I use a whole lot of games in my classroom to practice skills. In order for game playing to be successful in the classroom, children need to be able to stay focused on an activity, take turns, and play fairly. In a second grade classroom, this isn't always the case.
I often start the year with some team building activities, then come back to team building activities at the end of the year. I'm thinking I really need to sprinkle these activities throughout the school year.
Maybe it's because my dad was a football coach, or maybe it's simply because it's important, but I'm often looking for excuses to build teamwork. (My classroom theme this year has been sports!)
I've been looking around the internet for ideas for team building activities, and came up with a few!
HERE is a long list of team building exercises from a place in the UK called Venture Team Building. I've tried the "Human Knot" and "Minefield". It's fun to watch the "aha" look in the eyes of the kids when they realize the whole team has to go back if someone steps on a minefield. That's when they realize it's not just about them personally!
HERE is another link I found. From this link, there are several more links to specific team building activities such as "Easy Team Building Activities for Kids", "Team Building Activities for Kids That Are Selfish", and "Team Building Activities for Kids to Build Self Esteem". This one is definitely worth a peek! Most of these are simple things that can be done in the classroom, and fun for the kids.
As with any lesson, it's important to spend time at the end of the lesson "debriefing" and discussing what was learned.
Still looking for more Team Building? Try these: 60 Team Building Games and Activities for Classrooms.
Do you know any other Team Building activities?
