Team building exercises
You can find many team building lesson plans and free team building exercises online. Plans focused on team building for teens usually have basic directions and some hints on how to break the ice with shy and reluctant members of the group.
A good team building lesson plan will have an easily recognizable title and subject. It will also let you know up front what group size and grade level it is appropriate for. It should have a short introduction to detail what traits, qualities or skills the lesson is designed to instill, followed by the required materials list, any preparation needed, space requirements and time that should be allotted. Finally, a detailed description of how to carry out the activity should be given, and a short conclusion summarizing the hoped for result.
Below is an example of a good lesson plan, using one of the team building activities for youths featured on this site. You can copy this lesson plan and use for a group activity.
Hooking up – Teamwork Building Skills for Teens
Size of Group: 10 or more.
Age Appropriateness: 6th grade and up.
Intro: This is an exercise designed to teach cooperation and strategy in a fun setting and to allow all group members the chance to participate in different roles to build self confidence in themselves and trust in their partner.
Materials: None needed – teens should be dressed for running with appropriate footwear.
Preparation: Define: boundaries in playing area.
Space Requirements: large indoor room with solid floor; gymnasium or level outdoor playing field.
Time needed: Varies – at least 20-40 minutes.
Description: Pair the teens up, have them hook elbows and spread the pairs out evenly across the playing field. Each person should have their free hand by their hip, elbow out, creating a hook. Divide on pair of players and make one person ‘it’. The other has to reach a couple and ‘hook’ elbows with one of them – whereupon the third becomes the new runner. If the runner is tagged or runs outside the boundary line, the two reverse positions with the person tagged becoming ‘it’. This game is so entertaining to watch that many players are caught flat-footed and are suddenly targeted. To add an extra twist for larger groups, you can have two or three ‘its’ and runners at the same time.
Objective: Pairs must work as a team to avoid being ‘hooked’, and the nature of the game allows for frequent switching of partners and roles. This is a great team building activity for kids who need to loosen up, or for a fidgety, bored group. The aim is to teach cooperation and trust between partners, and strategy on the part of the runner. The runner should always be cheered by onlookers.