“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships.”-Michael Jordan
As simple as it sounds, engaging children into relevant team-building games can help in developing life skills like collaboration, communication and also makes learning fun.
Group tasks incorporate skills like leadership, problem-solving, asking questions, making decisions, communicating clearly, thinking creatively and build trust among the community.
These skills are not found in textbooks and cannot be obtained by mugging or memorizing concepts; it is something that adds personality and makes him/her ready for the future. It is a great opportunity to build bonds, socialize with others and just have another day to enjoy and have fun with children from different backgrounds.
Let’s take a look at 10 energizing team-building games for students
These below games act as an ice breaker to make learning fun through games and encourage children as they embark into a new semester.
- Tug of war
Many of you might have loved playing this game in school wherein you put all your strength to pull your opponents in your side of the boundary. You divide the rope into two halves with two teams holding it from both sides. At the sound of the whistle, you hear your colleagues cheering Pull…Pull…Pull! This game is a real stressbuster and requires teamwork to win.
- Treasure hunt
Divide the children into two halves, let one team plan a strategy to create hints or riddles while the other team needs to find as many as items they could. This game encourages children to work together, communicate and come up with creative ideas to make the game more challenging.
- Paper-bag skits
Prepare small paper bags and fill it with random items like a puppet, wand, tiara, props- any genuine items. Give them 15 minutes to prepare a skit based on the items in the goodie bag.
After presenting the skits, ask the other children to vote for the team who performed well. This is a great way to break cliques and encourage children to mingle.
- Recreating structure with just a glance
Initially, the teacher prepares a small structure using blocks or LEGO, which is kept at a distance from the children. After dividing the class into an equal number of groups, one child is asked to come forward and closely look at the structure for about 10 seconds.
The child then returns to his teammates and tries to demonstrate the group to build a replica for about 25 seconds and another 1-2 minutes is given to build the structure. The team who manages to recreate the original structure wins.
It is a great problem-solving game that allows effective communication.
- Creating productive solutions
Distribute different objects like a book, pen, handkerchief, ruler, etc. anything to each group and give them an imaginary situation or rather a problem and ask them to find a solution using the given object.
For example: Create an imaginary world full of zombies, vampires or even a stranded island where they are all alone and need to find a way out safe and sound using the given objects.
Give them the freedom to think out of the box. This will encourage problem-solving and will get their creative juices flowing.
- Slideshow on the go
In this game, you need to make a pair of 2 or 3 wherein one will describe an adventure or process while the others will enact. This game highlights the importance of teamwork and to hold on to each other in times of crisis.
- Word guessing game
Charades is a popular game that is loved by every child. It’s the same but replace movie names with an English word or object. Come up with words that can increase their vocabulary.
- Puzzles
During rainy days, puzzles are a great pass time. They develop patience level in children as they work together for long stretches, which enhances teamwork.
- Let them learn themselves
How about making an idol of Ganpati and get their hands on clay making or building a robot using LEGO? Ask a group to prepare an idol or a painting all by themselves. As rightly said, ‘Self learning is the best learning!’.
- Night Trail
Blindfold one participant from each group and let the other team members instruct him/her about the obstacle to reach the finish line. This fun activity helps in trust-building, cooperation and improving communication skills.
Nalanda International School is one of the best schools in Vadodara offering world-class infrastructure and a protective conducive environment for every child. For more, visit us!
