Today’s children face many challenges, and with more pressure on parents due to financial and social responsibilities, they often miss out on opportunities essential for social development. Learning to be a better team player at a young age helps children develop the values necessary for becoming successful individuals. By introducing team-building exercises to your child’s daily routine, you can help pave the way for their success in professional and academic domains.
While this is easier said than done, many cooperative activities require little to no prep work and can be an enjoyable experience for parents too. To help you get started, we have outlined five activities for children that help instill decision-making skills, leadership qualities, and better communication practices. After each exercise, have the children discuss their experiences and give constructive feedback to encourage them further in the desired direction.
Mine Field
Minefield is a fun game that teaches children the importance of cooperation and mindful awareness. Additionally, it segues into a positive discussion about diversity and acceptance. To get started, design a simple obstacle course and divide the group into pairs of two. The rules of the game are simple. One member of each team is blindfolded, and their teammate verbally navigates them through obstacles. Be sure to switch obstacles in the course for every turn; that way, others won’t know what to expect during their turn.
Cross the River
Many of you might already be familiar with this game which involves people collaborating to cross a “river.” First, create a river by drawing two lines on the ground. Assign each team two paper/cardboard rafts that they will use to cross the river. To make the game even more lucrative, impose rules on how you can move the rafts. For instance, if someone leaves their raft unattended, it will float away; or if a raft has more than two hands on it, it will sink.
Scare the Dragon
If you want to gift your children a fun element of pretend, “watch the dragon” is a brilliant game to enjoy any day of the week. The premise is that all team members are part of a village under attack by a dragon. The only way to defeat the dragon is by lining up in ascending order of height. However, they cannot talk to each other while doing so, or the dragon will wake up. Once everyone has lined up correctly, kids yell “Boo!” to scare the dragon away and win the challenge.
Hula Hoop
In this game, children stand in a circle and extend their fingers. The monitor places the hula hoop on the tips of each member’s fingertips. The rules entail everyone must use their fingertips only to balance the hula hoop but cannot wrap their fingers around to hold it. Children need to lower the hula hoop to the ground while ensuring it does not drop. This game opens the door to critical thinking and decision-making skills and is a great example that showcases the upside of working as a team.
Rope Jumping
This intuitive game focuses mainly on teamwork, coordination, and movement. To play this game, you will need a rope and a group of excited children ready to have fun. The premise here is that two adults will hold the ends of a large rope and swing it in a circular motion. Children (who are standing in the middle) must coordinate with others to jump over the rope. To add another challenge to the game, you can break the group into smaller teams and award them points based on how long they can jump without touching the rope.
Team-building exercises are the key to preparing your children for a better future. That said, parents with busy schedules have no reason to fret about finding constructive activities and social groups to help their children receive a quality education. Many resources can help parents ensure their children learn essential social and team-building skills. Camp Live Oak offers programs to instill vital skills in young children, such as being team players. Contact us today to learn more about our programs and curriculum.