As a former classroom teacher, I can answer this question in many ways – picture books, morning meetings, get-to-know-you events, and teamwork games were all strategies I used. Now, as a specialist, I still do some of these things – especially games. That’s one of the things that leads to the teamwork you see in the photo. It’s kids working together to solve a STEM Challenge. (That one is a Cargo Drop!)
We have some favorite Team Builders! Actually, we have lots of team builders, but some are our very favorites. The best, most-requested, most fun, and all-around greatest game ever is…
You are going to need a ball! The one I use is a rubber band ball!
It doesn’t have to be a rubber band ball, but I would go with something soft. And maybe something that doesn’t bounce. Kids do miss catching the ball and you don’t want to spend time chasing it!
The rules of the game are simple:
So, how long does this last? Couldn’t this take forever if students are good catchers? Ha! Of course, but you are going to change the rules!
After about 2 more minutes I stop them again! I just change the rule a little. I have listed some of the ones we use below.
Just keep going until you have a winner! And, by the way, we don’t always have a winner. Sometimes class is over and we have just had fun. I use this game now at the end of class if we have extra minutes left over (which rarely happens)! I have also used it as a reward for a STEM Class that earns it. I promise, kids ask to play the “Rubber Band Ball” game all the time!
We call this teamwork task the STRING LIFTER.
You can read more about it here: Team Building for STEM on STEM Activities for Kids
You can try a post about team building on my blog: Team Building Ideas for STEM
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Hi! My husband and I are Montessori Elementary co-teachers and looking for more teambuilding activities for our new class. They love the String Lift, and we're waiting to try this one (though they're still a bit uncoordinated at 6-8). Where can I find a good list? I'll buy one from TpT if that's the best way to go, if you could point me in the right direction? I feel like I'm being lead in circles!
Hi, Ali! You can find team building activities right here on this blog! Also, I have blog posts on my personal blog about team building. teachersareterrific.com
As an engineer, I can attest to the importance of team work in the E of "STEM".
I agree!
HI, my name is Heather.
My STEAM teaching background
I teach STEAM once a week to a group of kids ages 7-10 (1st-4th grade). I have been trying small group activities, but these kids do not know how to work with each other. They either just work independently or they end up fighting and crying. I have talked to them about team work, using kind words, listening, and everything else, but they still just don't understand how to work with each other. I have switched to doing large group/ independent projects, for example, we did a challenge where they had to draw pictures using only shapes, then they had to draw pictures using their opposite hand. These types of projects seem to work better and in the 20 mins I have them, it's so much easier to not have to worry about rotating groups. My focus for the rest of the year is going to be on large group projects and building group/teamwork skills.
QUESTIONS:
1. How do I teach them to work with each other?
2. In the rubber band ball game, when the kids get out do you have something for them to do? or do they just wait sitting quietly at their seats? My kids, even my 4th graders have a heck of a time just sitting without doing anything. (Am I wrong thing that they should be able to just wait and not have to be constantly doing something?)
Hi Heather, I will be honest and tell you that learning to work together is always a problem for me, too. One thing we can all tell you is that just telling students to work together does not work. I tried that! A year after I started in the STEM specialist position I started going through a procedure for teaching students how to plan together. I have that procedure written out in a blog post on my personal blog (teachersareterrific.com) Just search the word "planning" on my blog and you can easily find it. I will also tell you that it is an ongoing process. There will always be teams that do not work together and their structures won't work. I spend a lot of time with reflecting after each project. Each team shares what worked or did not work and I use their comments as a springboard for making the point that the successful teams are the ones that shared the work and their ideas. I also notice which teams are working well together and do not hesitate to use them as an example for other groups. Again, honestly, I do sometimes break teams apart and move each member to another group rather than let them argue. And, I will sometimes have a student sit out of the project altogether if the student is being disruptive or completely uncooperative. Also, I have an hour for class so we have time to do more than your 20-minute time limit will allow.
Now, for the rubberband ball game! Students that are out, sit very quietly and watch. They cannot talk because the players still in the game cannot hear their names being called. This game is THE MOST LOVED thing my students do every year. Seriously, and it is very competitive. Most of the time, the watchers are very engaged in seeing who will win and we all cheer when an amazing catch is made. Occasionally, I do remind the watchers that they cannot talk, but it is not a huge problem. We do not play this game on a regular basis so they follow the rules when we do!
Thank you so much for your questions!