I previously have done a post on Icebreakers and several sporadic posts on team building games and activities, but I haven’t compiled them. So here are some of my favorites:
Human Knot - A classic, possibly overdone, but still fun. Get kids (or adults) into groups of no bigger than 10-12. Have them stand in a circle and everyone grabs hands. They cannot grab the hand of the person next to them or hold both hands with the same person. (A way to accomplish this is to have everyone grab right hands then left hands. This technique works best with even numbers.) Then, as we all know, everyone untangles themselves.
Magic Carpet - Fun but sometimes frustrating. Everyone stands on a tarp and tries to flip it over without stepping off.
Chicken Search - I don’t know the actual name, but it’s a favorite of mine. You will need a blindfold, a medium to large open space, and an object (I use a rubber pig or chicken). You need two volunteers. One volunteer gets blindfolded. The other volunteer stands with their back to the open space and blindfolded person. Everyone else stands in a line facing the field and the volunteers. Now place the object somewhere in the field. The blindfolded person must find the object. However, the only person who can talk is the person facing backwards (you can also allow the blindfolded person to talk if you want). Everyone else must find some other way to signal the backwards person what to say to the blindfolded person. You as the facilitator should walk with the blindfolded person as a spotter. After you’ve played a few rounds you can mix it up by moving the object midway through the search.
Raccoon Circles - there are oodles of activities that can be done with raccoon circles. A raccoon circle is a piece of webbing (20 feet-ish) tied with a water knot to make a large circle. Options for activities:
Make a shape - kids all hold on to the webbing and then make shapes. For added fun, everyone closes their eyes.
Sit down - kids have to work together for everyone to sit down without anyone falling over. Added fun: eyes closed. More added fun: stand back up too.
Peanut Butter Swamp - Kids have to cross a certain area using a certain number of those plastic, flexible dot things that are sometimes used in sports to mark out a game area. Once they place a dot, someone must always be standing on the dot or the “alligator” (you as the facilitator or a volunteer) “eats” the dot and they lose it. Everyone must cross the swamp. Added fun: blindfold a person or a few.
Trust Leans and Pendulum - First of all, some people refer to these as trust falls. That isn’t correct. Trust falls are done off of a platform, as seen in Mean Girls, and are very dangerous if done improperly. The first step for these two activities is to teach spotting position (same as low ropes): feet shoulder width apart and one slightly behind the other, knees bent and “bouncy”, arms out in front of your chest with elbows bent, and scoop-shaped hands (paws not claws or spoons not forks). For trust leans, one person stands behind the other. The person in front crosses their arms over their chest and the person in back is in spotting position. The person in front locks their knees and gently leans backwards so that the behind person catches them. Pendulum is when the person leaning is in the middle of a tight, fairly small circle of people in spotting position and basically just leans every which way.
Wind in the Willows - a fairly intense activity, mostly for high school and up. You also need a decent sized group. I highly recommend this as a late activity in your time building block, preferably after other physical icebreakers and team building. One person lies on the ground. The others form a “zipper” with their arms underneath that person (one person should hold only the head). They then work together to lift the person laying down into the air to about chest height, then lower them again. Bonus points for swaying and wind sounds. I both love this as a facilitator and hate being the person being lifted.
Blind Hikes - a super fun activity and can be as intense or fun as you want it to be. Simple premise - go for a hike where half the people are blindfolded and led by a buddy. For added fun, the person leading can’t speak. You “hike” can be walking in a circle around a play-field or it can be an actual trail.
Tips and tricks for leading team building:
Start simple and low intensity - begin with icebreakers and work your way up to more intense activities like Wind in the Willows.
Watch for teamwork and address conflict immediately.
Be conscious of how people are talking about size/weight. With proper techniques, weight doesn’t matter a lot. Shut down any weight shaming quickly.
Challenge by choice. Don’t force people into things that push them into their danger zone.
Always debrief. Team building, especially physical ones, can take a lot out of people, stretch their comfort zone, and create strong feelings. Good debriefs for team building might include the body parts debrief, thumbs for younger kids, and shuffle right.
