N/A Help campers understand what is needed to work sucessfully as a team. This is a great thing to start low ropes challenge courses with. It helps campers to understand how to best work together as a team. You have the campers hold up one hand and say that the thumb of that hand is used for encouragement “way to …
Read MoreTeam Building Activities
Alien Invasion
equipment given to wrap the egg: drinking straws, scotch tape and scissors To protect two eggs from a fall Story: Everybody has been captured by aliens and they will be released if they help the alien to drop their eggs on Mars without breaking them. The alien has made some of their group members speechless, while the others are either …
Read MoreAmazing Shrinking Blanket
Explain to the group that because the ground is so cold, you’ve provided a nice cozy blanket for them to stand on. Spread the blanket on the ground or floor. Ask the whole group to get on it so that no body parts are touching the ground off the blanket. Once the group successful completes standing on the blanket, advise …
Read MoreApples and Onions Team Building Debrief
Gather the participants into a circle at the end of the activity or at the end of the day. Tell the participants that they should come up with an ÌøåÀå_onionÌøåÀå_ and an ÌøåÀå_appleÌøåÀå_ for the day or the activity they just completed. An Onion is a part of the day or activity that they did not enjoy, something they disapproved, …
Read MoreBarnyard (Revised/Updated)
Blind folds To get people to notice what it is like to be excluded from a group. Everyone gets blind folded and then assigned an animal. The animal assignment is easy. Make up 2-4 animals that you would find on a barn, but for one person give them an odd animal (elephant, donkey, lion, ect.) After you say “go” each …
Read MoreBody Surfing
This is best done on mats or soft grass. Ask the group to lie down on their stomachs next to each other, arms outstretched, face down. The first participant, on the far right of the line, yells ÛÏsurfs upÛ and starts to roll towards their left. The rest of the group rolls towards their right. As everyone rolls, the first …
Read MoreBroom Twizzle
1 thatched broom or foam noodle Arrange your group of 8-12 so that they are standing in a large circle. One volunteer goes in the center, holds a broomstick (or any type of light stick) over head and spins 15 times while the group counts their turns. After 15 turns, the spinner places the broom on the ground and attempts …
Read MoreCalculator
20 items (coffee lids, rug squares, pieces of paper, etc) numbered 1-20. A large rope that can make a circle large enough to surround all items snugly. A stop watch To work as a team to see how fast the group can touch the numbers sequentially from 1-20. Place objects numbered 1-20 in a circle made from rope (or on …
Read MoreCommunity Project – Asteroids
Circles made from rope of various sizes(1-3 feet in diameter, larger for bigger group) Set-up: Make a dozen or so loops out of rope, approximately 2-4 feet in diameter each. You want to have one loop for every person in your group. The activity: Team members have a ÛÏcommunity projectÛ to complete. i.e. big carnival, sports tournament, etc. and need …
Read MoreCommunity Quest
This is a great activity for building teamwork, learning about the services available in your community and updating your resource files. This activity is best for groups that work together on an ongoing basis. Perfect for TeenTrip Camps. Divide your group into teams of 4 to 8. Each team should include youth and adults, if appropriate. Each team receives a …
Read MoreCookie Machine
Arrange your group into two lines, with each participant in line standing shoulder to shoulder, and the lines facing each other, and about 2 feet apart. Everyone lifts their arms out in front of them, alternating arms with people in the other line. The first person then runs and dives on to the bed of hands. The group then ÛÏflipsÛ …
Read MoreCrossing the Line
Outcomes: Introduces participants to cooperation verses competition. Many organizations evidence a culture which rewards employee competition verses employee cooperation (i.e. review your sales compensation strategies). This initiative is excellent to begin a discussion around the strengths and weaknesses of a competitive culture. Set-up: Select two “volunteers” from the group. (Try and pick the two most competitive individuals – each should …
Read MoreDebriefing Grab Bag
cloth bag random objects to foster open discussion after team buidling initiatves Get a cloth bag and fill with seemingly random articles. Ours includes a small telescope, small watergun, foamy parts of the body (hands, feet, a heart, a brain), a large nut and bolt. Other items you might include could be: puzzle pieces, a key, a silly pair of …
Read MoreDouble Circle
CD Player or MP3 Player with speakers. There needs to be an even number of people to play this game. Each person needs to find a partner and then 2 circles need to be formed, with everybody in the circle holding hands, so the partners are facing each other. Then a song can start and the circles will move in …
Read MoreDown To One
10 Poly-spots This game was inspired by those wooden puzzles that were played with golf tees. To set up the activity, lay Poly Spots (or other type of place marker, such as a paper plate) in a pyramid shape with five spaces in the bottom row. Have each player stand on a Poly Spot. The goal is to get down …
Read MoreFlying Carpet
One person lies on the ground stiff, eyes closed, arms across chest. The rest of the group kneels around person, with one person at their feet, one at their head, and three or four people on each side. The group counts, ÛÏone, two, three, upÛ and lifts the person to their knee height. They repeat the count process and lift …
Read MoreGrand Spans
8 unopened cans from your pantry 10 drinking straws 3 mailing labels 5 paper clips 3″ length of string 2 pipe cleaners 1 rubber band Scissors* *May not be altered Kids (or adults!) must work together quickly and cooperatively in order to complete as many spans as possible in the short amount of time given. Set up Place the cans …
Read MoreHelium Stick
1/2 inch pvc pipe, or broomstick handle, tent-pole, or even a hula hoop. We use the Helium Stick to teach a powerful lesson about organizational mission statements and group work in general. Facilitator storyline: Organizations create mission statements to be a guiding force. A good mission statement focuses everyone’s attention on the core essence of a business or organization, and …
Read MoreHot Chocolate River
2 ropes, or other way of marking off the river’s edges. 8 or 9 carpet squares, tarp pieces, or anything else to use as marshmallows. COMMUNICATION Lay two ropes on the ground parallel to each other, about 20 feet apart. Have the campers line up on one side of the rope, and tell them that they are looking at a …
Read MoreHuman Body Water torture
Supplies needed: 2 buckets per team, 1 large sponge per team For Campers: To get as much water in the bucket as possible For the Leader: Team building and strategy development Rules: Split up into teams of 5. Have each team member stands about 2 feet apart from one another. At the ends of each line, place a bucket; one …
Read MoreHuman Knot
Optional: Buddy ropes(lengths of rope about a foot long) Use team building to untangle the human knot! Have the group make a large circle. (This game also works well as a race between several circles in larger groups.) Have everyone put their left hand in the middle, and hold hands with someone in the circle, not directly next to them. …
Read MoreHuman Ladder
One 3′ x 1å_’ dowel per person The group stands in a parallel line while holding a 1.5-inch dowel as a rung between each pair. The ÛÏrungsÛ are held firmly and level at waist height. The participant must climb over the rungs, touching each one. The first and last ones should be low. The rungs can change height when not …
Read MoreHuman Table
To work as a small group and travel the farthest Place the four chairs in a square and have an individual sit in each chair. Explain that they must hook arms however they see fit. Four other team members will then pull the chairs out from under them. The goal is to travel the farthest as a table. Afterwards talk …
Read MoreKnow Your Crew Game (smartphone)
Smartphone Relationship building Know Your Crew is a mobile game that I play with friends in college and at summer programs as an icebreaker or a way to get to know my roommates/campmates better. I also use it to stay in touch with family and friends while I’m off in college across the country or studying abroad in Europe! You …
Read MoreMagic Carpet
one sheet of paper measuring 8’x8′ Ask the group to stand on an 8’x8′ magic carpet (tarp or blanket). The entire group must be on the tarp completely. Once everyone is settled, advise the group that they are going on a magic carpet ride. Tell them that they have risen 100 feet in the air and are ready to go. …
Read More