Hobbies And Interests
Setting
Go outdoors, preferably in the woods, to play this game. The setting is an imaginary river with starving alligators. Each team must endeavor to cross the river between two points such as trees, logs or a line in the dirt. You will need five wood planks that are successively shorter and a long rope.
Assembly and Instructions
Place the four smallest wood planks across the imaginary river so that they extend from one side to the other. Give the fifth plank and the rope to the team. They must create a strategy to use these tools and the planks on the ground to reach the other side. They are not permitted to use any other object including sticks or rocks. If one member of the team falls into the "river" they must all return to the original side. The goal of the game is to get to the other side as fast as possible without anyone falling off the planks.
Benefits
The Alligator-Crossing game provides a number of benefits for your team. First, it provides an out of-the-ordinary experience to practice collaboration and team work. Second, it is a physical activity that may take your group members out of their typical comfort zone and prod them to relate to each other in new ways. Finally, it creates bonds of trust and support that can be built upon in future real-life situations.
Other Games
There are many games that can be played to build teamwork and collaboration. There are simple trust games where team members close their eyes and fall backward into their colleagues' arms. There are also group activities such as white-water rafting and skiing. Other team-building activities work well because they provide some goal or competition. For example, try this: Create a knot with a large group of people holding hands. Try to untangle yourself without anyone letting go of anyone else's hand.