Ready for an activity that will change your team’s trajectory? No seriously. This team-building challenge is the one you didn’t know you needed!
Why?
Because it will get your team talking. And brainstorming. And working together. It will frustrate them but it will also intrigue them and keep them engaged. Isn’t that what you want?
Coaching a team has its challenges. Not only did I coach Odyssey of the Mind for seven years, I also coached cheerleading—two very different types of teams you might say. But are they actually all that different? Not really.
All teams are competitive in their own ways. They want to win and the stakes are high whether that means winning a regional creative problem-solving competition, perfectly performing a half-time routine at the upcoming homecoming game or crushing it at the big volleyball tournament next weekend.
But none of these kids, in their respective groups, can succeed without working together. As a coach, it’s your job—no, your privilege to seek out ways to solidify their team bond so that win or lose they are better for the effort.
One way to create a tight-knit team, is to challenge them in ways that are seemingly unrelated to what they do in practice or at meetings. Instead of running the same drills every single practice—or spending the entire session working on the long-term project, give them a fun but difficult task to solve together.
What is one such task?
It’s called Free the Paper Clips and it will turn your team members into soldiers ready for battle. They’ll quickly realize that they need a solid strategy. But more importantly they’ll discover that they will only free the paper clips if they work together.
Curious to know more about this team-builder extraordinaire? Click below to learn how it works.
I have lots more where this one came from so keep checking back. I’ll be sharing more of my favorites all month. So whether you’re a classroom teacher, coach, or parent, hopefully these challeges will be exactly what you’ve been searching for!
