team building ideas
Team Building Ideas
Looking for some effective, yet fun team building ideas? You have reached the right page. Here is something for adults as well as kids.
Learning to work in teams has to be inculcated right from childhood. That's why, we see all schools laying emphasis on team building games, to teach them values such as dedication, hard work, patience, discipline, and cooperation.
Moving onto adults, organizations today have realized that in order to increase profits, their employees should work well, with full cooperation, coordination, and commitment in teams. In fact, many organizations plan special events and days, organize seminars, take their employees on family picnics, and conduct various games, to keep up their motivation and improve teamwork. Out of these, games are perhaps the most fun and useful in keeping the team members enthusiastic and bonded together. Here are some of the most effective team building games, for adults and kids alike.
By utilizing these team building ideas, a manager can improve communication skills, problem-solving skills, decision-making skills, as well as team leadership skills of his employees. As everyone knows, there is no better asset for a business than well-trained, intelligent, and cooperative employees, thus, proving beyond doubt how effective these team games and activities can be.
Game Plan
This is one of those games which helps instill creativity, and at the same time improve cooperation among them. Divide the participants into teams of five to six each. Next, tell them to plan such a game which will help in improving teamwork among the players. Give the teams ten minutes each to come up with the activity, after which, they need to come forward and give a presentation on the activity they have planned out. This activity is not only a learning experience for the participants, but it will help you to get hold of some unique ideas too.Create a Scene
Another creative idea is to conduct this activity named 'create a scene', in which the participants, as a team, have to recreate whatever topic is given to them through their bodies and actions. Divide the participants into teams of eight to ten each. Next, give them a topic, say 'forest', and wait for one minute. In this one minute, the team members have to recreate a forest, by some becoming trees, animals, etc. Likewise, you keep on giving topics, and the teams 'create a scene' in one minute. This is an excellent game for team building at the workplace, as it improves the communication and coordination among the team members.Crossover
Divide the employees into teams of five to six each. Make one leader for each team, and blindfold the rest. Next, in an empty space, place sheets of paper in a haphazard manner on which you have written 'bombed'. Now, the blindfolded team members assemble on one side, and they have to cross over to the other side of the sheets, without stepping on them. They will do this by listening to and following the instructions given by their leader. In case a team member steps on the 'bomb', the entire team has to start all over again. The winner of this game is the team which crosses over with minimum attempts, or the fastest.Treasure Hunt
One of the most popular among outdoor team building games for adults as well as children, especially on an office picnic where family is invited too, is a treasure hunt. Divide the participants into teams of eight to ten each. Make sure that the number of kids in each group is the same. Next, give each of the team a list of things that they have to get. You can include things like a pink flower, a leaf with more than three edges, names of two birds that you saw while on a treasure hunt, etc. The team which comes back first with all the items in the list is declared the winner.Knotty Affair
Ask the children to stand in a circle. Next, instruct each of them to bring their left hand forward, and with it, catch hold of any other child's left hand, except for the ones who are standing immediately next to them. When they are done, ask them to do the same with the right hand. Now, the fun part begins. The children have to untangle themselves from this self-created web without leaving each other's hands! You will find many of the kids instructing others on how to go about it, while others trying various means such as climbing on top of the hand-web to untangle the knots. This activity is indeed innovative for small groups, and can be conducted with adults in offices too.