Team Building Games and Initiatives

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 project‰Û to complete. i.e. big carnival, sports tournament, etc. and need …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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. …

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 ‰ÛÏrungs‰Û 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 …

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 …

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 …

one sheet of paper measuring 8’x8′ team bulding Ask the group to stand on an 8’x8′ ‰ÛÏmagic carpet‰Û (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 …

Every one starts with their hands in the middle on top of each other. The lead person(usually the person that won the last game) will give everyone a number. Then the leader says “PDQ” and everyone jumps back. Now the only person that can initiate a jump (straight up in to the air) is the person whose turn it is …

Divide group into even numbered teams (4-8 participants are ideal). Advise teams to make themselves into a machine, with as many parts (gears, levers, etc.) as they can devise. The machine should have motion and sound, and include all team members. Give the teams five minutes to prepare their machine. Once the time is up, the teams take turns presenting …

Contributed by Bonnie Knapp, University of Iowa Make up index cards that have descriptions of different types of people. It could cover race, religion, disabilities, whatever you come up with. Each person has an index card placed on their back and they don’t know what they have been labeled with. Each person has to guess what their label is by …

cones (4) large play area planks/boards Team building, listening skills, communication Equipment Required: Large area, 4 cones and boards (square foam boards anything they can step on without getting hurt) Placing Equipment: Set up 2 cones 10-20 feet apart (do the same with the other two cones). Divide campers into two groups. NOTE: the amount of boards per team must …

Blindfolds for all but one in the group. Simple Puzzles: at least 1 piece per person in the blindfolded group. Master Picture or completed puzzle for 1 person who can see. Set-up: Have group sits blindfolded at either a round a table or in a circle. One person sits out without a blindfold with his or her back to the …

Large number of small objects ( eg. macaroni. toothpicks. pieces of string) Before the players come into the room, the leader scatters the objects about the room in inconspicuous places. Use all of one object, such as toothpicks, macaroni or pennies. Divide the group into even teams, with 5- 6 people per team. Give each team the name of a …

A tennis ball or any object that can easily be passed by hand. To see how fast a group can get everyone to touch the tennis ball. The goal of this activity is to give a group an opportunity to work together to achieve a simple goal. The task is to pass an object so that each member of the …

Poly Spots, one per person plus one. Any type of marker that one can stand on is fine. 1. Have each person line up and stand on a poly spot, place the extra spot in the middle of the line 2. The goal of the game is to get side A to side B and Side B to side A, …