A fast paced way of getting to know commonalities among group members. Ask the group to divide into smaller groups according to a category, i.e. yell out eye colour or shoe size, clothing colour, type of pet or toothbrush colour, favourite colour, hair colour, people with number of brothers or sisters, etc, any category (excluding any that could be deemed as discriminatory in any way). Make it quick and fast paced, get everyone moving.
Author: David Priestley
Blindfolded participants are given a route by their partners, the aim of the challenge is for them to retrace their steps and end up as close to the starting point as possible. Keep the challenge simple to begin with minimal commands and add more, and more to make it difficult for delegates. Equipment Required: Ground markers, BlindfoldsSpace Required: Medium. Indoors or outdoors.Group Size: 6 to 14 ideally. Total Time: 20 minutes 5 minutes to brief and set up 10 minutes to achieve the outcome 5 minutes to review Suggested Learning Outcomes Trust/Support Leadership Active listening Team Communication The full description for Blindfold Maze can be found in…
One person is selected to stand in the middle of the circle wearing a blindfold, the objective of the challenge is for the rest of the group to pass a selected object (such a tin with marbles in) around the circle without making any noise. Equipment Required: 1 blindfold, cup/tin and marbles (or similar) Space Required: Small. Delivered in or outdoors. Group Size: Ideally groups of around 10 to 20. Total Time: 10 minutes 1-3 minutes to brief and setup 5 minutes to achieve outcome 3 minutes to review Brief/Challenge Instructions Group to stand in an inward facing circle. Someone in the group is selected to wear…
The group stands in an inward-facing circle and is asked to throw juggling balls amongst the group in a specific order. As the activity develops more juggling balls are introduced and the pressure to work well as a group increases. This works as a great icebreaker during the forming stage of a team. Equipment Required: Juggling balls, bean bags (or even a rolled-up sock).Space Required: Small. Delivered either indoors or outdoors.Group Size: 8 to 14 ideally (however it still works with slightly larger or smaller groups). Total Time: 20-30 minutes 5 minutes to brief and set up 10 minutes for the challenge 5 minutes to review Group…
A container marked Toxic Waste is put in the middle of an exclusion zone. Using a limited range of equipment the team has to lift the container and place it in a ‘safe’ zone. The aim is to pick up the ball from the start cone with the cradle and move it over a number of obstacles to a finishing cone. Equipment Required: 2 x traffic cones 1 x small football 1 x rope and cradle ‘octopus’ (ropes identical length) 10 x blue stakes 2 x 7m ropes (to build a narrow alley to walk down) 2 x 4m ropes…
Blindfolded participants are given a rope to work with and working as a team are tasked with forming a number of geometric shapes defined by the facilitator. Equipment Required: Blindfolds (for each person), 20-30ft of ropeSpace Required: Medium. Delivered either indoors or outdoors.Group Size: 8 to 12 ideally. Total Time: 20-30 mins 5 minutes to brief and set up 10-20 minutes to achieve outcome 5 minutes to review Brief/Challenge Instructions Ask the group to line up in a straight line and give everyone a blindfold. Get participants to put their hands in front of them and then place the length of the rope into their hands. Explain that everyone must hold…
Working together as a team, the group have to use their bodies to form letters and words. This challenge is simple to deliver and can be done with no equipment. Equipment Required: None Space Required: Small. Indoors or outdoors. Group Size: 8 to 12 ideally. Total Time: 20-30 minutes 5 minutes to brief and set up 10-20 minutes to achieve outcome 5 minutes to review and debrief Human Shapes Team Challenge Instructions Find an area free of obstacles and ask participants to spread out Start out by asking the participants to make several letters of the alphabet with their body e.g. B, C, D and E. Next up,…
Parachute games are easy to deliver and great fun for all. All you require is a parachute and a ball. The games encourage cooperative, non-competitive play and are normally quite physically active. What’s more they can played with kids of all ages (including adults). Equipment Required: Play Parachute and ball Space Required: Medium-Large. Delivered either indoors or outdoors. Group Size: Typical activity group sizes of 12-20 Total Time: 60 minutes 10 minute brief and set up 40 minutes active participation 10 minutes Review Main Activity Mushroom: Get everyone to hold the parachute. The participants should be spread out so the parachute is fairly taught. Participants should…
Group members make choices (express their opinions) in front of other people by getting on and off an imaginary bus. What follows is a number of word pairs, where individuals have to make the decision which one they agree with and why. This can be used as both a team building exercise and a fun icebreaker. Equipment Required: Two ropes Space Required: Small. Indoors or outdoors. Group Size: 6 to 30 (maximum of 50) Total Time: 20-25 minutes 3 minutes to brief and set up 10-15 minutes to achieve outcome 7 minutes to review Bus Stop Exercise Instructions Create an imaginary bus by laying the two ropes on the ground and in…
The team stands in a circle and holds hands. Start one hula-hoop hanging (or bungee) over one pair of joined hands. Each person in the circle must pass the hoop/loop over him/herself and on to the next person without letting go. Equipment Required: hula hoop or bungee cord Space Required: Small. Indoors or outdoors. Group Size: 6 to 15 Total Time: 10-15 minutes 2 minutes to brief and set up 5-10 minutes to achieve the outcome 3 minutes to review Suggested Learning Outcomes Leadership Cooperation Support and trust Planning Loop-De-Loop is featured in my eBook, The Team Building Activity Book. The book provides an easy-to-use, step-by-step guide to…
The entire team must fit inside a circle. After each success, the circle will shrink and gradually get smaller and smaller until the team has to rely heavily on support and teamwork to complete the challenge. Equipment Required: Rope for the platform, tarpaulin, shoe laces, or carpet Space Required: Small. Indoors or outdoors. Group Size: 8-15 people depending on the size of the area used. Total Time: 20 minutes 5 minutes to brief and set up 10 minutes to achieve the outcome 5 minutes to review Suggested Learning Outcomes Cooperation Communication Goal setting Leadership Problem-solving The full description for All Aboard can be found in our eBook,…
This is a fun variation to the popular game human knot, where people grab each other’s hands and try to get untangled – in this game there is less human contact, so it is less threatening but still a real challenge for all involved. Equipment Required: Long rope Space Required: Medium. Indoors or outdoors. Group Size: 8 to 20 ideally. Total Time: 20 minutes 5 minutes to brief and set up 10 minutes to achieve outcome 5 minutes to review Rope Knots Game Challenge Instructions Tie an overhand knot in the rope for each person that is in the group (12 participants = 12 knots). Space the…