Team Building Games for Schools
Team-building games are a fun way to develop a community within a school or classroom. Positive communities within schools and classrooms help students connect to and interact with each other and the material that is being presented, thereby enhancing the learning environment. Team building also fosters trust and communication among classmates.
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The Name Game
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Have the first student say her name, but preceded by an adjective that starts with the same letter of her name, such as "silly Sally." The next student in the room would say the first student's adjective and name, followed by his own adjective and name. This continues around the room with each student saying all the adjectives and names to that point, before adding his own to the list.
My Name is and I Like to . . .
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Students stand in a circle and one student says "my name is (insert name and point to yourself) and I like to (insert an activity and make a motion to represent it). The next person continues with her name and motion and repeats everyone's name and motion that came before them saying "his name is . . . and he likes to . . ." At the end of the game, the teacher has to recite all the students' names and motions. Students will have fun trying to come up with amusing motions.
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Minefield
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Set up minefield (a patch of grass or floor with pretend traps). Students will be divided into groups of 8 to 12. One member of the team will stand on the opposite side of the minefield away from the rest of her team members. The remaining team members are blindfolded and, as a team, they must get across the field while avoiding the traps. The team member who is not blindfolded will give them directions. Once a team member reaches the opposite side, he can remove his blindfold and help give directions.
Belonging
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Place a red, blue or green dot on each student's forehead without letting them see which color they have. On one student's forehead, place a yellow dot. Without talking, students must group themselves by the color of dot on their forehead. Once this is done, the class can discuss how it might have felt to be the yellow-dot student who didn't have a group.
Making a Match
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Create sets of index cards with the names of common pairs, such as salt and pepper, cake and ice cream or famous couples. Give students a card and ask them to find their match by asking only yes/no questions of the other students.
Fruit Basket
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Arrange students in chairs in a circle and assign each of them a fruit. One person will stand in the middle and call out a fruit. Everyone with that fruit and the person in the middle race to find a new chair. The person left without a chair is in the middle and calls out a new fruit. If the person in the middle calls "fruit basket," everyone finds a new chair.
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