With all members standing on a sheet of plastic, the group has to slowly flip the sheet to the other side without anyone stepping off it. This activity is great for small groups and helps to promote cooperation, trust, and communication.
Resources: One sheet of plastic. It should be large enough to comfortably allow 8 – 10 persons to stand on it, but not too large that the activity becomes too easy.
Space Required: Small. Indoors or outdoors.
Group Size: 8 to 10. If the group is larger, split them into smaller sub-groups.
Total Time: 20 minutes
- 5 minutes to brief and setup
- 10 minutes for the activity
- 5 minutes to review and debrief
Running the Activity
- Explain the activity: The aim of the activity is for the group to flip the plastic sheet to the other side while standing on it, and without any team member stepping off it.
- You can set a time limit for them to complete the task.
- Get every member of the group to step on the sheet. Once they are ready, they can begin. If you have imposed a time limit, start the timer.
- The activity begins with one person flipping a corner of the sheet to the other side. One by one, each team member steps onto the newly-flipped side of the sheet.
- The activity ends when the sheet is completely flipped over and everyone is standing on the ‘new’ side.
- If the team is unable to complete the task without breaking the rules, you can allow them to strategize and then restart the activity again.
Rules
- Each member of the team must have at least one foot on the sheet at all times.
- Stepping off the sheet is not allowed during the activity.
Safety
- Observe the group during the activity to ensure that no one slips or falls.
Suggested Learning Outcomes
- Cooperation
- Communication
- Trust
- Leadership
Activity Guidance and Notes
This activity works best with a group that already knows each other as it requires participants to be quite physically close to each other. Observe the reactions of the participants, and if anyone looks uncomfortable during the activity, you may want to pause the activity or guide the team to give that person more space.
This activity helps to build trust as some participants may not be able to see what is going on and they have to trust that their teammates are coordinating people’s movements while flipping the sheet over. It also encourages communication between team members.
It is important that the plastic sheet is of the right size; if too small the activity will be impossible to complete and if it is too large, it will be too easy.
Variations
- If it is a large group, you can get each team to go in turns and time them. The team that can complete the task fastest wins.
- If the team completes the task easily, introduce a time limit.
Review
Suggested questions to ask:
- What worked? What didn’t work and hindered your progress?
- What problems did you encounter during the challenge?
- Did you identify a leader?
- What leadership was demonstrated during the challenge?
- What were the individual roles people played? Was everyone comfortable with their role?
- How well did you communicate during the challenge?
- What did you learn from the challenge?
More Team Building Ideas…
For more team-building ideas, check out our eBook, The Team Building Activity Book. The eBook provides easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions for leading the activity including full activity notes, activity setup, safety and rules, challenge variations, coaching points and review questions. The book also features 29 other team activities that are guaranteed to inspire and motivate your team. Check it out here.
What would be the dimensions of the sheet for the 8 person team?
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