One of the most critical components of building a positive school culture is fostering relationships among the teachers. Creating relationships among teachers will lead to increased collaboration, more trust, better communication, and much success. To assist you with building an effective team and more positive school culture, we are providing you with 27 team-building activities.
1. Human Skis
For this activity, place two strips of duct tape on the floor sticky side up. Each team must stand on the duct tape and make it to a certain spot. This fun team-building activity teaches everyone that they are all on the same team and trying to accomplish the same goal. To do so, everyone must work together.
Learn more: Principal Principles
2. Make Your Bed
The only item you need for this activity is a bed sheet. A queen size sheet works perfectly for approximately 24 adults. Place the sheet on the floor and all teachers must stand on it. They must use their critical thinking skills to turn over the sheet by never stepping off of it.
Learn more: Lead Joyfully
3. Hula Hoop Pass
All you need for this epic game is a hula hoop. Teachers must stand in a circle holding hands, and they must pass the hula hoop around the circle without letting go of one another’s hands. Complete this activity several times and try to complete it faster each time.
Learn more: GUIDE, Inc.
4. Big Foot
Blindfold the teachers and have them stand in a straight line. The object of this challenging game is for them to line up in the order of smallest foot to largest foot. However, they cannot ask anyone about their shoe size! This is a terrific activity that teaches communicating without sight or verbalization.
Learn more: Fun Attic
5. Common Bond Exercise
A teacher begins this activity by sharing a detail from their professional life. When another teacher hears something in which they have in common with the teacher speaking, they will go and link arms with that person. The object of this informative game is to continue until all teachers are standing and have linked arms.
Learn more: Water Cooler Trivia
6. Virtual Escape Room: Jewel Heist
Teachers will enjoy this escape room team-building activity! Divide your teachers into teams to locate precious jewels that have been stolen. They must work collaboratively using their critical thinking skills, and they must solve the challenges before the time runs out.
Learn more: Outback Team Building
7. Perfect Square
Teachers will enjoy this awesome team-building event! They will use their communication skills to see which group can take a rope and form the best square, and they have to do this while they are all blindfolded!
Learn more: Growth Tactics
8. M & M Get to Know You Game
Teachers can enjoy bonding time and get to know one another well with this fun activity. Give each teacher a small pack of M&M's. One teacher begins the game by taking an M&M out of their pack, and they answer the question that coordinates with their M&M color.
Learn more: She's Crafty
9. The Barter Puzzle
Increase unity for teachers with this fun activity. Divide the teachers into groups and give each group a different puzzle to put together. Make sure they know that some of their puzzle pieces are mixed in with other puzzles. They must locate their puzzle pieces and barter with the other groups to get them.
Learn more: When I Work
10. Human Bingo
Teachers will enjoy learning more about one another with Human Bingo. Each teacher must find someone in the room that fits the description in the box. Follow the rules of the traditional game of bingo. You can purchase one like the one shown above or create your very own.
Learn more: Etsy
11. Circle of Appreciation
Teachers will all stand in a circle. Each person must share something they appreciate about the person standing to the right of them. Once everyone has had a turn, everyone must take turns sharing something they appreciate about the person standing to the left of them. This is terrific for teaching team appreciation.
Learn more: Tiny Pulse
12. Little Known Facts
Teachers will write their Little Known Fact on a sticky note or index card. The facts will be collected and redistributed. Make sure the teachers do not receive their own. Next, teachers should search for the person that wrote the Little Known Fact and then share them aloud with the group.
Learn more: Region 13 Education Service Center
13. Educational Escape: Stolen Test Team Building Activity
Teachers will have a ton of fun with this escape room team-building activity! The state assessment is tomorrow, and you realize all of the tests have gone missing. You will have approximately 30 minutes to locate the missing test! Enjoy this web-based game!
Learn more: Teachers Pay Teachers
14. Survival
With this activity, teachers will use their imaginations and develop a sense of team unity. Explain to the teachers that they have been in a plane crash in the middle of the ocean. The plane has a lifeboat, and they may only take 12 items on the boat. They must work together to decide what items they will take.
Learn more: Center for Management and Organization Effectiveness
15. Stacking Cup Challenge
Many teachers are acquainted with this activity because they use this addictive game with their high school students. Teachers will work in groups of 4 to stack plastic cups into a pyramid. They may only use string attached to a rubber band to stack the cups. No hands are allowed!
Learn more: The Daring English Teacher
16. Roll the Dice
Many teachers use dice for their classroom games. For this activity, teachers will roll a die. Whatever number the die lands on is the number of things the teachers will share about themselves. Make this a group or partner activity. This is a great way for teachers to learn more about one another.
Learn more: Time Out for Teachers
17. Marshmallow Tower Challenge
Teachers will receive a certain amount of marshmallows and uncooked spaghetti noodles to create a structure. They will work collaboratively in small groups to see how well their tower turns out. Whichever group builds the highest tower will be the champions! This team-building activity is also great to conduct with students.
Learn more: Best Kids Solutions
18. Grab Bag Skits
Bring your team together with Grab Bag Skits. Divide teachers into small groups, and allow each group to choose a paper bag. Each bag will be filled with random, unrelated items. Each group will have 10 minutes of planning time to use their creative thinking skills to produce a skit using each item in the bag.
Learn more: Cleverism
19. Tennis Ball Transfer
To complete this physical challenge, use a 5-gallon bucket filled with tennis balls and attach ropes to it. Each group of teachers must quickly carry the bucket to the end of the gym or classroom and then the team returns the tennis balls to an empty bucket. This activity can even be added to your lesson plans for classroom use.
Learn more: Lead Joyfully
20. Build the Tallest Tower
This is a terrific team-building activity for adults or teens. Divide the teachers into small groups. Each group must strive to build the tallest tower using 3 x 5 index cards. Provide planning time for the tower planning and then designate a certain amount of time to build the tower. This is a great activity for concentration and no talking is allowed!
Learn more: Chart Course
21. Mine Field
This epic game focuses on trust and communication. Teacher survival becomes dependent upon other members of the group. It is a great partner activity or small group activity. A blindfolded team member navigates through the minefield with the guidance of others. This is also a great game for kids!
Learn more: Classful
22. Team Mural
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Teachers will enjoy bonding time with one another as they create a large mural. Pints, brushes, a large piece of paper, or a large canvas will be needed for this amazing art activity. An activity like this can even be completed with K-12 students.
Learn more: Ideal Art
23. 5 Best Board Games
A board game is a great way to instill unity, strategic thinking, communication, and collaboration among teachers. Use this collection of games and divide the teachers into groups. They will have lots of fun as they move from game to game.
Learn more: Press Print Party
24. Teacher Morale Games
This assortment of games will be perfect for upcoming professional development or staff meetings. Use these activities to boost teacher morale which can ultimately increase student learning and success. These can also be adapted as great games for kids.
Learn more: Teachers Pay Teachers
25. Team Building Activities
These team-building activities are perfect for teachers or (Grades 6-10) students. This assortment of games also provides great activities for language arts. Engage others, build a sense of unity, and have fun with these challenging games.
Learn more: Teachers Pay Teachers
26. Time Prioritization Game Activity and Team-Building Ice-Breaker
New and experienced teachers will enjoy this team-building activity that focuses on prioritizing our time. Divide teachers into groups so they can choose from a variety of tasks for completion.
Learn more: Symonds Research
27. Survive the Arctic
Provide teachers with a piece of paper that lists at least 20 items. They will be responsible for working in small groups to choose 5 items from the list that will help them survive being lost in the arctic. Creative teachers usually excel at this activity.
Learn more: Symonds Research
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