Every year, as the school Physical Education teacher, I would run a whole school Tribes Team Building Day. All the students would be divided into groups of ten, then they would be pit against one another with tribal or warrior challenges. Teams would be awarded points for completing or winning a team challenge. Here are some of the team building games for kids that I’ve used and have proven to be awesome fun!
Seven Awesome Team Building Games for kids
Team Tire Race
Set up a race using the whole length of the oval with a marker cone every 30m.
Each team, armed with a large car tire line up at a start line. The race starts and teams must pick up their tire and run towards the finish line.
A whistle is blown as teams pass the first marker cone. As soon as the whistle blows, teams drop their tires and players stand together on it. The first team to do so gets to stay where they are. All other teams must go back to the marker cone. Blow the whistle again to start the next leg of the race. As teams pass the next marker cone, blow the whistle. Again, teams drop their tires and stand united on them. Again, the first team to do so stays where they are and the other teams go back to the last marker cone they passed.
The race continues until a team successfully passes the finish line.
Water Bomb Volleyball
For this team building group game, you will need two dozen balloons filled half with water.
Next make a volleyball net with two poles and a rope. Either side of the net place a bed sheet. Teams pick up the bed sheet with each player holding an edge, stretching it out. A water balloon is tossed onto one of the sheets.
The team must work together to use the sheet to toss the water balloon over the net. The other team must catch it with their sheet, then toss it back. Points are awarded for catches and being able to send the balloon over the net, popping it on players or the ground.
Puzzle Hunt
Create a 10 piece puzzle for each team (laminate a picture and cut it into 10 pieces). Hide the pieces in the playing area. Teams race around finding the pieces to their puzzle. First team to make the puzzle wins. Hint- so teams don’t take pieces from other teams, use different back sheet colours for each puzzle.
Icy Shirt
Place an old t-shirt into a four litre bucket of water and freeze it. Do this for each team in the game. Start the game with each team taking their block of ice. They must work out how to get the t-shirt out, then have one member of the team wear it. First to do it wins! This warrior camp challenge is quite challenging!
Helium stick
This team group game requires concentration and patience. Each team is given a long length of dowel timber, or a plastic hoola-hoop. Teams stand with their index finger placed under the stick/hoop, supporting it. Teams must lower the stick/hoop to the ground without anyone losing contact with the hoop with their index finger. Another very challenging group game!
Human Log
Teams each line up along a start line. One member must be a log. They lie on the ground. All the team members must lift the log and walk him/her to the finish line 20m away. Once they get there, they all run back to the start line, chose someone else to be the log and then carry them to the finish. Repeat this for each player as the log. Any log that touches the ground, the team must go back to the start line and recarry it. The winning team is the one that carries all logs to the finish line first!
Blanket Flip
Each team sits on a blanket. The group team challenge starts and teams stand and try to manoeuvre and shuffle the blanket under their feet in an attempt to flip it over. The rule is that no feet are allowed off the blanket. First team to do so wins!
Youth Group Camp Games
All these Team Building Games are ideal to use on youth camps. They promote team collaboration, require strategy and foster leadership.
Wacki App has a bunch of these Team Building Games for Kids (great for adults too!) Check out our unique Wacki App HERE. It’s free to download.
Check out our article on Youth Leadership Games and Challenges HERE.
I couldn’t refrain from commenting. Well written!