Teamwork is an important aspect of child development. Kids need to learn teamwork to succeed in this world. Yes, there are a lot of individual sports and jobs, but most of them are team-oriented. Today, we will talk about team-building games for kids that will teach your child how to function in a team-oriented environment.
As they grow older, kids show real curiosity about the world. They understand they have some independence as well. And this is where these games come in handy. They help kids fuse together the notions of curiosity and independence. They need to learn how to do activities with other kids.
Here are some that might help with that.
1. Capture the Flag
This traditional outdoor sport is quite popular among kids and adults. Two or more teams have a flag or some other marker. The objective is to capture the opposite team’s flag while guarding your own.
If you capture the flag of the other team, you have to bring it back safely to your own base. Players can be tagged and, depending on the rules, out of the game.
2. Jenga
This game helps kids understand teamwork, but also develop their fine motor skills and problem-solving skills. The board game brings together a group of people. They take turns removing one block at a time from a tower constructed of 54 blocks.
Each removed block is then placed on top of the tower. And yes, while the objective is to win by making other people crash the Jenga, you have to work as a team so the tower becomes bigger and bigger.
3. Three-Legged Race
The running event involves participants running with the left leg of one runner strapped to the right leg of another runner.
The objective of the game is for the partners to beat the other contestant pairs to the finish line.
4. Murder Mystery Game
This party game offers mystery, thrills, entertainment, and fun. One of the people at the party is secretly playing a murderer. Other people have to determine who among them is the criminal.
In some games, the murderer is aware that he is the killer. In others, the murderer discovers along with the other participants.
Most of the time, murder mystery games open up with the actual murder and have the rest of the time devoted to the investigation.
5. Traffic Lights
This game became quite popular thanks to the Squid Game television show. But here you don’t have to murder your own kids. The classic team-building game can be modified. In Squid Game, players played with only green light and red light.
You can also add a yellow light in between. Red means stop, yellow is walk, and green is run. The kid who plays the traffic light shouts the name red, green, or yellow. Players move depending on the light. The goal is to reach the traffic light.
6. Sack Race
Some also call it the potato sack race. It is a competitive race game in which participants place both of their legs inside a sack or pillow case. The sack can reach either their waist or neck. Then they hop forward from start to finish. The first person to cross the finish line wins the race.
It is a fun team-building activity for children, but people of all ages can compete. In some schools, the sack race takes place on a sports day with other activities.
7. Jump Rope
You might think of the jump rope activity as a solo sport or solo activity. But it is an amazing team-building game for kids. You need a really large jump rope and ideally two adults or older kids.
Each adult or older kid holds the end of each side of the jump rope. The kids stand in the middle and jump together as adults swing the rope.
The game is super simple, but it also requires quite a lot of coordination and symmetry between the kids.
8. Escape Rooms
You can say this is the cream of the crop of team-building games for kids. In the past few years, escape rooms have risen in popularity. And that is thanks to the printable escape room game kits. You simply download an escape room kit and then set up your room with puzzles.
There are hundreds of escape room ideas you can try. These games help your kids improve their communication skills, teamwork skills, fine motor skills, critical thinking skills, and problem-solving skills.
Our ready-to-play game kits
Professor Swen’s Lab
Houdini’s Secret Room
Wooka Booka Island
The Gilded Carcanet
9. Team Scavenger Hunt
Scavenger hunt is another classic team-building activity that kids can use to learn communication skills, problem-solving skills, and more. The fun activity puts the kids in an environment where they have to work collaboratively.
Scavenger hunt improves communication, strategizing skills, and teamwork skills. You can divide the kids into smaller teams and provide them with clues to see who can solve it.
10. Forehead Dots
In this game, each kid gets a colored dot. Then, the dot is lightly taped onto their forehead. The goal is for each kid to figure out what color dot is on their forehead, but without asking for help.
Kids have to communicate non-verbally with each other and see if they can figure out the color of their dots.
11. Trust Walk
What is one thing you need in a team? Trust. And this game helps your children understand that. You should play it in a safe, enclosed outdoor area, like a small park or a backyard, for example.
Designate a start area and finish area. Blindfold one kid and spun him/her around, but not too fast. Move the kid around a few steps so that he is not in the same exact position as he was before.
Then, another kid comes over and acts as a guide to the blindfolded person. As a guide, your goal is to get the blindfolded kid to the finish area but without touching. Only verbal cues and verbal commands are allowed. Trust walk is definitely one of the best outdoor team-building activities.
12. Shrinking Vessel
This game is great for improving problem-solving skills. You need a rope, blanket, or tape to mark a space on the floor. Make the space on the floor and then have the whole group stand in that place.
Gradually shrink the space. The team has to think fast and work together to move and keep everyone within the shrinking limit.
13. Build It
This is a game you can play with everything you have at home. It is a simple team-building exercise. While playing it, kids learn to solve a problem together with their creative thinking.
Fill baskets for each team with random supplies you have at home. Those can include tape, cups, popsicles, sticks, and anything in between. They have to build the tallest tower using their materials.
14. Lean Walk
Similar to the walk we talked about before, but the difference here is that kids lean into each other shoulder-to-shoulder. Then, they try to walk to the finish line.
15. Lego Challenge
Sometimes, all you need is LEGO bricks. Depending on your kids’ age and maturity, you can either give them a set scheme or just random LEGO bricks and ask them to build a structure.
16. Freeze Dance
This is a fun and entertaining game that also helps kids learn how to work together. Turn on the music and let them dance. And then, turn it off without telling them, and the kids have to freeze. Whoever doesn’t freeze is out of the game.
It is competitive, but also great for bonding.
17. Puzzles
Let’s finish off with a whole niche of games. You can always play a puzzle game. Solving puzzles puts kids in an environment where they have to work together as a team.
And if you are stuck at home on a rainy day, one large puzzle will help you pass some time in a fun way.
