The team race against the clock to retrieve and move as many tennis balls from one bucket to another, without using their hands or arms.
Time: 15 minutes
- 2 minutes for task Introduction
- 3 minutes to discuss and plan
- 5 minutes to move tennis balls
- 5 minutes to reviewing and debrief
Space required: Medium. Either Indoors or Outdoors
Resources:
- 1 roll of masking tape (or use cones)
- 1 metre stick
- 1 bucket of tennis balls
- 1 empty bucket
Team Building Challenge Set Up
Tape a start line on the floor. Tape and finish line on the floor about 3 metres (10ft) away. Place the bucket of balls at the start line and assemble the team near the bucket. Set the empty bucket across the finish line.
Challenge Instructions
Near the starting point is a bucket of tennis balls. The Team have five minutes to move as many of the balls as possible from the bucket into the empty bucket across the finish line. Teams must designate one person who can touch the tennis balls. The chosen person may not cross the start line at any time during the challenge.
The remaining team members must move the tennis balls to the finish line without touching the balls with their hands or arms at any time. Team members – other than the person assigned the job – who touch a tennis ball with their hands or arms once you have started the challenge must leave the game and watch from the side.
Scoring
Award the team one point for every tennis ball that is moved and placed in the empty bucket. If all balls are moved from the start bucket to the finish bucket in the allotted time, award an additional 10 bonus points.
Suggested Learning Objectives:
- Communication
- Cooperation
- Problem Solving
- Leadership
Questions for Review:
- Why was it important you planned before attempting the challenge?
- How did you discuss different ideas? Did everyone have opportunity to share their ideas?
- How difficult did you find it without using your hands and arms? Did this obstacle force you to think differently?
- Did you support each other during the challenge?
- How well do you feel you worked as a team? What could you improve?
- Did you designate a leader for the challenge? What determines a good leader?
- Did you plan work? If not, why not? How did you respond to this?
- How do you ensure that everyone understands the team strategy?
- What would you do differently next time?
- Looking back on the challenge, what is the one thing you can take away from it?
