Collaboration and cooperation are the key components of teamwork. These skills are extremely important to students of all ages and ensure that they can work together to complete a task successfully. Not only do team-building skills help students participate effectively in school, these skills will prove highly beneficial into adulthood as working with a team is required quite often in the workplace and postsecondary schools. Teachers can help foster these skills by creating team-building games and activities for their students.

Team-Building Activities for Middle School

Marshmallow and Toothpick Team Engineering Challenge

This team-building activity challenges students to build a tower using a limited numbers of materials consisting of marshmallows, toothpicks, dry spaghetti, tape, glue, yarn, or string. Students must work together to build a successful tower that does not fall over or lean. This activity may also be timed and turned into a competition to see which team can build the tallest tower.

Human Pretzel or Human Knot

Divide students into small groups of five or six students. Students should stand in a circle and take hands. The goal is to weave arms and bodies in and out in such a way that a knot or “pretzel” forms while remaining locked together holding hands. Because the biggest challenge is not being able to stop holding hands throughout the knot/pretzel making process, students must discuss the best plan of action to remain connected! Students should work together to successfully form the knot/pretzel and unweave themselves to return to their original positions in the circle. If groups unlock their hands, they may be required to start over or sit out while other groups finish the challenge.

Flying Pen (Word and Picture Challenge)

This activity is so exciting and extremely engaging! For this activity, teachers will need to provide a large piece of paper, string, tape, and a pen (or marker) for each group. The string should be tied or taped onto the pen enough times so that each team member is able to hold on to a piece of string that is connected to the pen. Once all team members are holding onto the string, the fun can begin! Teams should place the large piece of paper under their pen. Then, the teacher should give teams a word (vocabulary word, key terms, etc.) to write on their paper. The challenge is working together to move the pen with the string only to write the word. Students may only use their hands to move the string. This activity may also be repeated with pictures instead of words! When complete, students may share their team’s work.

Scavenger Hunt

Students should work in teams to find a series of items throughout the classroom. Teachers will want to include at least 20 items for the hunt. Items could be paper clips, specific books, erasers, a blue pen, a penny, tape, etc. Although this sounds easy enough, the challenge comes from the other teams competing to find the same items at the same time. Teams should devise a plan to quickly locate the items before the other teams do. When time is up, teams will share how many items they found.

Organize and Classify Objects

Using a similar list of items from the scavenger hunt activity, teachers should set out several items for display. Teams will be presented with this challenge: What do these items have in common? How can they be organized or classified into groups? Students will work with their teams to group the objects. They can group or classify objects however they would like, but they must be able to explain why they have done so. When time is up, allow teams a chance to present their classification of the objects and explain their reasoning with the class.

Fashion Show

On a table, lay out various materials such as construction paper, newspaper, wrapping paper, tape, glue, yarn, string, etc. Teams must create one outfit using only the materials set out by the teacher. Students should be allowed to work on their creations for roughly 30 minutes. When the time is up, teams will select one member to model their design in the class fashion show. To make things even more fun, the teacher may play music while students show off their designs in the fashion show! Students may vote on their favorite outfit at the conclusion of the show.

Virtual Team-Building Activities

Creating team-building activities for virtual students presents somewhat of a challenge and will undoubtedly look a little different from in-person team building activities, but it can most certainly be done. Many of the activities previously mentioned (such as Scavenger Hunt and Organize and Classify Objects) can also be adapted for virtual learners.

End of the World Challenge

Divide your virtual students into small groups. Groups should be presented with the following scenario: The world is ending, and you need to grab three supplies that will help you and your team survive. Each student must search throughout their homes to find three items that could be helpful. For instance, students might select blankets, tools, matches, rope, seeds, a flashlight, etc. Once each member of the team has selected their items, teams will be told that they may only keep five items. Students will work together and discuss which of their items would be the most beneficial to them in their efforts to survive.

Two Truths and a Lie

This classic game can quite easily be adapted for virtual classrooms. Divide students into small teams (roughly three or four students in all). Each member of the team will share three statements about themselves. Two of these statements will be truthful, while the other statement is entirely false! The other team members will try to decipher which pieces of information are true and which are false. Each team member should have an opportunity to share. This activity helps teams get to know one another better, and it provides students with virtual interaction in a fun and exciting way.

Follow the Details

For this activity, one member of the team will pick his or her favorite item. The item can be anything: a pair of shoes, food, toy, notebook, etc. The team member will describe his/her item with as much detail as possible (without sharing what the item is) while the other team members do their best to draw the item. Once finished, team members will share their drawings and reveal the item. Students will discuss how their drawings matched up to the real thing. This activity helps students realize the importance of being precise when presenting details.

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Those are both excellent reasons to practice regular team building with teachers. Something that at first feels trite may be nostalgic, comical, and downright fun. On the other hand, an activity that can be uncomfortable can stretch and reform relationships, break down barriers, and encourage others to learn new information about one another. This isn’t about being friends, but it is about creating relationships that acknowledge the individuals that you work with as humans and not just people who show up to work.

What are the Benefits of Team Building for Teachers?

Does your across-the-hall neighbor have pets? Does she enjoy traveling? Does he run a Christmas tree farm in the winter? Does she have a child with special needs? Military vet? Former athlete? Widowed? Orphaned as a child? Struggle with anxiety? Frustrated by the smell of lavender? Allergic to bees? Really good at art? Run marathons on the weekend?

I could go on and on. Teacher team-building activities allows teachers to come out of their silos of facilitation, let their guards down a bit, and really see the humans that they work with every day. At the beginning of the school year one year, the administrators and I all took DiSC personality tests. Upon completion a person may fall in one or more of the following categories: dominant, influential, stable, or compliant. We then shared with one another our results on chart paper.

It was interesting. We had conversations about the results, if we agreed or disagreed with our own results, and the results of our colleagues. The best part about all of it was the shift in later conversations. Because we saw each other differently, we treated each other differently. I know personally I thought of prior situations that could have been managed differently if I had been privy to this knowledge about their personalities.

Teacher Team-Building Activities

The administrators in my building sent the DiSC personality test to each department in the building and we charted their results during the first department meeting of the year. It was delightful. ‘We’ isn’t a word commonly used to describe faculty meetings. The teachers were surprised at which other teachers in their departments matched their personality types, as well as which administrators.

Even more surprising was how some results seemed to not match at all. There are a number of personality tests that can be found for free on the internet; this is a great option to break the ice, re-acclimate colleagues, or introduce new people in the building.

An additional teacher team-building activity that has had success in my building is practicing gratitude. Some call it ‘glows and grows’, ‘plus/delta’, I’ve even heard it called ‘roses and thorns’. Whether it is at the beginning of the meeting or the end, it is always a great practice when gathering for a meeting to acknowledge positives (personal or professional) and see if an individual has some endeavor with which he/she would like support.

Another really powerful activity that not only boosts morale but also is an incredible bonding activity is the plate activity. When doing this exercise, each individual is given a paper plate. On the plate they write everything they are currently dealing with. In the center of the plate are professional responsibilities and on the outside (or the back) are personal ones. Then, everyone identifies three things that seem mundane, overwhelming, or particularly challenging for whatever reason. If they choose, they can also star one or two things in the personal arena in which they would like additional support.

After collecting, admins (or department chairs or whomever is conducting the meeting) analyze the plates and determine what they can “take off your plate.” When done diligently, this allows teachers to be paired with mentor teachers, creates safe spaces for teachers to advocate for themselves, and encourages administrators to look out for their faculty and staff more carefully.

It may seem cliché, but a tried and true team-building activity is observation. Teachers do amazing things every day and generally no one gets to see it. Particularly in buildings where teachers have common planning, they never really get to see each other in action. If administrators or other staff members cover classes, teachers can watch one another and just share the good stuff. Validation from peers is revitalizing and really builds authentic morale and capacity. Teachers naturally inspire each other and find ways to build each other up through shared experiences.

How to Adjust Activities for Virtual Team Building

Something happens every time a group of teachers gets together on an online platform to make a call. There’s a sudden rush of dopamine as we get a chance to smile at one another, see each other’s faces, and at times get a glimpse into each other’s homes while we are working virtually.

One important factor to always consider when making adjustments for virtual team building is time. Being online all day and going to “another meeting” is not the same as attending a meeting during a regular workday. Prepare in advance tech platforms that might be helpful like Jamboard instead of chart paper, for instance.

We also must check in on one another. These activities need to be filled with intent and should in no way resemble the idea of just getting something done. If a majority of the members aren’t feeling it, won’t engage, or are having trouble making connections, trash the activity and listen to their concerns. Play an online game instead, build a Kahoot, Jeopardy, or Wheel of Fortune.

Team building can’t be forced or rushed. Whoever is conducting the activity has to be keen to the emotional intelligence of the individuals participating in order to glean if the efforts are effective or not. Team building is not necessary for every teacher, team, or building. However, when done correctly, teachers become less like co-workers and much more like collaborative partners.

*Updated February 2021

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