What is one of the biggest challenges teachers face every year? Students forming clicks, students not wanting to work with each other, and someone being left out. Now, I will say that most students work well with each other and are willing to accept others into their "group."
Every year we all do team building activities in our classroom:
- Keep the balloon off the ground while holding hands with your team.
- Freeze and/or switch dance (Play a song and start dancing, then stop and let a kiddo choose a move. Everyone must do the move for 15 seconds, then they choose someone else to model a move.. keep going for the duration of the song)
- TEAM Puzzle - What does TEAM stand for?
Together
Everyone
Achieves
More!
Have students write on a puzzle piece how they will contribute to your class (or entire grade level). They should color the puzzle piece and then cut it out. Put all the puzzle pieces together on the wall with the TEAM poster
My team did some awesome team building this year.
- Hot Lava - Don't you remember playing this when you were a kid? I know I used my mom's "good pillows" for this game a few times. :)
- Hula Hoop Challenge - Your students need to be in a giant circle (you can split them into teams, but mix the classes if you can) and have the students hold hands. Put a hula hoop on the shoulder of one member and the students will have to get the hula hoop around the entire circle without dropping hands. This requires intense team work.
- Graffiti - Yes, you heard me right! Let students bring in sidewalk chalk and they can write positive graffiti all over the blacktop and sidewalks around school. Example: Always try your best! OR Team work rocks! - They were super creative with this one!
