8 Different Team Building Activities for Kids During Parties and Other Gatherings
Team building skills are important for people of all ages. However, they are especially important for children still learning to navigate the world. The good news is, team building activities for kids can be more about fun than learning. In fact, kids generally don’t see team building activities like learning, but as games.
There are many different types of team building activities out there that get kids up and working together in different ways. Below, we’ve listed not only a few different types of team building exercises but also different activities that work great both during school and at parties and other large gatherings.
Physical Team Building Activities
Some of the best forms of team building activities for kids include not only testing their mind and communication skills but also test their physical skills as well. That being said, physical team building activities where kids have to get up and move are some of the best.
Below are only a few of the best physical team building activities for kids that can be done in just about any setting.
1. Human Knot
Probably one of the most popular and one of the most challenging team building activities for people of any age is the human knot.
For this activity, you’ll want four to five kids minimum, and you’ll want them to stand in a circle. Start by having each person take the hand of someone across from them. Once everyone is holding a hand, have them hold the hand of a second person, making sure he or she aren’t holding the hand of the person next to them or the hand of the same person he or she started. This creates the initial knot.
It is now the kid’s job to work together and communicate with one another in order to untangle the human knot without letting go of each other’s hands.
2. Relay Races
Relay races are another outstanding team building activity for kids because it, again, gets them up and moving, but also gets them talking with one another to complete a common objective.
In most cases, a relay race involves a team of four or more individuals running a race or obstacle course of some sort. The difference between relay races and traditional obstacle courses is the fact that relay races require a team instead of an individual.
In most cases, there are a number of obstacles that each member much take turns going through before tagging the next person in.
For example, one member of the team sprints through a tire course before tagging in the second member who then climbs a wall and so on.
With proper communication and encouragement from one another, relay races are a great team building activity for kids of any age.
3. Blind Obstacle Course
Blind obstacle courses are another great activity to help with team building because participants have to work together in order to complete the course properly really.
This form of team building activity relies on proper communication between teammates. The obstacles in these courses are much simpler than those in relay races because the person running the course is blind thanks to a blindfold of some sort. So, for example, those that are blindfolded will need to be guided through a maze of some sort.
Those that aren’t blindfolded need to calmly and efficiently in order to help the individual running the course through it safely and quickly.
4. Pass the Hula Hoop
Pass the hula hoop is another great team building activity for children because not only does it get them up and moving, it works their problem-solving skills and their communication skills.
Start with two individuals with a hula hoop over their joined arms. The rest of the children then take the hands of their neighbor until they form a circle.
The goal of this activity is to have each individual make their way through the hula hoop without letting their neighbor’s hands go. Some children will find this task easy while others will have a much harder time getting their bodies through the small ring.
The key is to go slow and take your time while keeping in constant communication with your team.
Quiet/Silent Team Building Activities
While physical team building activities are challenging on their own, many find that quiet and or silent team building activities are especially challenging, especially for kids.
These team building activities for kids require that they complete a goal of some sort, all while remaining mute. This task can be especially difficult for children because they get excited very easily, especially when placed in a competition setting.
5. Applause, Please
Do you remember playing the game hot and cold as a kid? You know, the one where someone would hide something and then as you look for it, the other players would tell you if you were getting hotter or colder? Applause, please is a slight variation on this concept, one that takes the game up a notch a little.
This team building activity for kids is great because the players that are guiding the person who is searching must stay silent. The only way to guide someone is by applauding them. The louder the applause, the closer the person is to the object that they are seeking. The farther away, the softer the rest will clap.
This activity helps children learn different ways of communication and helps them to sharpen their listening skills.
6. Circle of Silence
The circle of silence is another creative team building activity for kids because it really forces them to learn to concentrate, listen carefully and help encourage creative thinking and interpersonal communication without much noise.
The point of the game is to take a container and fill it with something like small rocks or marbles. One child is chosen to be “it,” and the rest all get into a circle around whoever is “it.”
The players in the circle are then tasked with passing the container around the circle as quietly as they can. If the container rattles or makes noise, and the child that is “it” can point to where the noise came from correctly, then the person who was holding the box becomes “it.”
Other Team Building Activities
We’ve taken a look at some rather physical team building activities for kids, as well as some quiet ones, but that isn’t all there is as far as activities for kids that help to foster a team environment.
Below are only a couple of other examples of team building activities that children will love.
7. Building Challenge
Building challenges are a great a really outstanding team building activity for kids because it involves not only creativity but proper communication and cooperation.
Whether it be with blocks or with toothpicks and marshmallows, building either a tallest tower or bridge from point A to point B, kids have to work together in all aspects in order to build something that will stay sturdy enough to hit their objective.
8. Scavenger Hunt
Scavenger hunts also make great team building activities for children considering they have to think outside the box in order to work out clues and find whatever treasures are on the list. Having more than one mind working at a time can help speed up the process and forces kids to work with each other instead of against each other.
Team Building Activities Aren’t Just for the Kids
Team building activities for kids are a vital part of their learning and growing process. Being able to communicate and work side by side with their peers will only help set them up for success in their future, and it will help instill a sense of confidence in them as they grow that will be carried on well into adulthood.
Remember, team building activities don’t have to focus on just the kids. During family parties or other get-together, get everyone involved and see who has what it takes to work as a team really. Teams can be broken up into parents and children, girls and boys… The options truly are endless!
So, don’t be afraid to get creative and think outside the box. Most of all, remember to have fun!
