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Title:
| Teaching Tips: Team Building Activities for Elementary Students |
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Description:
| Here are suggestions for games, activities, and lesson plans to encourage team building among elementary school students. There are indoor and outdoor activities, and cross-curricular lesson ideas. Many of these activities can be adapted for different age groups. Included are eThemes resources on cooperative learning and cooperative problem solving. |
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Grade Level:
| 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 |
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Resource Links:
| Establish a Positive Community Atmosphere
Here are three ideas for games that can help establish a supportive classroom environment throught team building.
PBS: Arthur: Team Efforts
This site has ideas for games that explore the benefits of teamwork. These activities were designed with younger children in mind, but could be adapted for older students.
PBS: Arthur: Team Challenges
Try these two cooperative games in which students must work together in order to succeed. These activities were designed with younger children in mind, but could be adapted for a variety of ages.
PBS: Arthur: Group Stories
This two-page PDF file has an activity where students can create stories as a group. There are several variations you can try.
PBS: Collaborate
Students can work together to create artwork. These activities were designed with younger children in mind, but could be adapted for older students.
Spider Web
In this team building activity, students can get to know each other while creating a unique design. This is a two-page PDF file.
Can You Build it?
Students can work together toward a common goal in this team activity. The activity described in this two-page PDF file can also be used as an ice-breaker.
Who am I?
Children can use this activity to get to know each other by sharing about themselves and working together. This is a one-page PDF file.
Mad Minute Relay
Students can learn math in a team environment with this timed activity.
Me-Shirts
Children can use their artistic skills and learn about each other by creating Me-Shirts, T-shirts that say something important about themselves.
All of Me
This activity can help students get to know each other by drawing pictures that show some of the different aspects of their lives, and sharing the pictures with classmates.
We're Different/We're Alike
Students can learn more about each other with this lesson by using Venn diagrams to describe the ways in which they are similar and different.
Big Welcome Book
Students can work as a team to create a "welcome book" that can help new students feel at ease.
Make a Class Pictogram
Children can use this activity to help them understand the nature of social groups and their roles as members of various groups.
Classroom Quilt
With this craft project, children can share something about their lives with their classmates. Each student can contribute to the finished quilt.
Trading Cards
Children can share information about themselves by creating personalized trading cards. This could be used as an ice-breaker activity.
It's Too Loud in Here!
This lesson plan gives students the opportunity to work as a team and participate in decision making processes in the classroom.
Poetry Teamwork
This is an activity designed to encourage students to think about the importance of working together. This lesson requires the poem Nine Gold Medals by David Roth from Chicken Soup for the Kid's Soul. This activity can be used before starting a group project. NOTE: The site includes ads.
A-Z Teacher's Stuff: Teamwork
What does it mean to be a team? In this lesson plan, students can learn to define teamwork and work together in groups. NOTE: The site includes ads.
Teamwork
This activity is designed to give students the opportunity to consider what is involved in teamwork and why real teamwork is important.
Egg Hunt
This is an Easter-themed outdoors activity in which classes can participate as a group in an easter egg hunt using a map. This idea can be adapted to use other objects besides eggs and not related to Easter. Students can learn map reading skills as well as teamwork.
Teaching Hints for Team Building
This page has tips for teachers for using team building, and why team building is important, as well as several suggestions for activities. NOTE: The site includes links that lead to sites with ads.
Ditto: A Cooperation Game
This game gives students the opportunity to develop cooperation skills through writing directions.
Arithmesticks
This hands-on activity can be completed by an individual student, as a classroom exercise, or as a team building activity. The fun of building each mathematical equation develops hand-eye coordination, visual, spatial, and perceptual skills.
Stacker-Mania
Students work in teams to quickly build or disassemble pyramids in this game.
Team Building
This lesson is designed to help improve relations among students though get-to-know-you activities. NOTE: These discussion questions are for older students, but this activity could be adapted for use with younger children.
ABC Teach: Teamwork Poster
This one-page PDF file is a printable poster that illustrates teamwork.
eThemes Resource: Teaching Tips: Cooperative Learning Strategies
Read articles that define and explain how to use cooperative learning strategies in the classroom. Includes cooperative learning lesson plans for a variety of subjects and grade levels.
eThemes Resource: Cooperative Problem Solving Tasks
Problem solving can be fun. Explore the following activities where kids are encourage to think creatively, share thoughts and opinions, create, discuss and solve problems, and than draw conclusions. Includes science, mathematical, logical, and environmental games and activities
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Education Standards:
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