Whether you're a concerned parent whose child just isn't performing well in a group or you've simply noticed your employees aren't working well together, incorporating a series of team building ideas can help enormously when it comes to helping them to bond with a group. Here are a few ways team building activities can improve groups as a whole. You'll be surprised at just how much they can accomplish.
Some typical team building ideas center around physical and mental exercises that encourage the group to work together to solve a problem or reach a goal. Most of these sessions begin with icebreaker activities. These include name games or individuals telling the group a bit about themselves. The more your group knows itself, the easier it will be to work together as a whole.
What are some examples of physical team building ideas? These include fun games where the entire group reaches a goal together. Some fun examples include group versions of blind man's bluff, the human knot, crack the whip, relay races, group tag, and more. Not only do these games encourage teamwork, fast thinking, planning, and other positive traits, but it also helps get the group nicely warmed up and energized. This is especially useful when dealing with a group of young children who may become fidgety.
Some good examples of mental team building ideas include games that encourage communication, empathy, and problem solving among others. These include the telephone game, collective memory exercises, communication games, and many others. Sharing stories during these exercises isn't an uncommon activity either. As your team bonds over these activities, you will be able to see the group consciousness within them grow and flourish.
Don't be disappointed if there are inevitable mistakes. The entire point of using team building ideas is to have fun and learn a little at the same time. Should a mistake happen, don't chastise the individual. Instead, encourage the group to move past it by solving the problem collectively. You may learn that their new goal provides more satisfaction than the original one did.
These are only a few things to consider when putting team building ideas to good use. Learn more today about how these amazing exercises can help enhance your child's schoolwork or simply create a tighter bond at the workplace. By incorporating trust, communication, planning, group strength, sound leadership, and other good qualities, you will be doing your part to help your team thrive in any situation. Act now!
Regardless of the age group of your team building participants, having a slew of team building games sprinkled throughout various activities are a great way to boost morale, give rewards, and disguise learning as play. Here are a few team building games to consider.
Most team building sessions begin with something called an ice breaker. Ice breakers are small, easy sessions designed to help participants grow accustomed to the act of working as a group. These may include question and answer sessions, introductory sessions, and a few light, easy team building games to introduce the general concept, such as the human knot.
Physical team building games are very popular for these sort of seminars. A few include activities such as group tag, group blind man's bluff, relay races, scavenger hunts, and more. Along with banishing boredom and apathy, these games promote ideas such as teamwork, leadership, thinking on your feet, planning, communication, leadership, and others.
However, when playing physical team building games, it's nevertheless a good idea to keep a close eye on your team. This is largely because the competitive nature of these games can lead the group to gang up on a single person and blame him or her for their loss, should it occur. This is why you should avoid games that pit an individual against the group, such as hide and seek. Should you see signs of agitation among the group, it's a good idea to stop the activity altogether and have a discussion about it. This will not only prevent conflict, but it will help your team further learn the aspects of thinking and working as a team.
Mental and verbal team building games are also fun additions to any seminar. These include storytelling, what-if scenarios, word associations, optical illusions, brain twisters, and more. These games are designed to promote public speaking, discussions, creative thinking, problem solving, and thinking outside of the box.
These are only a few team building games to consider when putting together your seminar. Remember, by making them enjoyable and engrossing, you are doing your part to ensure that your team takes away the most they can out of your teaching. If your crowd is of the younger variety, you will be doing your part to instill these concepts in their mind, allowing them not only to use them at school, but enjoy these lessons as they advance in the workplace as well. Learn more today!