Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Recommended Resources Know any active team-building activities...

...for GT kids aged 6-9yo?

I'm coaching a Junior First LEGO League team for the first time, and I'd like to give them some things to do at our practices that will foster teamwork and creative problem-solving, but that will also get them up out of their chairs. We had a hard time coming up with enough meeting dates that everyone could attend, so our meetings have to be 90 minutes long. Not ideal...That means I need some active tasks that will help them change gears and get re-focused on the next thing, but which will also be useful in the context of the team.

One example: the human knot. Everyone stands in a loose circle and takes the hands of two different people--not both hands of one person. Then without breaking any handholds, the group has to untie itself to form one circle (or sometimes two interlocking circles). It's nice because one person cannot solve the puzzle. People must all cooperate. And it's fun because it winds up being rather like Twister at points: step over, duck under, turn around...Good fun!

So that's the sort of thing I have in mind, just to get the ball rolling.

Other ideas? Feel free to make some up on the spot! These don't have to be tried and true! They just have to work with GT 6-9yos!

Actually, if they fail, I'll have the team problem-solve why they failed. There's really no losing here!

Divide into teams. Each team forms a line and joins hands. Pass a hula hoop over the first person's head. He has to pass the hoop to the next person without letting go of his hand. The first team to pass the hoop to the other end wins. Or just stand in a circle and pass the hoop around the circle (noncompetitive version).

Or:

Without using your hands, pass a ball from person to person. Don't let the ball touch the floor.

I don't know how team oriented it is, but I love Hide the Thimble. Rules: an ordinary thimble is somewhere in the room, hidden in plain sight. You can add hot/cold clues if you like.

Thanks, Cathy!

Yes, I knew the human knot from my time as a camp counselor back in college. But I can't remember much beyond that. Any other camp counselors or VBS leaders out there?

I guess the JrFLL has a teamwork activity to do the day of the expo, too, just like the FLL kids. Only ours is simpler, like inventing a cheer. (Last year's task.)

Thanks, Dottie! Keep 'em coming, friends!

DD likes when everyone says three things about themselves. Two are true, one is a fib. The rest of the team tries to figure out what is a fib. Very funny.

Have them run around outside for 15 minutes and whoever comes back most tired is winner. Have teammates vote.

My personal fav: The quiet game, need I explain?

since you said it's a LEGO League... i assume there will be legos....

I went to one team meeting that has us compete to build the tallest tower

that could be fun... the tallest tower that has the most openings so they have to thing about stablity, engineering

Yes, thanks. We're going to be doing a lot of LEGO-building though. I was trying to come up with some stuff that would get them up and moving, using their bodies, just to change up the pace. 90 minutes of nothing but LEGO-building is going to get very old!

I like that! I'm sure I can adapt it in some way to make it work for our purposes.

Thanks!

Well I am a school social worker and don't work with this age now, but did for many years. I have a million of these but I will just share a few. Some good ones that I have done is the lego building one (which I thought of first due to the name of the group, LOL). You build something with lego's and put it in the other room and allow one member of the team to go and see it and then go back and help the team to replicate it. After they try for a bit you let another member come in and see it and go back. It's really great. Although you may have to make it pretty complicated based on the group. If there are lot of kids you could do 2 groups....but I find when you do that then there is more competition and less team building.

Also a simple one is the paper tower. The group gets a stack of plain 8 1/2 x 11 paper and is asked to work together and build the tallest tower they can only using the paper they have. (the tallest way I have seen done is to fold the paper into triangles the long way and pile them up on top of eachother at an angle. You can get at least 3-4 that way). But who knows GT kids may find different ways. It's interesting to watch and see what they come up with. then you talk after about how it worked, what roles people took, how people handled frustration (well I do all that because that is the point...but I guess that's not your point so you wouldn't have to do all that).

One more, there is a game called over under through. you need 2 long ropes and some sort of stands to tie them to (trees, volleyball stands, etc.). Tie two ropes horizontally between the two stands so there is enough room for each member of the group to get his body between the two ropes...but will need some help to do this. The height of the rope can vary based on your group. Then you challenge the group to get all it's members from one side to the other successfully...but they have to follow the rules. Which are: no one may touch the ropes at any time or the whole team starts over; one person must go over the top of the highest rope; one person must go under the lowest rope; the rest of the team must go between the two ropes; and you may not go around the ropes. This is a really fun activity if you have the stuff for it.

Hope some of those are helpful.

They are! Thanks!

Any more you can share? Don't be shy! If you have a million, I'll take them. I have a number of weeks to fill...

no I mean, make it a race.... time it... whoever gets the tallest tower in x minutes wins.

We did it with index cards, tape and paper clips.... it was a lot of fun, every group had a huge structure and we all moved around, got up and moving

Ah! I'm with you now! Sorry.

Yes, that sounds like fun! I'm thinking the paper products that you used might be better than the LEGOs, just for a change of pace, actually.

Maybe I'd adapt it to have them all build one tower together though, just to make it more team-focused...

Hmmm...This is good! Very helpful for me!

Thanks!

Not sure if this is too old for your group but have them line up in order of their birthdays without talking. You can make it harder by saying no obvious hand signals, like number of fingers. Then they have to come up with something creative for the month of their birth (like a Jack-o-lantern or flag).

This one's not very active but it's a good transition activity: break them into teams and give each team an ordinary object like a coat hanger, paper clip, jump rope, whatever. The goal is to come up with as many uses as possible for that item and demonstrate some of them to the other teams.

Using blocks or legos, build a structure. Give them (or break them into teams) the same building pieces you started with. Line them up away from the structure (so they have to move). They have to duplicate your structure but each kid can only move/add/replace one piece at a time. If you do teams, it can be a race. No talking.

Do they know each other? A name game is good - have them choose an adjective that starts with the letter of their first name. Groovy Gary or Marvelous Mary. In a circle, give them a ball and they pass the ball to each other, saying the person's name before they pass the ball. So, Gary says "Marvelous Mary" and passes the ball to Mary. She says "Jumping Jim" and passes it to Jim and so forth.

The birthday one is a fantastic idea! I may require that they put their hands behind their backs, even, just to really challenge them.

Love 'em! Thanks!

Keep 'em coming, folks...

Break them into 2 teams. Have 1 team go outside next to a straight exterior wall of a building. It has to be out of sight of the other team. Give them a piece of paper with tape on one side. They have to get the paper attached to the wall as high as possible.

While they are doing that, the other team can be having a snack, playing quieter games, etc.

Trade. Have the 2nd team try to beat the height of the first team. It's a great way to get them using engineering concepts while being physical. After both teams have done it and you have a winner, have each team share their strategy. Hopefully they can discuss why the winning team's solution was better.

That's a really cool idea. Different than anything I'd come up with so far. Thanks!

I did this activity in team-building in the corporate world. Divide into teams. Everyone gets a carpet square (or we call them carpet rectangles at our house). They are on one side of a swamp and they have to get to the other side. They can cross by standing on their carpet square, like a stepping stone, but they have to be touching the carpet square at all times (with any body part) or the alligators will eat it (so you would take it away if you see any carpet square not being touched or stood on). The kids will soon figure out that the only way to get across is to work together - but let them figure that out if they can. If you don't have carpet squares, you could use cardboard. Just make sure they won't slide around too much and fall.

Cool! Thanks!

I did the tape on the wall game, though I had all the kids work together instead of splitting into teams (since I want to improve their teamwork). They did great and had fun, so I think it was a hit.

We didn't have time to even touch the LEGOs this week, unfortunately, but we'll get there. Even without LEGOs, they seemed happy, so hopefully it will go even better when they're using the LEGOs...

Thanks, all!