Team builders

In this team building activity, I create a shape using a variety of math manipulatives such as; counting tiles, two sided disks, foam shapes, linking blocks, etc. I create it behind a partition. Students are split into groups and given all the same objects that I have. They then have one member at a time come up and "peek" at the shape for ten seconds. They then go back to their group and explain what they saw and work together to create what I made. After a minute, another member of their team comes up and looks at the shape for ten seconds and shares the information with their group. They have to work together and talk about what their group needs to look for when they go up there, as well as paying attention to detail to know what to tell their partners. The first group to accurately recreate the shape wins.

I have used Ted Ed Challenges, starting with the River Crossing, to help students problem solve collectively.  I used Tidwell's idea of creating a Quizlet Live with a fun fact about each student in a particular class; students then get to know each other while working in a team.  Another favorite is having students stand in a line with their feet touching the feet on either side; they have to step across a line of tape on the floor without breaking contact anywhere in the line.

This year, I started off with "Saving Sam". Students had to solve the problem of saving Sam from drowning only using paperclips and teamwork. The students loved it and I could see them working together as a team. 

In the past, I have had them build bridges in an allotted amount of time or build pasta cars as a team. 

In my class students sit at tables, so there is already made teams when they walk in, when the groups are made students come up with a team name for themselves, and at the beginning of the year we even made team flags!

Round robin discussions at the table are always fun to do, especially after a weekend, it's a good way to help the chatter go down!

We also had fun at the beginning of the year coming up with handshakes!

Of course breakout is all time fave in my classroom. The kids really do work together to solve the clues.

Categories:  The facilitator calls out categories and participants have to arrange themselves according to that category.  I give students cards that follow the standards we are learning.  They may need to sequence themselves, solve math problems, etc.  This helps students team build as well as learn curriculum.

Snakes:  Begin the activity in pairs. Get participants to lie on the floor on their stomach, with one of them holding onto the ankles of their partner. The aim is to move like a snake without letting go of their partner’s ankles. The difficulty of the activity can be increased by adding more people to each "snake."

Lava Flow:  The team has to cross a "lava flow" using only the "platforms" provided. Each team member is given one platform to use in the crossing and participants must stay in contact with each platform or else they will be "swept away" by the "lava flow."

STEM Challenges
Using any fast STEM challenge is a great teambuilder. Some in particular that I think are easy and fast: stack cups in a pyramid using only string; create a tower that can hold a book with only newspaper and a limited amount of tape; create the tallest freestanding tower out of spaghetti and marshmallows. 

Breakout EDU
One of the best ways to encourage teamwork! Kids are dying to work together to solve things faster. It can be fast and simple and just incorporate the idea of a breakout if you don't have time for a full blown one with tons of clues. 

Inside-Outside Circle
Students form a circle within a circle with (ideally) equal number of students in both circles. Inside circle members pair with outside circle members. Teacher presents a topic, prompt, or question. This is a good way to mix kids up and have them work with new people.