Team games for developing thinking

Hello, dear readers! In this article we will talk about team building.

Today you will learn:

What is team building and what are its goals;
What types of team building are there;
In which companies is it used?

The dream of any leader is a team that you can be proud of: united and friendly, ready to work to achieve common goals.

But to assemble such a team, you need to have experience and knowledge. Let's talk today about how team building can help in forming such a team.

What is team building

Probably many have heard this word at least once, but do not know its meaning. If translated from in English, the term stands for "team building". In other words, team building. These are events that are designed to unite the team and increase the efficiency of its work.

A short excursion into the past

Events aimed at improving team organization first began to be held back in the 40s of the last century. Activities as close as possible to modern ones began to be used in the United States in the 50s. In our country and the CIS countries, team building began to be used at the end of the 20th century.

The first method that began to be used was business training. Gradually others appeared.

Team building goals

The main goals of team building can be formulated as follows:

Create a sense of unity among the team;
Replace employees' feelings with a sense of cooperation;
Train people to interact effectively with each other;
Develop understanding and trust in each other among all employees;
Unite the team, bring “team spirit” to a higher level;
Strengthen the authority of management using informal events;
Give employees the opportunity for psychological relief.

Not all managers can organize such events on their own, so they most often use the services of companies specializing in team building. Luckily there are a lot of them now.

Arguments against team building

Not all employees understand how it differs from corporate parties and entertainment events in which the entire team participates. And if you, as a leader, are too focused on an excellent result, there is a risk that you simply will not get it.

The reason for this may be incorrect tasks assigned to people, or the general low level of organization of the event.

And if the implementation is entrusted to little-known companies, you can generally get the opposite effect: conflict situations will begin to arise in the team. It is also possible that problems may arise in a company that practices an authoritarian leadership method.

It may seem that team building is limited only to sports games. This is a misconception. Yes, sports-related events are the most popular, but there are many more interesting options. Therefore, we will further discuss the classification of team building.

How to organize team building yourself

If you want to organize similar events for your employees, then pay attention to some recommendations:

Decide on your goal and budget. Analyze what you want to achieve with these activities and how much you are willing to spend on it.
Decide on the time of the event. Employees will be more enthusiastic about it if you don't force them to spend their weekends on activities. Carry out in work time, taking into account the workload of its employees.
Enlist the support of professionals. Consult with a personnel development coach, he will tell you how to carry out everything with maximum effect.
Analyze how much time will be spent. If you want to organize an away team building, take care of transportation for employees;
Make sure everything is fun and exciting. Getting people interested is what matters. It is unlikely that they will be interested in listening to a boring lecture about team cohesion.
Organize lunch for employees. And it's not a joke. Everyone loves tasty food, and if the event is long, the rumbling of hungry bellies will definitely not benefit the team.
Employees must feel that they are equal to each other. Everything will be successful if all participants understand that they are on the same level, regardless of who occupies what position.
Give your team a challenge that will challenge your employees to the best of their abilities..
Organize feedback. A couple of days after the end of the event, conduct an anonymous survey, let everyone write what they think about the team building. After analyzing all the comments and opinions, you will understand what was done correctly and what needs to be worked on.

What is team building like?

The structure of team building includes: games, trainings, exercises.

If we talk about the general classification, it looks like this:

Historical events: they allow you to transform into either Pharaoh Cheops or Charlemagne;
Creative events: from creating musical groups to painting pictures and staging plays;
Psychological team building: involves testing, performing tasks related to psychology;
: You can even run in bags, or even jump rope. Most often organized outdoors;
Exotic team building: The team prepares a complex, multi-step dish. This kind of cooking brings people together.

Now let’s take a closer look at each type.

Corporate team building

First of all, let's try to figure out why it is being held?

With its help, a manager can solve several important tasks simultaneously, namely:

Help new employees get comfortable in the team;
Resolve the conflict situation that has arisen;
Reward employees for good work;
Teach different departments of the company to effectively interact with each other.

It is important that this type of team building can be carried out in a variety of formats. It can be active, creative, in the form of a quest or competition.

There is also such a thing as “full immersion games,” when employees consider everything that happens to be natural, while all situations are discussed and staged in advance.

So-called “sketches” should be included in corporate team building programs. In any case, specialists, and even entire departments, have complaints against each other. Keep negativity to a minimum, use humor.

For children, team building is a way through which children in a team get closer and build communication with each other. This is a tool to strengthen the team.

When various competitions are held, children learn to interact with each other. Teachers often conduct team building activities for children. primary classes who want the children in the class to make friends.

To play most of the games offered below, virtually no equipment is required. In addition, it can be held indoors, on a playground for a large number of children. And of course, it needs to be carried out in an entertaining way, using some bright plot.

After finishing each game, it is worth discussing with the children what each of them did to achieve the goal. Let the children figure out the essence of the tasks themselves; there is no need to turn the game format into a lecture format.

Now let's look at some examples of interesting games for children.

Examples of games

Game No. 1. “Forward”!

You need to choose one from a group of children. Let the children do it themselves. The child who is chosen stands away from the other children. The rest of the children stand in a circle at a short distance from each other. The child who was chosen first becomes the leader. He can choose his place between any two players.

Children need to be warned that they can only say one word: “Forward!”

Then clap your hands, this means the game has started. The presenter looks at someone from the circle and waits for him to say “Forward!” As soon as it sounds, it begins to move to the place of the child who said it. The essence of the whole game is that any participant who says the command “Forward!” quickly hears it from another player and frees up his place for him.

If the children do the task well, you can arrange a timed competition.

Game No. 2. Hoop.

The only equipment you will need is a hoop. Ask the children to stand in a tight circle, with one hand inside the circle, raised to head level. Explain to the children that they need to extend one finger of the hand that is raised. Place a hoop on top of these fingers.

Explain that you cannot pull the hoop or catch it with your fingers.

The next task is to lower the hoop to the floor. Give the children the opportunity to figure out how to do this. They will make their own decision, don't tell them.

When the game is over, ask the children to tell what difficulties they encountered.

Game number 3. Ancient jar.

The inventory in this game will be an ordinary glass jar. Place or pour something into it. Children should stand in a circle. Set limits for one or more children, such as blindfolds.

Show the children the jar and tell them that it needs to be passed on to each other. You can’t drop it, you can’t spill the contents either. If the can ends up on the floor, the game starts again.

At the end of the game, you can discuss with the children their actions and tactics. Let them tell you how they coped with the task.

Examples of team building games (for adults)

Game No. 1. Collect the emblem.

Print your company logo on a regular sheet of paper, only in color. Then cut it into several pieces. Each team must assemble its logo faster than the second.

Game No. 2. Playing with words.

Each employee is given a questionnaire containing abbreviations, the meaning of which is known only to the presenters. Everyone who has a questionnaire needs to add a line from a song or poem to the abbreviations.

Teams are given 15 minutes to come up with an unusual and striking advertisement for your company. The team that creates the most fun and memorable ad will win.

Non-standard team building

Anyone planning such an event must understand that the event must be special.

Now it is quite possible to develop many interesting scenarios:

Extreme team building;
Team building in the office;
Wool team building;
Tastings;
Flash mobs;
Field test.

Active team building

You can choose any location for such an event: a boarding house, a sanatorium, a tourist center, just the shore of a reservoir or the edge of a forest. The main thing is that the team is comfortable.

This type of team building is usually sport-oriented: cross-country races, races, football and volleyball competitions, ATV races, and orienteering competitions are organized.

The important thing here is that this event helps the team not only recharge with vigor and good mood, but also demonstrate their capabilities in achieving goals.

Team building indoors

If an unhealthy, conflict-ridden atmosphere reigns in a company, the performance of employees decreases sharply. Strained relationships cause productivity to drop and employee turnover to increase. office allows you to find a solution to this problem.

Various exercises and competitions will increase employee cohesion and smooth out conflicts.

Example. Carrying out a thematic game. All interested employees are divided into teams, and the number of participants is not limited. The presenter makes a proposal to conduct an investigation. People are looking for answers to their questions using certain equipment. The team that answers all the questions first wins.

Such games unite the team, improve employees’ mood, and increase their level of performance.

Teams of 5-10 people each are formed. A captain is chosen for each team, and a motto is announced to follow. All team members are engaged in overcoming obstacles and exploring the area.

Let us note that physical activity is not at all the main thing; it is important that team members establish mutual understanding and interaction among themselves.

Team members themselves evaluate their actions and analyze the mistakes they have made. If one of the teams also had a leader, trust in him increases many times over.

Team building scenarios: ordinary and non-standard

As promised earlier, here are various scenarios for team building. We hope that they will be useful to our readers.

1. Team competition “Ideal Product”.

Purpose This competition serves to form a fresh look at the product or service that is produced or provided by your company.

Progress of the competition: We divide the team into teams, minimum 3, maximum 7 people in one. We draw up cards in advance on which the qualities of the goods that the company produces are written. For example: affordable, fresh, and so on. The team chooses any 10 cards for themselves, based on them, makes a presentation.

Other teams choose the quality of the product that they consider to be the main one in the presentation of their opponents. As a result, a list of various qualities is formed.

It is used to form an attitude towards a product or service.

2. Quest “Treasures of Flint”.

Essence: The team ends up on an island where the treasure of the pirate Flint is hidden in a chest. To find them, you need to transform into pirates and pass tests. The main task is to understand what team spirit means.

Progress of the quest: Each team chooses its name, mottos and captains. The groups are then asked to complete tests, such as:

Solving logic puzzles;
Conquering heights;
Personal challenges for each player (organized according to the type of challenges in the Fort Boyard game).

When teams complete all the tasks, all the clues they found are combined into one card. Then all groups undergo a test common to all. During it, they also find Flint's treasures: a tent, parts of a wigwam or hut. They put it all together.

Of course, treasures can be anything, not necessarily the same as in the example.

At the end of the program, pennants and diplomas are awarded. Then they discuss the results of the quest and ways to achieve the goal.

3. Game “Conversations in the Dark”.

Number of participants: minimum - 2, maximum - 30.

Target: strengthen the team, unite it, using the effect of darkness.

Progress of the game: Participants are given various tasks to complete.

Determine in the dark how big the room is;
Solve a spatial problem together.

Experts say that at the time of such training, it is easy to identify who is the “anti-leader” in the team.

4. Wool blanket.

It is gradually gaining popularity in the Russian Federation. This is according to to a greater extent not a training session, but a game lasting 20 minutes.

Progress of the event: The presenter shows the participants a ball of wool. Then he throws it to one of the participants, this is how the first communication is created. Leaving the thread in his hands, this participant throws the ball to the next one.

Other participants also need to be given balls, which are transferred to each other in the same way. The hall will gradually be covered with a wool blanket.

During the game, people become more relaxed, they have fun, and at the same time, a connection is established between them. The principle here is simple: how each person acts determines whether the entire event will be successful.

5. Unravel the knot.

Target: develop teamwork skills.

Progress of the event: All participants stand in a circle and hold hands. The leader’s task is to confuse this ring, and the team’s task is to untangle it in the shortest possible time without breaking the ring.

As a result, it becomes clear how employees interact with each other. How well can they work together to achieve a goal?

6. Game “Crossing the Swamp”.

The event is held indoors.

Target: unite people in a team, teach them to listen to each other’s opinions.

Inventory: sheets of A4 paper.

Progress of the game: a winding and difficult path through the swamp is drawn on the floor.

Each team member is given a piece of paper, this is a “bump” in the swamp. Each participant must step on his own bump and cross the swamp. But in the swamp there lives a terrible and hungry crocodile, which pulls towards itself the hummocks that remain empty. Therefore, the player must always stand on the “bump”.

It happens that you can only make the transition on the 5th attempt, when the team becomes a single organism.

7. Orchestra.

Target: Analyze whether the team operates coherently.

Progress of the game: A short phrase containing punctuation marks, quotation marks and spaces is displayed on the screen through a projector or on an interactive whiteboard.

The team's task is to have the phrase pronounced, but without using words. To do this, everyone must clap at the same time for vowels, stomp for consonants, and stand up and sit down for punctuation marks, quotation marks and spaces. Of course, at the same time.

The result is funny and revealing at the same time: until the team members figure out to place in the center the one who will “conduct” the orchestra, it will not be possible to accomplish everything smoothly.

8. Tasting.

It is most convenient to implement this program in Crimea, or in a region of the Russian Federation where winemaking is carried out. Participants are given a tour of the vineyard and competitions are held there.

Progress of the event: people are divided into teams at will, each of which tramples bunches of grapes, and then comes up with the name of a new variety of wine, the shape and label for the bottle, and makes a presentation of their product.

This great option working with sales department employees. Leaders are identified, teams are united, but all this happens in a positive atmosphere, and the training ends with a tasting.

9. Conducting field tests.

This option is used by quite brave leaders. But it's a great way to see your employees in action.

Progress of the event: We hire as many employees as we want, even for the entire company, even for one department. The venue will be the entire city in which the company is located. Participants take only the most necessary items with them.

Employees are encouraged to complete assignments throughout the city. In this game, people have no choice but to demonstrate their capabilities.

Initially, such a game may be perceived with caution, but gradually the process is very captivating for employees. And holding such a game will help management understand how things are going in the team and what the relationships between employees really are.

10. Film festival.

The program can be used to work with a team of up to 150 employees.

Target:

Improve the atmosphere in the team;
Raise team spirit;
Bring people together emotionally;
Unleash the creative potential of employees;
Increase people's trust in each other

Progress of the event: teams create a film from the moment the script is developed to the receipt of the long-awaited award.

The program has three stages: in the first, participants are involved in discussing the task, in the second, each team creates their own film, in the third, everyone presents their creations.

11. Creating objects from cardboard.

Target: encourage the team to interact through joint creativity.

Progress of the event: employees are given tape, paper, cardboard, glue and scissors. The task can be to build any object from cardboard: creating a huge life-size puppet or a racing car.

At the end, the results are summed up, the winning team receives the main prize, the losing team an incentive.

12. Creating a chain reaction.

Target: disclosure and analysis of the creative potential of company employees.

Progress of the event: The leader gives the team members tasks - to assemble a picture from dominoes or to build a section of a chain from magnets. One hour is allotted for everything, after which the circuit must be closed. The most important thing: the end of one section of the chain must be the beginning of another.

At the end, we start a chain reaction: the entire chain must work as a single whole.

13. Apocalypse and zombies.

To conduct such training you will have to incur some financial costs. Its essence is as follows: they invite actors who will portray zombies. Their task is to attack employees who pose as survivors of the apocalypse.

This scenario allows you to identify team leaders, form the habit of listening to them and doing what they say.

In addition, as a result of such training, trusting relationships are built in the team.

14. Search for McKenna's gold.

Target: teach the team to support each other, increase the efficiency of interaction.

Participants: team of up to 100 people.

Inventory: tables, chairs.

Place: can be carried out indoors or outdoors in the warm season.

Progress of the program: The host explains the purpose of the event - to find all the treasures, determine which key to the chest is correct (you need to demonstrate several keys with different numbering), solve logical or mathematical problems. All teams are given folders containing sets of keys, chips and tasks.

Each team chooses a captain, develops its own strategy and solves the proposed problems.

The winning team is awarded the main prize.

15. Rope courses.

This is an active training, here you need to overcome not only physical, but also emotional obstacles. Each test is an independent task.

If the training is conducted for teenagers, it must be under the guidance of an adult. However, each team should not have more than 12 participants.

A prerequisite is that all participants complete the tasks; if at least one fails, the whole group returns to their starting position.

Examples of tasks:

The entire team should sit on a medium-sized banquette or chair. Both legs should be removed from the ground, and this should be maintained for at least 5 seconds.
Before the event, a web is woven from ropes, with the number of cells corresponding to the number of participants in the game. The main goal is to overcome the web as a group without touching it. If someone touches the web, the whole group goes back and starts the test over.

There may be other assignment options. It all depends on the number of participants, as well as their age and physical capabilities.

After the training, you can discuss the results and ask the children to tell what this course taught them.

16. Dance therapy.

A very fresh and original option. Although, when offering it to employees, you may encounter objections.

Essence: Music has a positive effect on people’s nervous systems and helps relieve psychological stress. And dancing and doing exercises as part of a team makes the team more friendly.

Inventory: only the sports uniform that participants must wear.

The tasks can be very different: from creating a round dance to dancing in the dark.

During the training, people open up, stop being shy, and remove internal blocks. This helps a lot in further communication with the company’s clients.

17. "Airplane".

Target: introduce new employees to the team.

Progress of the training: Each player makes an airplane out of thick paper. This is important to prevent the plane from being blown away by the wind. On the airplane, everyone writes about themselves any personal information that they consider necessary. For example, he will talk about his vacation plans, his childhood dream, and so on.

After the forms are filled out, everyone launches the airplanes. The owner of the airplane that flies the farthest receives a prize. Then everyone runs, picks up any airplanes and launches them again.

18. Construction of a fortress.

Target: teach team members how to interact in difficult situations. It is better to spend it in the warm season in nature.

Progress of the game: All employees are divided into 2 teams. The presenter blindfolds them.

Large boxes and buckets filled with water are placed in the clearing. It is explained to each team that they need to build a fortress around themselves from the available boxes. Moreover, all team members must be walled up inside this fortress.

For control, observers are appointed whose eyes are untied. If someone finds himself outside the fortress, the observers pour water on him.

This type of team building ends with a discussion, each team expresses what they liked and what they didn’t like.

19. Construction of the tower.

The principle here is the same as in the previous training: employees are divided into teams at will.

Progress of the game: Each team, in a specific time, builds a tower from the materials it finds - folders, books, stationery, and so on.

The team that built the tallest tower is awarded.

20. Uniting team building.

It is better to do it outdoors, as it requires quite a lot of space.

Progress of the event: The leader divides everyone into 2 teams. Each participant receives a piece of paper and a pen. Each team must form the largest number of words from the letters that make up the company name. As a result, the 2 best players appear, each of whom becomes captain.

Captains have the right to choose their own team members. But there is a small nuance here: everyone chooses those people with whom he is comfortable. This is why captains are asked to switch teams. This will force employees to communicate and interact with those they do not particularly like.

Now you can start the competition itself.

First task: development of team names and mottos.

Second task: employees must join hands to form a human chain. Thus, they must reach an object that lies far from them. In this case, you cannot just get the item out; to do this, you need to remove items of clothing and stretch them together.

The team that completes the task first will receive another task.

Based on the results of all competitions, the winning team receives a cup, and possibly an additional day off.

Conclusion

To summarize, I would like to say that preparing such events and holding them is not a difficult task if you consult with professionals in this field. In some companies, such trainings are conducted by in-house psychologists and they do a good job of it.

You can contact professional companies that use modern technologies and can direct any game in the direction that is necessary.

As for the scenarios, you can use our selection, as well as develop your own unique ideas and bring them to life.

Team building exercises allow children to teach teamwork skills, leadership, communication, decision making and problem solving in a playful way. To achieve success in team-building games, children have to learn to interact with each other, listen carefully to others, express themselves clearly and understandably, and think creatively and outside the box.

Most of these games do not require any devices for, they can be carried out in a regular yard, and even indoors. After each exercise, it is necessary to discuss with the children the actions that they took to complete the task, find out which of them worked and which did not, and what they were able to learn. During the discussion, allow the children to figure out the essence of the tasks on their own, do not turn the discussion into a lecture.

Exercise "Forward!"

Select one volunteer from the group and let him stand away from the rest for now. The other children should be placed in a circle approximately two steps apart. The child we left aside will be the first leader; he will need to choose his place between two other players. Tell the players that nothing more than the word “Go!” can be said.

Whistle or clap your hands to start the game. The presenter must establish eye contact with someone in the circle and wait for the command “Forward!” from him. As soon as he receives it, he begins to slowly move to the place of the child who said it. The one who pronounced the command exchanges glances with someone from the circle and also waits for the command “Forward!”

Having heard the command, the player goes towards the one who said it, in order to take his place. The point of the game is that each participant who says the command “Forward!” must receive it in response from another player quickly enough to make room for the player approaching him. As soon as you see that the group is coping with this task, try to complicate it by limiting the time: let the change of positions be completed, for example, while you are hitting the ball.

Exercise "Antique jar"

For this exercise you will need a large jar and something to put or pour into it. Tell the group to stand in a circle. For each player, or even for the entire group, set certain restrictions. So, for example, one or more of them can be “blinded” by asking them to close their eyes during the game, while the rest can be allowed to use only their legs in the game.

Show off the jar by telling a story about how it is an ancient, powerful or very valuable artifact that should never be dropped on the floor. Challenge the group to pass the can from one player to another without dropping it or spilling its contents.

If the jar or its contents fall on the floor, the task begins again. After explaining the rules, ask participants to set a time limit for themselves to complete the task.

At the end of the exercise, discuss with the children their tactics, methods of communication and actions during the game. Ask how they felt doing all the activities within the limits you set for them, and how they dealt with them. Invite them to draw parallels from these “game” limitations to the obstacles they might encounter in everyday life.

Exercise "Hoop"

For this task you will need a hoop. Ask the children to stand in a very tight circle, with one hand left inside the circle, raised to approximately head level. If you have the opportunity to conduct the exercise on a court with a slight slope, use it: it will make the game more exciting.

Tell participants to extend one finger of their raised hand and place the hula hoop on top of those extended fingers. The hoop may start to rise immediately at first: hold it while you give the group instructions.

Tell participants that they must touch the hula hoop throughout the activity, but cannot hook or pull on the hula hoop. The hoop should simply rest on your outstretched fingers.

Once the children understand the rules, ask them to simply lower the hula hoop to the floor. Step back and let them figure out how to do it on their own. At the end of the game, ask participants to discuss their tactics, conflicts and difficulties encountered during the task, and communication methods.

Often, corporate events or conferences include various tasks aimed at increasing the efficiency of teamwork. Business games will help to maximize the interest of participants and turn ordinary training into exciting entertainment. Successful team building depends on correctly chosen methods, among which game forms occupy an important place.

We offer 8 ideas for organizing interactive business games and simulations.

1. Business rafting

Thematic team corporate game dedicated to the development of management skills, strategic planning and customer service.

Comparing the harsh business conditions with a fast mountain river, the presenter divides the players into teams and offers to overcome obstacles and thresholds in the form of tasks. The created “rafting companies” must show effective team play in order to properly plan actions and complete tasks for market research, working with clients, making a profit, etc.

The game is especially dynamic thanks to real rafting equipment, appropriate room design and visual accompaniment of the game.

2. Communication models

A simple and effective game aimed at improving interpersonal communication in a team. First, the presenter shows several communication models (circle, square, triangle, wavy line) and explains the characteristic features of communication of each of them. Then the participants, with the help of the facilitator, identify their geometric figure and unite in groups with similar models. This is followed by a series of tasks, as a result of which participants learn to identify the communication pattern of other people, their characteristics and use this knowledge to better understand each other and communicate more effectively.

The game is also suitable for improving the communication skills of support staff or managers who often have to communicate with clients and customers.

3.Need 4 Speed

An exciting team board game with simple rules and effective results. By performing various tasks to assemble cars from provided parts at speed, team members learn to better interact with each other and perceive themselves as an important participant in the company’s unified mechanism. The successful outcome of the team depends on the clear, correct and quick actions of everyone. In the end, the team that shows best time and the quality of work in all competitions.

4. Coffee market

A dynamic team simulation game that is suitable for corporate events, trainings or conferences. Participants are divided into teams and try to build an effective system for selling coffee around the world, taking into account the entire chain from producer to the final buyer.

The game stimulates the development of sales organization skills, marketing knowledge, the ability to quickly respond to market changes, etc. The organizer can select tasks depending on the main theme of the event.

5. Latest news

A game that will come in handy corporate events to improve teamwork skills, and at conferences or trainings to consolidate previously presented material.

Participants are divided into teams and given two hours to create their own edition of the newspaper. Newly hired employees of the “publication” must come up with a name and an interesting article for the main page, draw colorful advertising blocks, add interviews and photographs and other attributes of standard newspapers (for example, a thematic crossword puzzle or a business horoscope).

The organizer can set a theme for the game in accordance with the goals of the event. This could be a newspaper about some event in the company or a report from a just completed conference, which should highlight its results. The game not only improves teamwork skills, but also helps to better remember important events and any new data.

6. Arab market

The game takes participants into the atmosphere of Arab countries of the 19th century. Wealthy families led by sheikhs entered into agreements with other families to improve sales and increase their wealth. Back then they traded a variety of things: camels, fish, spices, water, etc.

Teams receive the necessary thematic equipment and information for the game. Participants must accept the conditions of that time and quickly build their own strategy for behavior in such a market, uniting into “families” and pursuing the main goal - increasing capital.

An unusual and fun interactive game that will improve communication within a team, teach you how to form a network of necessary contacts, help you understand the need for good relationships between partners, etc.

7. Creative juice

The most delicious juice is freshly squeezed juice, consisting of several correctly selected ingredients. A successful company is a company whose team includes good specialists. A team in which a group of people work as a single mechanism is able to come up with fresh, creative solutions. This fun simulation game aims to improve employee communication and develop marketing skills.

Nina Belodedova
Sports team building for children

Sports team building for children

N. A. Belodedova, physical education instructor,

MBDOU CR No.:60 "Berezka" Orel

Teambuilding(eng. Team building)- team building or team building - activities of a playful, entertaining and creative nature, aimed at improving interaction between participants, increasing team cohesion based on awareness of common values and ideas.

Team games are a component team building, since this concept is broader and includes not only team games sports orientation(football, relay races, etc., as well as entertainment and creative events (hiking, quest games, etc.)

Sports team building is team building based on sports games.

In her professional practical activities, she noted that many children of senior preschool age, when conducting sports gamers do not know how to work in a team, negotiate, follow the rules when performing various tasks, and do not accurately perceive the proposed instructions. This is how the idea of introducing elements arose team building in the physical culture and recreational activities of our institution.

Target sports team building– is the formation of the ability to work in a team through the use of elements team building. Team building exercises and games allow you to teach in a playful way children teamwork skills, leadership, communication, decision making and problem solving. To achieve success in team-building games, children have to learn to interact with each other, listen carefully to others, express themselves clearly and understandably, and think creatively and outside the box.

Tasks sports team building:

1. Help increase interest children and adults for classes physical culture using team building exercises and games.

2. Organize and conduct a number of events with the participation children and adults, through new form carrying out - team building.

3. Train children communicate effectively with each other.

4. Unite the team, bring them out "team spirit" to a higher level.

To play most of the games offered below, virtually no equipment is required. In addition, you can carry out team building in nature, indoors, on the playground for a large number children. And of course, it needs to be carried out in an entertaining way, using some bright plot.

After finishing each game, it is worth discussing with the children what each of them did to achieve the goal. Let the children figure out the essence of the tasks themselves; there is no need to turn the game format into a lecture format.

And now I offer several games and relay races that I use in my work.

1. Sedentary play "Hoop"

Explain that you cannot pull the hoop or catch it with your fingers.

The next task is to lower the hoop to the floor. Give the children the opportunity to figure out how to do this. They will make their own decision, don't tell them.

When the game is over, ask tell the children what difficulties they encountered.

2. Game "Crossing the Swamp" (held indoors)

Each team member is given a piece of paper, this "bump" in the swamp. Each participant must step on his own bump and cross the swamp. But in the swamp there lives a terrible and hungry crocodile, which pulls towards itself the hummocks that remain empty. Therefore the player must always stand on "bump".

The entire team must cross the swamp one at a time, maintaining complete silence. It would seem simple, but in practice it requires a lot of effort, especially if there are a lot of people on the team. It happens that you can only make the transition on the 5th attempt, when the team becomes a single organism.

Participants are given three ropes (ribbons). Their task is to weave an even braid by moving without taking their hands off the ropes. The whole team takes part in weaving.

4. Outdoor game "The Dragon Bites Its Tail"

The players stand behind each other, holding the waist of the person in front. The first child is the head of the dragon, the last is the tip of the tail. To the music, the first player tries to grab the last one - "the Dragon" catches his "tail". The rest of the children cling tenaciously to each other. If the dragon doesn't catch its tail, then next time the role "dragon heads" another child is assigned.

5. Game "Giant Jump Rope"

Team jumping over a 10 meter rope

6. Game "Tails"

Each team member is provided with ropes "tails". During the game you must leave your opponents "without a tail".

7 "Tug of War"

Classic tug of war - the team that pulls the center of the rope out of the designated area wins.

8."Siamese twins"

Children break into pairs, stand shoulder to shoulder, hug each other with one arm around the waist, and place one leg next to each other. Now they are "conjoined twins".

Invite them to walk around the room, sit down, turn around, lie down, stand up, draw, cut something out of paper, tie their shoelaces.

9."Guides" (with the help of this relay race children empathize with those who cannot see)

The players are divided into pairs.

One stands in front, the other stands at arm's length with his eyes closed.

The first one, the guide, first slowly begins to move around the room, "blind" follows him, trying not to get lost.

Players will have to walk across a bridge, crawl through a cave, and jump over a river.

By prompting and supporting their partner, players overcome all obstacles.

Then the trajectory and speed of movement increase.

The adult makes sure that the player takes care of his partner with open eyes and carefully guides him between obstacles.

10."Pedestal"

Children should fit all together on a bench of a limited area or on any other elevated surface (for example, on several chairs, cubes; the task of each participant is to support the other, and not to stand on their own.

11."Hoop"

Everyone should stand in a circle and clasp hands. Several hoops are placed between the clasped hands of several participants. At a signal, they begin to climb into the hoop without releasing their hands.

12."The Kite and the Mother Hen"

The players stand at the back of each other's heads and grab the belts of those in front. The first one in the chain represents "mother hen", other - "chickens". One of the players - "kite". He's trying to grab "chicken" standing last in the chain, "mother hen" interferes with this in every possible way, blocking "kite" path with arms spread to the side. Everyone playing helps "mother hen", moving around the site so that the end of the chain is as far as possible from "kite".

If "kite" manages to grab "chicken", the game ends. "Kite" goes to the beginning of the chain and becomes a hen, caught "chick" becomes new "kite".

13."LEGS IN FOOT"

Team members' legs are connected to each other in succession. The task is to step over obstacles together and not knock them down.

14."Wheelbarrow"

Teams divide players into pairs. One of the participants "couples" must lie on the ground and the other one take his legs (it turns out to be a kind of car). After that "couples" moving towards start: The first player is on his hands, and the other is walking in the usual way, but holding his partner by the legs. "Couples" Both teams line up in front of the starting line and, at the judge’s signal, run to the finish line. The winner is the team that is the first to gather at the finish line in full force.

Bibliography:

1. .E. K. Voronova "Relay games for children 5-7 years old»

2. E. K. Voronova Formation of motor activity children 5-7 years old"Relay Games"

3. Educational games: “Relay race games in physical education classes in kindergarten» , “Team games in physical education classes in kindergarten”

Bond and bring your employees together.

Team building games are a great way to bond and bring your employees together. But, some games can come off as boring, ineffective or plain childish. At Toggl, we’ve put together a list of some of our favorite team-building activities that are both exciting and insightful.

1. Magic Cane (Helium Stick)

The magic cane or helium stick game is a simple activity to see how teams communicate with each other and solve problems. The premise is that groups of 6 or 8 must lower a helium stick until it is lowered to the ground. Try to keep teams in even numbers. A helium stick is a thin, light-weight rod. You can easily find them on Amazon.

It sounds like a simple task, but it is deceptively challenging. The group must create two lines on each side of the stick and face each other. With the stick lying horizontally in the middle, have each person put their index finger underneath it.

Groups must start with the stick at chest level of the tallest person. Everyone must be standing on their feet when you start. (Some may try to find a loophole in the rules by starting on their knees.) At first, people will likely lift the stick or set it off balance.

Remind the groups that every person’s index finger must be in contact with the cane at all times. If it slips, they have to start from the beginning. They also can’t curl their finger around the pole. It must sit there.

Every person is needed to complete the task, so members must work together and communicate. This reinforces the idea that everyone is equally important, valuable and necessary for the team to succeed.

2. Barter Puzzle

If you want to strengthen your sales team or get team members to practice speaking and strategizing skills, try the barter puzzle. Groups are given different jigsaw puzzles. Each puzzle has had pieces of the other puzzles mixed in at random. Members have to strategize, assign roles and barter with other teams to get pieces they need to complete their puzzle first.

Divide groups into 4 or 5. Make sure that each group has the same number of members. Give each group a puzzle with mixed pieces. Explain that other teams may have the pieces they need.

First, individuals should write down the items that they would grab from 1-10 in the order of most important. Then as a team, they have to decide and agree on which 10 are the top priorities and fill in the worksheet.

Groups should have about 30 minutes to complete the entire activity and come to a consensus. There is also a scoring sheet that they should use to rate their decisions. All Adrift helps you see that you can often make smarter decisions as a team with combined knowledge than on your own.

4. Bridge Build

To tap into your team’s creativity and communication skills, try bridge build.

Divide into two different teams. Each must build half of a bridge with the materials provided. The goal is for the two bridges to have similar or identical design and be able to fit together when finished. The challenge is that the teams must be separated so that they can’t see the other team or what they are building. But, they are allowed to communicate verbally (eg. through Slack).

You can give them anything as building materials including: dry noodles & marshmallows, straws, Legos, popsicle sticks or Jenga blocks. Depending on what you use, you may want to also supply them with tape, paper and pens.

5. Electric Fence

In this activity, you create a hypothetical electric fence. Teams must cross over without touching it. The fence can be created by tying a rope or shoe string to two chairs or other objects, as long as it is elevated to about waist-height.

Members can’t go under the fence and must be touching another member of the group with at least one hand at all times. This motivates people to brainstorm ideas, problem solve and put their proposed plans into action.

6. Blind Drawing

Similar to Charades but with a twist, Blind Drawing is a team-building activity that can be done in groups of two. All you need is pen and paper or marker, a mini whiteboard and an eraser. The two participants sit back to back. Only one person should have the drawing materials. The other is handed a picture, and must make sure that the other cannot see it.

They are given 60 seconds to describe what is in the picture, by shapes and indirect descriptions. They can't say, “Draw a bee on a rose.” But, they can say adjectives like, “Buzz, yellow and black, spring, blooming, etc.” When the time ends, groups should compare their drawings. It can be comical to see how bad they usually turn out. The game can get people laughing and highlights how difficult giving instructions can be and how important it is to communicate clearly.

7. What's my name?

If you have ever played the game “Heads Up”, you’ll be familiar with What’s My Name.

Create a set of names, which can be celebrities and icons like Beyonce or Mickey Mouse or types of professions like actor, hockey player or doctor. You can use Post-It notes or tape and small slips of paper.

Place the name on each person's forehead. Make sure that they can’t see who it is. Set a timer and instruct everyone to move around the room asking different people yes or no questions until they guess correctly or time runs out. This gets people to move around the room and interact with people they may not have before. It also makes them more aware of stereotypes and categorizing others based on certain characteristics.

8. Hole Tarp

It may remind you of an activity you did in gym class, but it can be a lot of fun, even for adults. You can do Hole Tarp with a circular tarp or plastic sheet and a few tennis balls. Your team stands around holding a piece of the tarp, which should have a hole cut in the middle. Then they begin to shake the tarp so that it moves around like a wave. Once it is moving, throw in a ball.

Much like a business, everyone on your team has to keep moving to keep the ball rolling. If someone stops, the ball will drop.

9. Game of Possibilities

A great way to bring out your team’s creativity and quick thinking is Game of Possibilities. To do the activity all you need is to gather a group of random objects.

You can use anything from a basketball or plastic bag to a hula hoop or scarf. In groups, each person is given an object and must demonstrate an alternative use for it.

Other group members must guess what function they are acting out. It is a fun way to boost team creativity and innovation.

10. Lava Flow

“The floor is lava!” If that brings back happy memories of your childhood, you’ll like this team-building game.

Lava Flow, also called River Crossing, is a game in which a group must cross the river of lava by jumping and maneuvering on different objects. Limit the number of objects to two or three, so that they have to be moved and shared each time someone crosses. If you touch the floor at any point, then you will get burnt and must start over. The first team to cross the river with all members intact are the winners.

11. Group Juggle

For new groups, check out an icebreaker and memory game called Group Juggle. Participants form a large circle facing each other. If you have a large group, break the circles so there are no more than 20 people in each.

Throw in a soft ball to one person. They will throw it to someone else, but must say that person’s name first. The ball goes around the group like that until a pattern starts. Once the group seems comfortable, throw in more balls to increase the difficulty.

12.Company Concentration

Similar to “Concentration”, in which you flip over cards two at a time to try to find matching pairs, this activity focuses on learning and memory. You can create cards with photos and names of team members or with company information like products, logos, and values.

Break into teams and time which groups find all the matches the fastest. Company teaches concentration employees more about your business while playing a fun game.

13. All the News

With this team-building exercise, you can boost creativity and get an inside look at how your employees see the future of your business. To do All the News, you just need a few newspapers, whiteboards, markers, pens and paper. Each team is given a newspaper and asked to come up with different headlines that cover what the company will be doing in the future. They can create as many as they want and as far in the future as they want.

Groups share their headline ideas with the rest of the team and get feedback. All the News is useful for entrepreneurs and business owners that want to get an idea of the company’s future direction and start setting some new goals.

14. Grab Bag Skits

Acting and improv exercises can be a humorous and energizing way to bring your team together. Grab Bag Skits is a short activity in which teams of 3 to 8 select a paper bag. They don’t know what is inside, but it is stuffed with unrelated and random objects.

Each team is given 10 minutes to put together a 2 to 3 minutes skit that uses each of the items. Every person in the group must take on a speaking role. Encourage groups to be as creative as possible. For example, they can use an apple as a meteor or a paintbrush as a witch’s broom.

Although some individuals may be more introverted, Grab Bag Skits can encourage them to get out of their comfort zone and connect with colleagues.

15. Tied Up

In this activity, divide groups up into teams of 2 to 4. Form members into circles facing each other and use rope or shoe strings to tie their hands together. Then, give them a task that they must complete together with their hands tied. A few examples of tasks that you can use are:

Make a sandwich.
Tie a ribbon.
Navigate through an obstacle course.
Complete a jigsaw puzzle.

Because everyone's hands are tied, it will require the effort of each person to complete the task. The constraints can increase their creativity and push them to think outside-of-the-box.

16. Sneak a Peek

In this game, divide into multiple groups. One person from each group is selected to view a hidden object or sculpture. They only have 10 seconds at a time to peek at the sculpture and must relay the information that they see to the rest of their group. The group must try to recreate the sculpture based on the peek person’s description.

Players must trust the team member to describe it accurately and listen to their instructions. It can help break down management barriers if you select a lower-level person as the person to view the sculpture. In a different position than they are accustomed to, it pushes them to adjust, direct a team and communicate clearly.

17. Murder Mystery Dinner

A Murder Mystery Dinner is an interactive activity that will require everyone to get involved. There are several companies that will design murder mystery dinners specifically for business groups. Actors will provide an entertaining story and set clues in place for your team to decipher.

But, you can also host your own murder mystery dinner party which may be more cost-effective and intimate. Learn more about. Either way, your group will rally around the main goal─solving the mystery and finding the culprit. It’s ideal for problem-solving and critical thinking.

18. Conducted Story

Stories are powerful. In many ways, it is your story and how you tell it that makes people connect with your business. Your team members are storytellers.

To do a Conducted Story, groups stand in a line. One person may act as the conductor, who is responsible for moving the story along. The first person starts the story with a sentence like, “Mike went to the supermarket because...” The next person continues the story, “He needed eggs to bake a cake for..” The story continues on like this until it reaches the last person in line.

The conducted story is a listening exercise that requires every team member to pay attention to what the others have said. It also stresses the importance of telling a seamless story and that unity and strong communication are needed to do that.

19. Swedish Story

This is another activity that combines storytelling and teamwork but with a twist. People work in pairs or small teams of no more than four. One person is the storyteller while the others are the word givers. The word givers start off by giving a title that the storyteller must start talking about.

Then, as they are speaking, word givers yell random words that storytellers must incorporate. The key is that the words should be unrelated to the topic to make it more challenging and interesting. For instance, in a story about, “Visiting the City,” word givers should avoid relevant words like, “taxi,” “skyscrapers,” and “subway.” Instead, they shout out unrelated words like, “coconuts”, “T-Rex”, “Big Foot”, or “lumberjacks”. You can see a combination of Swedish Story and Conducted Story here:

Storytellers will be put on the spot and have to think fast. It drives them to actively listen to the words the other members say and insert them into the storyline.

20. Group Order

Ask the group to line themselves in order based on certain criteria. Some examples are by:

Birthday
Height
Shoe size
Haircolor
Eyecolor

Make it more challenging by setting a rule that members can’t speak to each other. You can do this as a get-to-know-you-better activity. As members move around the room to organize themselves in order, you’ll notice how they communicate to complete the task and who takes on the role of organizers or leaders.

21. PowerPoint Karaoke

If you want to test your team’s presentation skills and see how they react in fast-paced or high-pressure situations, play PowerPoint Karaoke. In it, groups are given a set of slides that they haven’t seen before and must give a presentation based on those slides.

This is a more intense version, but you can adjust it so that groups are given a few minutes to view the slides and prepare before giving the presentation. It requires groups to think quickly and work together to pull off a difficult task with a short time to plan.

22. Slideshow

Another spin on this is that one person presents a story that details an adventure or a process. This can be anything from traveling through the jungle or navigating around a city to building a house or planning a large dinner party.

The other team members must act as the slide show or visuals for the presentation. With each section that the presenter says they must demonstrate the scene. Add in random props to make it more exciting. The Slideshow activity sparks creativity and pushes members to think on their feet. It also shows how they support each other throughout the process.

23. Culture or Common Book

Some businesses may do team-building activities once for new employee orientation or once or twice a year for a company retreat. Although team-building activities help to bring your group together, you don’t have to limit them to only one time a year. Doing team-building games more often prevents your team from drifting apart over time.

Some companies like Zappos have incorporated a culture book. It is a long-running team-building activity that can be done every day. In a common area like a break room, leave a book with markers or pens. On each page, you can leave a prompt or ask a question for each day. Encourage employees to leave quotes from movies they are watching or books they have recently read.

24. Scavenger Hunts

Scavenger hunts are one of the oldest ways to get people to interact and collaborate. But, there are still one of the most effective and fun. Smartphones and apps have made it possible to do scavenger hunts anywhere. You can even add in photo or video challenges and share an album within the organization.

You can do a simple scavenger hunt and keep it in the office or take it outdoors, which can be much more exciting. Create a list of items that groups must collect or tasks that they have to complete. They can be goofy, as long as it’s possible to complete. Some examples are: “Take a selfie with someone wearing a cat shirt” or “Grab a take-out menu and a fortune cookie from a Chinese restaurant.” Set a checkpoint for people to meet when they finish.

25. Spider Web

Do you remember all those spy movies with the intricate laser security systems people had to maneuver through?

Spider Web is kind of like that. Create a maze of lines and shapes using string. Teams must cross the spider webs to reach the other side without touching the string or going in the same shapes as anyone before them.

The challenge gets harder as more people cross to the other side and requires everyone to remember and communicate with each other.

26. Balloon In Water

The balloon in water activity is a great way to see how your team solves problems together, particularly when faced with limited resources. Each group must immerse an inflated balloon in a bucket of water for a minimum of 5 seconds. They can only use the provided materials to complete the activity.

Each group gets:

Bucket of water
Balloon
Brick
5 disposable straws
5 paper clips
3 binder clips
1 plastic bag
String(20cm)
Tape (20cm)
Scissors
3 binder clips

The brick goes in the bottom of the bucket of water. Teams have a minute to strategize and flesh out their plan and only 5 minutes to do the activity.

Only the provided materials can be used during the challenge. The 3 binder clips and inflated balloon given to the team cannot be altered in any way. Before starting the activity, the team has one minute to plan and they have to plan without touching the materials.After planning, the team is given 5 minutes to execute their plan. The balloon must be fully immersed in the water before the 5 minutes is over. The balloon must remain immersed for at least 5 seconds, and the team must notify the trainer(s) when they are ready to be timed.

27. Minefield

It can be difficult for some to trust their team members or to rely on someone else to help them reach a goal. Some may think they have to do it on their own. Minefield is an activity designed to foster trust in teams. It can help members that are resistant to collaboration become more open.

You can do this inside or outside, but make sure to clear the area to avoid any accidents. Place “mines” or objects in an obstacle area. These can be anything from styrofoam cups to cones, as long as they are soft with no rough edges. The member that is going through the field, or obstacle area must be blindfolded. The other members of the team direct them through the minefield by giving them verbal instructions.

If they hit an object, they must start over. The first team with all members across the minefield wins.

28. Leaky Pipe

This game can get a little messy, so it’s recommended for outside only. Leaky Pipe is a highly interactive activity that drives groups to work faster and more efficiently together. You’ll need water, buckets, several cups, 2 pipes with holes drilled in them, and 2 ping pong balls.

To win, teams must retrieve a ping pong ball from the pipe by filling it up with water and floating the ball to the top. Participants will need to work together using the cups to carry the water from the bucket to the pipe, relay race style with cups of water to fill it.

The pipe has holes drilled in it, so they will have to plug the holes as the water gets higher. To complete the challenge, each team will receive a bucket of water (which is placed 10 meters away from the pipe) and several cups. Remember to set a countdown, so they are racing against the clock.

29. Heads Up!

You may have seen “Heads Up!” being played on the Ellen Show. It is a mobile app available for download on Android and iOS devices, in which one player puts the phone on their forehead, the rest of the players can see the word, accent, celebrity, or other category on the card, but it is hidden from the person holding it. He or she has to guess the item on the card based on clues from their team.

Although it is a fun app usually associated with parties, it can be perfect for office team-building. The best part about the game is that you can use the preloaded decks or you can create your own decks. Make a deck that relates to your company or industry and test their knowledge while having some fun.

30. Dance Party

One of the most effective and quickest ways to bring someone out of their comfort zone is to get them to dance. You can download the Dance Party app from the App Store and set it up in your office. Players mimic the dance moves that the avatar performs on the screen. Encourage members to form teams and compete.