everyone in the limited space. The team who can fit into the smallest "classroom" wins. Students collaborate to find the best solution and save the most space, involving both teamwork and problem-solving.

Also Read | Course On Working in Teams : A Practical Guide

Team Building Activities - Guess Who

This is one of the team building exercises that inculcates listening skills, communication skills, and memorisation in students which is all required to win this game. For this activity, students must write down one unique fact about themselves and collect one from each other student. Students are then given a set amount of time to find a partner and another set amount of time to talk to that partner. Everyone comes back together after each student has paired up. Students must now guess who the special fact is about based on their conversations with each other. Whoever correctly matches the most facts with the most students wins. This activity helps in team building too.

Also Read | Examples Of Extracurricular Activities: 6 Activities With Examples

Team Building Activities - Unroping The Rope

The goal of this team building activity is to teach problem-solving skills and encourage creative thinking. Two or more students are tied together with ropes, and it is their job to untangle the strings. This is one of the team bonding activities that helps in building patience and persistence too. Students may lose their cool and panic in situations like these so this team building exercise teaches them how to solve problems calmly.

Also Read | Course On Developing Your Team - Forming to Performing

Team Building Activities - Detective

It is one of the popular team bonding activities that require excellent cooperation and communication skills. In Detective, one student is chosen as the detective and leaves the room. Another student then takes the role of leader, and all other students must mimic their actions, it could be tapping the side of their head, or maybe raising their hands, or could be anything else.

The detective then must try to figure out who is the group's leader, with three chances to get it right. When the game is over, a new detective and leader are chosen. Students must work together nonverbally to 'fool' the detective in this activity.

Also Read | Course On Interpersonal Effectiveness and Team Building (Online)

Team Building Activities - The Worst Case Scenario

It is one of those team bonding activities that require more thought and introspection from whoever participates. In this activity, students must work collaboratively to solve a complicated or even life-threatening problem.

The following are some excellent examples of worst-case scenarios:

• Being adrift at sea

• Being stranded on a desert island

• Being alone on a mountain

In each scenario, students must collaborate to 'survive' or solve the imagined situation. This could be done by listing ten items they can bring with them or considering the best way to get to safety. This team building exercise also encourages team voting to ensure overall group agreement.

Also Read | Course On Personal Growth and Team Building

Team Building Activities - Tug Of War

It is one of the team building exercises which puts team members' endurance and physical strength to the test. This team building activity is frequently played by two teams. Both teams have to pull the same rope from opposite ends. The team that successfully pulls the rope to their side is the winner. It is a strategy game in which the leader makes a strategy. The most amazing part about the tug of war is that you can win as a group even if you don't have the most experienced individuals on your side!

Also Read | 13+ Courses on Team Building to Achieve Goals Effectively

Team Building Activities - Caterpillar Race

This team-building activity teaches students the value of time management and strategy development. In this activity, students rush to get up their balloons and adjust them between each other. If the strategy is not that effective and the team members are unable to make a caterpillar, they will fail to complete the task.

Children today face new and different challenges than previous generations. With more pressure on parents due to financial and social obligations, children frequently miss out on important opportunities to learn social skills.

These team building activities are designed to teach a lesson and the mission is accomplished if students can take away something useful from such team building exercises.

Author- This article has been authored by Yashodhra Arora, who is a Counselling Psychologist, with extensive experience in career counselling for high school students