The teamwork ability is not naturally formed, but it is developed slowly by the repeated interactions, communications, and collaborations.
For kids, the most effective way is not classroom teaching, but it is learning through some fun outdoor group activities. Whether you are in the school playground, camp, nursery school, or community playground, a suitable team building game can help children to improve the communication skills, leadership, social skills, and problem-solving ability.
The following are 20 playground team building games that suitable for kids, and these games include the classic playground activities, and also add some more creative group activities. These games can help parents, teaches, and operators to create an outdoor team game experience that is more engaging.
20 fun playground team building activities
1. Hula Hoop Passing Race
This is one of the most classic playground group activities, and it is very suitable for making friends and maintaining friendships.
Gameplay: All of children hold hands with each other and form a circle, take a hula hoop to slid onto one of child’s arm. After the game beginning, all players do not let go and need to take the hula hoop smoothly to give the next player, until follow the entire circle end. If someone lets go in the mid-game, and then it need to start again.
This outdoor group activity can train children:
Teamwork
Physical coordination
Communication skills
Rhythm coordination
2. Agile Obstacle Relay Race
Gameplay: You can divide children into two teams, and send one team member at a time to finish the obstacle challenge, and then pat the next team member to relay after backing to the starting point. The team which finishes all team members' challenges first wins.
You can use the playground equipment to build an obstacle route, for example:
Climbing frame
Balance beam
Slide
Jump area
Cone tunnel route
You can add other contents:
Creeping forward
Hop on one foot
Run around a pole
Pass through the tunnel
The team building training values:
Enhance the responsibility
Develop the sense of team honor
Train the sports ability
Improve the reaction speed
3. Group Long Rope Skipping
Gameplay: Two adults or older children are responsible for swinging a long rope, the other children enter the rope and jump in turn. The team needs to keep a same rhythm, and only then someone got tripped up by the rope, this round of challenge is finishing. You can add up the success count.
It can upgrade at later stage:
Many players jump at the same time
Team synchronous jump
Jumping and shouting a slogan
Children can learn when playing the game:
Observe the team rhythm
Encourage your team members
An unified action
Work together to finish the goal
4. Keep a balloon off the ground
Gameplay: Every team get a balloon, children need to work in with each other and keep to pat the balloon, and then avoid it falling to the ground. In this process, it doesn’t need to touch the balloon continuously by a same person.
Upgrade the gameplay:
Add a second balloon
Can only be used on the head
Can only be used on the shoulders
This game is very suitable for low age kids, so it can develop:
Teamwork
Attention
Fast reaction
Space judgment
5. Up-and-down passing relay
Gameplay: Children need to form a column, the first child needs to pass the balloon from above the head, the second child needs to pass the balloon from under the leg, and the other children need to take turns in a cycle. When the balloon is passed to the last child, the child needs to run to the front of the team and keep to passing the balloon, until all children finishing in turn.
The team building training values:
Develop the focus
Enhance the team chemistry
Improve the action coordination
6. Blind target challenge
Gameplay: Two children as a group, one of them needs to wear a eye mask, the other child is responsible for directing by language. The blindfolded child need to take the ball into the bucket or roll into the designated area. And in this game process, the player only depend on team member's voice to finish the challenge, so this game very tests their communication skills.
It is recommended to use:
Foam ball
Soft obstacles
Hula hoop goal
The team building training values:
Train the sense of trust
Enhance the communication skills
Improve the sense of direction
7. Social Grouping Game
Gameplay: All of children can freely walk in the playground area, teacher need to call out the number of children randomly, for example “a group is 4 people” or “a group is 5 people”. Children must quickly find the other team members to form a group with the corresponding number of children, and child who failed to form a group was eliminated.
You can have demands:
Clothes of the same color
Same birthday month
Same interests and hobbies
The team building training values:
Improve the social skills
Help children to make friends
Develop the active communication awareness
8. Body Letter Spelling
Gameplay: Teacher give a word to every group, for example “TEAM”, “SPORT”, or “PLAY”. children need to use their body, arms, and legs to show the corresponding letter shape, and they need to work together and finish the spelling of the entire word within a required time, and then show it to the other group and watch.
The team building training values:
Improve the creativity
Develop the collaboration ability
Enhance the team spirit
9. The House Jumping Team Relay
Gameplay: Draw some grids of the house jumping on the ground, every child needs to throw a sandbag first, and then need to finish the single-leg jump according to the game rules. Children must to avoid the place of the sandbag and finish the challenge. After backing to the starting point and then relay to the next team member, the team who finishes all member challenges first wins.
Failure rules:
Step on the line
Jump to a wrong grid
The sandbag is thrown out of area
The team building training values:
Develop the patience
Enhance the balance ability
Learn the team sense of responsibility
10. Fingertip Balancing Hula Hoop
Gameplay: 4 to 6 children need to form a circle, and only are allowed to use the index finger to support the hula hoop. The team need to control the speed together, and then slowly reduce the hula hoop to the ground. In this process, if the hula hoop falls, you need to start the challenge again.
Difficult point: Due to different forces, the hula hoop always suddenly rises or tilts.
The team building training values:
Learn to act in same time
Develop the patience
Enhance the team communication ability
11. Color Treasure Hunt
Gameplay: Teacher need to hide some colorful items in different areas of the outdoor playground in advance. Children need to find colorful items according to color tips, and then take the items back to the finishing point with other team members, the team who finishes this task fastest wins.
The colorful items such as:
Red ball
Blue card
Yellow flag
Game rules:
The team must to back together
Not allow to rob items from other groups
The team building training values:
Train the observation ability
Improve the division cooperation of labor of the team
Enhance the cooperative awareness
12. Simon Says: Collaborative Edition
Gameplay: Teacher gives out a word of command, and only when listen the “Simon Says”, children only then can do this action. If not have the “Simon Says”, but someone made a action, and then the child will be eliminated. Children can compete in group competitions, and the group with the most remaining number of team members wins.
The team building training values:
Improve the focus
Develop the disciplinary awareness
Enhance the listening ability
13. Team Tug-of-War
Gameplay: Divide children into two teams, and catch both ends of the rope. After the referee gives out a word of command, the two teams can exert force backward at the same time. The team needs to unify the rhythm, reduce the center of gravity, and cheer each other, and then the team who firstly pulls the sign pass the line wins.
The team building training values:
Enhance the cohesive force
Improve the team chemistry
Develop the sense of group honor
14. Limbo Relay Race
Gameplay: Two adults are responsible for pulling the cross bar, children need to backward pass in turn from below the crossbar. After the end of each round, the crossbar height continues to lower. Children who touch the crossbar or their body loss the balance are eliminated, and the child who keep to the end wins.
The team building training values:
Enhance courage
Develop the awareness of encourage each other
Improve the body flexibility
15. Birthday Sorting Challenge
Gameplay: Children need to line a row from January to December according to their birthday dates, but they don’t directly say their birthday dates. Children only can communicate with each other by the gestures, digital actions, or simple tips to finish the right sort finally.
The team building training values:
Non-verbal communication
Teamwork spirit
Observation ability
16. Marco Polo Chase
Gameplay: One child needs to close their eyes and shout “Marco”, and then other children need to respond “Polo”. The child who close eyes needs to find the other children according to the voice. The team members can also remind each other’s place to add the game interactive and collaborative funs.
The team building training values:
Improve the auditory judgment
Develop the team reminder awareness
Enhance the interactive fun
17. Bucket Dribbling Race
Gameplay: Every group need to use a plastic bucket to take the balls to the finish area. The players don’t use hands to directly touch the balls in this process. If the balls fall, they need to go back to the starting point and play again. This game very tests the teamwork and balance control abilities.
Can enhance this gameplay:
Set an obstacle course
Walk on one leg
Move backwards
The team building training values:
Enhance the coordination ability
Develop the problem-solving ability
Improve the teamwork spirit
18. Untie the Knot Game
Gameplay: Children need to form a circle and cross hands randomly, and then form a “human body knots”. Next, all children need to under a situation of not letting go through move body, turn around, and work together, and then finally they need to restore to a full circle.
The team building training values:
Enhance the communication ability
Train the patience
Improve the team collaboration
19. Mini Architect Challenge
Gameplay: Every team can get a lot of building blocks, paper cups, or foam bricks, children need to work together to build a tallest, most stable, or creative building. This game process, you need to keep discussing the division of labor and structural design, and then the winning team will be chose by the teacher.
The team building training values:
Train the creativity
Enhance the division of labor of the team
Improve the leadership skills
20. Hot Potato: Sports Version
Gameplay: Children need to form a circle and quick pass the ball, then teacher play the music. When the music stops, the child holds the ball is eliminated. And you can add many balls to pass at the same time, add a action demand, and specify a passing direction, these play ways improve the game rhythm and team interaction effect.
The team building training values:
Enhance the reaction ability
Improve the sense of participation
Train the team interaction
How to make the playground team building games more effective
1. Divide into groups according to ages
Different age groups are suitable for different difficulties:
3-5 years old: Simple interactive type
6-8 years old: Rule-based games
9-12 years old: Competitive cooperation type
2. Control the team size
It is recommended:
Small activities: 4-6 people
Middle-sized activities: 6-10 people
Large-scale activities: More than 10 people
3. Focus on the safety design
When holding the outdoor activities, it is recommended to:
Use the soft play equipment
Set a buffer ground
Control the running area
4. Add an incentive system
Different from the pure competition, more recommended:
Team points system
Collaboration reward
The best communication award
The best collaboration award
These ways can enhance children’s enthusiasm.
Why are the playground team building games becoming more and more popular
Different from the electronic products, the playground outdoor activities can let children really build a connection between people.
These days, more and more schools, camps and children's playgrounds begin to focus on:
Develop social skills
Emotion management
Team spirit
Outdoor sports habits
At the same time, more and more family entertainment centers, nursery schools, and community playgrounds also begin to add:
Team challenge zone
Ninja obstacle course
Interactive gaming facility
Multi-player collaboration device
These activities can improve children’s play experience.
A good playground team building game not only let children have a happy time, but also help them to learn communication, cooperation, trust, and problem-solving in the outdoor group activities that is important. Through designing a rational team building game for kids, and then the school, camp and children's playground can create a activity space with more interactive and better educational value.
Whether it is a classic jump rope and hula hoop, or a more creative obstacle challenges and building tasks, the core of a real successful team building activity is always let every child play it together, and feel a happy that comes from working together.
FAQ
1. How often should the outdoor team-building activities be played at once?
School or camp is usually recommended to play:
1-2 times per week
30–60 minutes per time
Play 2–4 small games per time
Add one large group challenge each month
It can not only keep the feeling of freshness, and also continuously develop the teamwork ability.
2. How to avoid conflicts between children in the playground group activities?
It is recommended to:
Clear the game rules in advance
Emphasize teamwork but not about winning or losing
Set a rotation system
Adults need to guide in time
The key point of the team building games needs to focus on the collaboration experience, but not about eliminating or competing.
3. How to ensure safety at the playground activities?
It is recommended to:
Have a security certificate for playground equipment
Use the soft play equipment
Keep the area is slip-resistant
Adults need to check whole game process
Avoid over-competition
4. Which team building games are best suited for a large group?
It is recommended to play:
Tug-of-war
Hula hoop passing activities
Group rope skipping
Social grouping activities
These team building games are more easy to let all children play together.
5. Which type of playground group activities is popular for kids?
Usually, a team building game engagement with highly interactive and fast pace is higher, for example:
Group jump rope
Obstacle relay race
Balloon doesn't touch the ground
Tug-of-war
The overall participation rate for these types of team building games
6. How large of an area is needed for the playground team building games?
The simple group activities usually need:
Small game: 50-100㎡
Relay and obstacle race: 00-300㎡
Large-scale outdoor activities: More than 300㎡
If the games include running, climbing, and multi-player collaboration, and then it is recommended to keep more secure spaces.
7. How long do children's attentions usually begin to reduce during the team building games?
A lot of children’s attentions will begin to reduce after keeping to play a same type of game 15–20 minutes. So it is recommended to:
Change the game regularly
Add the interactive session
Add a rest time during the team building games
These ways can effectively improve the overall activity experience.
