Non-Competitive Team Building Activities for Elementary School Students

Communication Activities

• Have your students lie on their backs in a circle. Hand one player an empty bucket and have him balance the bucket on his feet. He must pass the bucket onto the feet of the player beside him. Both players must only use their feet while passing the bucket. Each player must pass the bucket around the circle using only his feet. Time the players and have them try to beat their best score each time they play. Time stops when they drop the bucket.

  Other activity ideas include making the game more challenging by blindfolding the players or adding water to the empty bucket to make it heavier.

Cooperation Games

• Spread out a large plastic tarp and have all the children stand on it. Ask them to get off and fold the tarp in half, then tell them to get back on the tarp. Each time they successfully stand on the tarp, ask them to get off and fold it in half. They must work together each time the tarp gets smaller to get everyone on it. Challenge the students to see how many times they can fold the tarp. The activity ends when they cannot find a way to make everyone fit. They can get on each other's backs and find ways to squeeze as close as possible.

  or another activity, give a team of 10 players two boards about 5 feet in length. They must use the boards to get their team from a starting line to finish line. If a player falls off either board during the activity, they must start over. The more narrow the boards are, the harder the challenge.

Concentration Games

• Take a large metal washer and randomly tie six strings to each washer. Have six players hold a string tightly and place a soft foam ball on the washer. Place a bucket about 25 feet from the players. Have them try to place the ball in the bucket without dropping it on the ground. After they understand the activity, remove the soft ball and replace it with a tennis ball. Time the players and have them try to beat their fastest time each time they play.

  You can also use an extra large washer and rope instead of strings. Place a bucket of water on the washer. Each time add more water to the bucket making it heavier. The students must carry the bucket of water from a starting line to a finish line.

Thinking Games

• Place a large exercise ball in the middle of the room and tell everyone they must touch the ball without touching each other. Once they figure out how to do this, give them a smaller object like a basketball. Each time they accomplish the goal, give them a smaller object to use. Other random items to use include a cone, softball, tennis ball, clothespin and a penny. The average group size should be about 10 to 15 students.

  Another activity is to yell out a word like "teamwork." The students must lie down on the ground and work together to spell out the word using their bodies.