These 25 leadership team-building activities are designed to strengthen teamwork and communication skills among children. These fun activities will foster a positive classroom environment or create a fun afternoon activity while helping students develop the necessary skills to successfully and confidently interact in educational settings. These effective activities range from physical challenges to games that require critical thinking and trust.
1. Human Knot
Have children stand in a circle and put out their right hand and grab the hand of someone from across the circle. Next, they will reach with their left hand and grab the hand of a different person than they did with their right. The common goal is to untangle the human knot!
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2. Blindfolded Fetch
You will only need blindfolds and some objects to retrieve for this blind trust game that develops communication skills and creative thinking. Teams will race against one another to have their blindfolded child retrieve an object and bring it back!
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3. Balloon Race Team Building Activity
This creative balloon race will require one leader to be at the front while the other children place a balloon in between each of them on their backs and stomachs, as pictured below. The leader must communicate when to move as they race against additional teams.
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4. Flip the Tarp Team Building Activity
You will only need a tarp and teams of 3-4 children for this team-building game. Children will start by standing on the tarp and the goal is to flip the tarp to the other side without falling off of it by using effective communication.
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5. The Great Puzzle Race
Small groups of children will race to put together their puzzles as quickly as possible. The only required materials are two of the same puzzles. Simple, affordable puzzles are perfect for this!
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6. Paper Bag Dramatics
Place different objects into paper bags in this dramatic team-building exercise. Children are challenged to write, plan, and act out skits based on the items present in their chosen bag.
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7. Team Building Activity: Build the Milky Way
Give students a foam poster board, 10 plastic red cups, and a time limit, and ask them to stack the cups and carry them across a designated space. Leaders will supervise and instruct the teams as they race against one another.
Learn More: Guide Inc.
8. Wheel Art Team-Building Project
Cut a large piece of paper into slices for each child in your class and ask them to decorate their slices with different images using markers or colored pencils. Children will have to get creative to draw unique images that connect with the other pieces!
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9. Marshmallow Spaghetti Tower
Each group, assigned one team leader, will need spaghetti noodles and marshmallows, as they work to assemble the highest tower in 15-20 minutes. Time management and effective communication will be key as kids face off in a race to the top!
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10. Toy Minefield
Set up plastic cups, toys, or other soft objects on the ground within a boundary and blindfold one child, asking them to traverse from one side of the boundary to the other while listening only to their assigned leader or partner. Successful leadership is key for the blindfolded person to navigate the obstacles.
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11. The Telephone Game
In a line, children will whisper a phrase or sentence to the next child. This process will repeat until the phrase has been passed on from one child to the next. Kids will be delighted to see how much the message has changed by the end of this simple game!
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12. Bridge Ball
Students will form a circle and spread their feet shoulder-width apart. They will then pass a ball around on the ground trying to get the ball between each other’s legs. Each time the ball passes through a child’s legs, they earn a letter. Once someone spells BRIDGE, the game is over!
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13. Positive Plates Team Building Exercise
Tape paper plates to students’ backs and have them stand in a line behind others and write complimentary statements on the plates starting with “You Can,” “You Have,” or “You Are” about the person in front of them.
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14. Scavenger Hunt
Collect random objects and set them up in various places around the classroom or household. Challenge kids to work together to find the items; you can even add riddles that must be solved to increase critical thinking!
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15. Wheelbarrow Races
This quick activity is a great team-building exercise perfect for the outdoors. Partner up two children and have them race against others to get to the finish line first!
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16. Blind Drawing
Partner two children up and have them sit back-to-back. Next, give one person a sheet of paper and a pencil and another person a picture of something to draw. The partner with the picture has to describe it to their partner without giving away the answer.
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17. Change It Up Activity
Tape two separate sections of strips on the ground, and ask 4-6 children to stand on each section of tape. The groups will start by facing each other and then turn around, changing multiple things about their appearance. When they turn back, the competing team will have to spot what was changed.
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18. Paper Chain Activity
Give teams of students two pieces of construction paper, scissors, and 12 inches of tape and see who can construct the longest paper chain while working effectively as a team.
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19. Mirror, Mirror
This game makes a great icebreaker for new classes. Place students into pairs and have them copy the position of their partner as if they were looking into a mirror.
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20. All Aboard
Make a circle using duct tape and ask groups of children to get everyone inside using creative thinking. Once children are “all aboard,” make the circle progressively smaller and repeat until they are unable to get everyone “all aboard.”
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21. Pass the Hula Hoop
This active game promotes listening, following instructions, and teamwork. First, kids will form a circle with a hula hoop over one child’s arm before joining hands. Without letting go, children must move the hula hoop around the circle.
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22. Team Pen Exercise
Put pieces of string around a marker and put a piece of paper in the middle of the group. While holding the strings connected to the marker, the entire team will work together to write a given word or draw an assigned image.
Learn More: YouTube
23. Write a Team Story
Start by having children form groups before inviting them to write a story on a piece of paper or whiteboard. The first member will write the first sentence of the story, the second member will write the second sentence, etc., until everyone has added to the story. The more outrageous the tale the better!
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24. Pass the Random Fact
Write a variety of questions on a beach ball and toss it around the room. When someone catches it, they will answer the question that their hand lands on and pass the ball to another player.
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25. Team Building Activity: Crossing Galaxies
Tape two lines on the ground 10-20 feet apart and have children work together to “cross the galaxy” across the tape by standing on the paper plates that you have provided. Watch as they practice communicating effectively and working together to succeed.
Learn More: Guide Inc.
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