Team Building Exercises for Student Groups

Two Activities to Get Students to Work Together

Aug 14, 2009

Sometimes student groups may benefit from team building exercises to increase the cohesion of the group. A couple of simple exercises can help to build that team spirit.

Team building exercises, while sometimes seen as cheesy or corny, can be beneficial to student organizations when team work is necessary to achieve a goal. These exercises not only help to build cohesion among group members, but they can also foster friendships and help students better connect with their group mates.

It is important to remember with any team building exercise to supervise and make sure that no one is physically or emotionally hurt, or that the exercises are not construed as hazing. If a facilitator, advisor, or coach is in doubt, then it is better to consider an alternative activity.

Team Building Using Chalkboard Sentences

ResidentAssistant.com, a website designed as a resource for college resident assistants, suggests this team building exercise. For this activity, participants will need to be divided into two equally-sized teams. If one team has one less person, then a participant will have to go twice.

As the participants are dividing into teams, set up a chalkboard or piece of paper and instruct each time to line up ten feet away from their team's writing surface. The facilitator then explains that the object of the activity is to be the first team to make up a sentence that has the same number of words in it as there are people on the team. If one team is short a participant, then someone will have to go twice.

Each participant will come up with the next word in the sentence and cannot alter words or change the order of the preexisting words. Once the first person in line has written a word down, they will then run back to their team, hand the writing utensil to the next person in line, and continue the exercise until everyone on the team has contributed a word. The first team to finish the sentence wins.

ResidentAssistant also suggests this classic team building exercise. For this activity, have the group stand in one close circle, or divide the group into teams if there are a large number of participants. Next, have everyone in the circle(s) put their right hands into the center of the circle and grab a hand across the circle from them. Instruct them to do the same with their left hands.

From there, participants must "untangle" the human knot by stepping over or under other hands, rotating positions, or using any other method necessary (yet safe) without letting go of anyone's hand. If the situation seems particularly challenging, the facilitator may break a portion of the knot based on the decision of the entire group. Participants can let go after the knot is undone or if the group determines that the knot is unsolvable and there is not solution to untangling the knot.

Team building exercises can be very beneficial to groups in order to help students get in the mindset of thinking as a group. Simple exercises can help jump start the thinking process and help lead to a more productive group.

The copyright of the article Team Building Exercises for Student Groups in Youth Activities is owned by Ashley Anderson. Permission to republish Team Building Exercises for Student Groups in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.