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By the end of this lesson, students will create a new sports game in English that promotes sportsmanship.

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Students will understand the values of respect, fairness, and teamwork through sports.

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Students will learn about the traditional Scottish Highland Games and their cultural significance.

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What makes a sports game fair and enjoyable for everyone?

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Learn about the traditional events in Highland Games and their history.

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Students will discuss examples of good and bad sportsmanship they have witnessed.

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Students will participate in a modified Highland Game activity to practice teamwork.

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Teamwork and cooperation are essential for learning. Administration works with teachers. Teachers work together with other teachers and their students. And students work together with one another.

Not only does more learning happen when everyone works together, but it also creates more fun. Classmates working together are more likely to succeed. Teamwork helps students build communication skills as they collaborate and strategize. And, as student groups work together to conquer problems, student confidence grows.

Of course, these skills don't just apply to the classroom. They'll continue to serve your students in their everyday lives - from playing sports to building friendships, and even into their adult years.

Ready to incorporate more teamwork into your classroom? Team building activities are a great place to start! Here are our favorite team building activities, including icebreakers, indoor games, and outdoor fun.

What are the benefits of team building activities for kids?

Team building activities are beneficial for students from elementary school all the way to high school and beyond. They can be used as fun first day of school activities or as everyday boredom busters. Either way, these moments of teamwork are building essential skills.

Problem-solving skills - Problem-solving and strategizing are built into team activities. Since students can't complete these exercises on their own, they have to work as a group to reach a solution.

Creative thinking - Team building activities are a great way to help students think outside of their box. By grouping students of different backgrounds and experiences, everyone is exposed to new thoughts and ideas.

Verbal communication skills - Communication doesn't just mean knowing what to say. It's also important to develop listeningskills in order to effectively work together.

Resilience - Many team-building activities aren't completed on the first try. Having to try and try again to solve a problem builds a student's resilience.

17 team building activities for every setting

Whether you're looking for an activity to fill those last five minutes of class or go specifically with your lesson, we've got you covered!

Icebreaker team building activities

The first day of anything can be scary. Who will I sit by? Who will I talk to? What will we talk about? Ease student anxiety with fun icebreaker activities.

1. Birthday lineup

This game can be done in two ways. In the first, instruct your students to line up in order of their birthday, starting with January 1 and ending with December 31. Everyone will have to chat to find their place in line.

Or add an extra challenge by asking your students to line up in order of their birthdays, but with no talking. With some guessing and gestures, they'll have to find their spot. There are sure to be lots of giggles - the mark of a great icebreaker!

2. Catapillar race

All you need for a caterpillar race is a starting line and a finish line. Split your classrooms into teams that have four to ten students. Each team will form a straight line. Then, everyone places their hands on the shoulders of the student in front of them. On the count of three, everyone crouches down like a caterpillar, being careful not to let go of their friend's shoulders. Then, go!

3. Bingo

Make your own bingo cards that include different characteristics your students may share. For example, "I have a sister" or "I like pizza". Every card should have the same boxes to check off.

Ask students to read through the boxes and find one that's true for them. Have them walk around the room, comparing their box with the other students. Once they find a friend who has chosen the same box, they both mark that box and return their seat. Repeat the process until someone has a Bingo.

4. Storytime

This activity can be done with the whole class or small groups. Together they're going to tell a story. Provide a theme, or let them have free reign.

The first person will start the story by saying just four words. Then the next person will add on four words of their own. Keep it going until everyone is giggling about the turtle who went to the supermarket and then jumped in the pool!

Sitting in a circle or line can make it easier to tell who's turn is next, but it isn't necessary. Happy storytelling!

5. Common denominator

Common denominator, also called Thread, is a simple activity to build your students' communication skills. Assign students to small groups and set a timer for five minutes. Ask your students to find one thing that they all have in common. It may be a type of pet or favorite food. Once a group finds a common thread, they can chat about it until the time is up.

You can end the activity there or rearrange the groups and do it again. Or add arts and crafts and have your students draw a picture or flag to represent their group's common denominator.

Of course, icebreaker activities don't have to be for just the first day of school. They can be great tools to start a small group conversation or to help reintroduce students when the seating chart is rearranged.

If you're looking for even more ideas for icebreaker questions, check out our article 50+ Unique Icebreaker Questions for Kids Your Class Will Love.

Indoor team building activities

Most of the time, you need activities that can happen right inside your classroom. Even though most classrooms don't have a lot of extra space, these fun team-building activities will do the job.

6. Human knot

This activity requires no set-up or special materials. All you need is your students!

To start a human knot, have small groups of 5 to 10 students stand closely together in a circle. Instruct them to reach their hands into the middle of the circle and randomly grab another student's hand. Once every hand is grabbed, have students untangle themselves without letting go. Giggles will ensue as the group works together to bob, weave and climb their way back out.

7. Cup stacking

This quick-paced activity requires loads of teamwork and communication! You'll need a rubber band, some string, and a few cups.

Split your class into teams - groups of four to eight work best. Each team needs one rubber brand and as many strings as there are teammates. Each player ties their string to the rubber band. Then, everyone steps back and works together to place the rubber band around the cup, expanding and contracting as needed to place it just so.

8. Hula hoop fingers

This simple activity only requires a hula hoop and a group of up to eight students. Arrange the students in a circle and have them all hold out their hands, palms up. Place the hula hoop in the center of the circle, resting it on their fingertips. Their goal is to set the hula hoop on the ground without dropping it or hooking their fingers around it. And there's absolutely no grabbing! For added difficulty, ask students to use only one hand or just their index fingers

9. Marshmallow and toothpick challenge

Divide your classroom into two equal teams. Give each team a set number of marshmallows and toothpicks. Then give them their challenge - make the largest, tallest, or most creative structure!

You can give the students a few minutes to strategize or just jump right in. Teammates should take turns adding one toothpick and one marshmallow at a time to their structure.

Your students will quickly learn that faster doesn't always mean better. Their structures will need to have a good foundation and be well-built to stay steady as they get taller. It's sneaky physics learning that's a ton of fun.

Outdoor activities for team building

If it's a pretty day, take your students outside and enjoy some team-building activities in the sunshine.

10. Chuck the chicken

Chuck the chicken is an awesome team-building game for burning some energy! It's a crazy striking and fielding game with three different variations. Check out this video for all the details and get your students moving.

11. Tug-of-war

Tug-of-war is a classic team game. Split your class into two teams and grab a sturdy rope. Try your best to make sure the teams are equally matched so it's fun for everybody. And before starting, survey the environment to make sure that there are no obstacles that can injure the players. Then have each team pull as hard as they can in order to bring the other team across the line or off their feet.

12. Hula hoop pass

Teaching a large group? Hula hoop pass is a perfect choice!

Have your entire class form a circle and hold hands. Grab a hula hoop and place it on a student's arm at one point in the circle. The goal is to get the hula hoop all the way around the circle without releasing their hands. Then enjoy the laughter as everyone wiggles the hula hoop around themselves.
Need an extra challenge? Have your students race against the clock to see how fast they can get the hula hoop all the way around the circle, or divide the class into groups of two for more competition.

13. Group jump rope

Group jump rope can be lots of fun if you have multiple adults or teenagers to help out. You'll need an extra-long jump rope and plenty of space. Start swinging and have your students jump the rope in groups of two or three. They'll have to work together to not get in each other's way while jumping together.

14. Obstacle course

An obstacle course can be used in several different ways to build teamwork. One option is to split your students into pairs. One student is blindfolded while the other only uses their words to guide them through the course. Good communication is key!

Another option is to complete the course as a relay. Students can cheer each other on as they encourage each team member to complete the course the fastest.

Strategic team building games

Build problem-solving and critical thinking skills with these strategy-based team building games.

15. Scavenger hunt

Scavenger hunts are a great option for larger groups. Students can search for a single hidden prize or a list of objects. Another variation is to have students find one object for each color of the rainbow or letter of the alphabet.

Students can work in pairs or small groups. If they're looking for many objects, they'll learn it's fastest to strategize and divvy out the objects each person is responsible for finding.

16. Build as a team

This activity is a fun way to get those creative juices flowing! Give each team the same building materials and a set time for creating a structure. The building materials can range from books to duct tape to boxes to string. Whatever you have available works.

Decide if your student teams should all build the same thing, like the best bridge, or leave it open-ended and see where their imaginations take them.

17. Hidden structures

Hidden structures is an awesome team-building activity. To start, you'll need to make a structure out of legos or building blocks. Then hide it from view, under a tarp or a bedsheet.

Split your students into small groups, and instruct them to designate one person as the leader. The leader on each team comes to your desk and has ten seconds to look at and memorize your structure. Then they get 25 seconds to describe to their teammates how to build it.

Finally, the teammates will get one minute (or longer if it's complicated) to replicate your structure. Once the time is up, unveil your structure to the class and decide which team got the closest to the original.

You can repeat this process with a new structure and new leader from each team as often as you'd like.

How to easily empower team building skills in your classroom

Choose one of the activities above and start strengthening your classroom's bonds. Just remember to always keep the activities fun. If students start to get frustrated, modify the game to make it easier. It's not as much about sticking to the rules as it is about your students learning teamwork and cooperation.

Not every student will love every activity you try. And not every activity will be a hit. But with our list, we feel confident you can find a new favorite that your students will love.

Looking for more resources to empower teamwork in your classroom? Prodigy offers game-based learning solutions to keep your students entertained and excited about learning with Prodigy Math or Prodigy English. Encourage them to share their gaming wins, tips, and tricks with their fellow students, and build a culture of teamwork over competition in your classroom.

Plus, create your free teacher account to access tools for learning, including assessments, reports and test prep. Getting started is easy, so sign up today!
Create my free teacher account

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17 Fun Team Building Activities for Kids in Your Classroom

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Teamwork and cooperation are essential for learning. Administration works with teachers. Teachers work together with other teachers and their students. And students work together with one another. Not only does more learning happen when everyone works together, but it also creates more fun. Classmates working together are more likely to succeed.

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In groups, students will brainstorm and draft ideas for their new sports game.

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If you thought that brainstorming was only helpful for corporate employees, then you are mistaken! Brainstorming in education is not merely a tool to generate innovative ideas. Rather, it helps create dynamic strategies that enable critical thinking and problem-solving skills in every student.

Some of the benefits of brainstorming activities for students are:

It provides a safe ground for introverted students.

With the right brainstorming activities, students can easily learn how to collaborate easily.

By collaborating on different brainstorming activities, educators get a pool of ideas from every student, which helps them to quickly analyze each student on similar grounds.

In this brainstorming guide, we will walk you through different brainstorming activities for both students and teachers.

Individuals Brainstorming Activities for Student

Few students prefer working alone, while some love to work in a team. As a teacher, it is your responsibility to provide every student with a comfortable ground. Before we talk about some of the brainstorming techniques for teachers, let us walk you through detailed brainstorming activities for students.

Let's first start with individual brainstorming activities:

Image Identification: It is said that visual representation has a lasting impression on the students. Convert any topic in hand into an image or an infographic, and print it so the students can take it home. Ask the students to write down as many things about that image as they can possibly imagine or find. Advise them not to take anyone's help, as it is their activity. Once the students submit their work, you will have a different perspective and take on that particular image.

Personal Journaling: Note-taking is one of the oldest brainstorming methods. Ask your students to take detailed notes on their respective topics. Once they start taking notes, ask them to find different connections between them or add more relevant information. Remember, this is not the stage to criticize their ideas; rather, you need to foster an environment where they can easily curate more ideas for their topics. With EdrawMind, students can easily create such outlines and then convert them into beautiful-looking mind maps or charts.

Color Symbolism: Each color has a different meaning. Few colors have some sort of religious association. Ask your students to pick their favorite colors and write at least 10 points on them in 10 minutes. Encourage each student to brainstorm different ideas, concepts, or emotions that connect them to that color. This activity can lead to unexpected connections and thematic exploration, which would help you understand the psychology of each student.

Word Finder: Present a detailed topic to your class and then choose a random word closest to that topic. Now, challenge your students to come up with as many ideas as possible related to that previously discussed topic and the chosen word. Once they start coming up with the ideas, ask them to give their thoughts one word, build upon their content, and explore the topic further.

Sudoku Remix: Sudoku is considered one of the most engaging and brain-stimulating techniques. Try to remix it in a different way. For instance, you can easily create a new variation of Sudoku by changing the rules or altering the grid's shape. Ask the students to take the puzzle home and solve it without anyone's help. This activity will not only challenge the students to think critically but will also encourage them to explore mathematics in innovative ways.

Group Brainstorming Activities for Student

Now that you have explored some fun brainstorming activities for students who prefer an individual approach let us check out some dynamic group brainstorming activities for students.

Pack The Bags: In your classroom, ask the students to imagine a situation where they are stuck in a remote place and ask them to put three most important items they would like to carry with them. Ask them to think it through and consider everything before putting those three items on the list. Once the entire class completes the exercise, evaluate the items and see if one or more items are common amongst most students. If that is the case, discuss the importance of those items and even praise them for coming up with something like that!

Gallery Walk Method: The gallery walk brainstorming method is a unique group activity where students explore multiple ideas and texts that are placed around the room. During this activity, you turn your classroom into stations and display texts in a "gallery style" that allows the students to disperse themselves around the room to check those notes or prompts to discuss. This is an informal method that helps the students to work in a group while adding their ideas to each station.

Creative Debate: Friendly debates are very helpful when it comes to improving the critical thinking of your students. Organize a structured debate where all the students can present contrasting viewpoints. Following this, you can organize another brainstorming session to generate different ideas that resonate with both sides of the debate. By considering both options, you will encourage more analytical thinking among your students.

Role Play For Empathy: Oftentimes, it is observed that students do not consider someone else's feelings when they present their thoughts. Sit down with your students, assign them roles related to a topic, and have them brainstorm from different perspectives. If your student gives one example, ask them to give the same example by becoming a different person. Ask them to note down the different examples. By doing this brainstorming activity for students, you will promote empathy, which will lead to more diverse ideas.

Jigsaw Techniques: Such brainstorming activity is plausible when you have a large group of students. Divide the entire class into multiple smaller groups. Assign each group some responsibility to find solutions or ideas for a specific aspect of a larger topic. By following agile methodology while brainstorming, you will reconfigure all the students to share their respective findings.

Brainstorming Method of Teaching

Brainstorming in education is crucial from different fronts. On the one hand, it helps the students to come up with different unique ideas quickly; on the other side, it helps them realize the importance of team efforts.

If this is going to be your first time conducting a brainstorming activity for students, check out the following steps to master brainstorming for teaching:

1. Objective Identification: Before using any of the aforementioned brainstorming activities, you should be clear on the expected end result and goal. Choose a topic and discuss that with your students to let them know what you are going to discuss during the session and what are your exact expectations.

2. Finalize On Activity: As discussed, you can choose between different brainstorming activities for students. Choosing an activity depends on multiple factors, like class strength, time constraints, difficulty of the topic, and more. Once you have analyzed all these factors, you can choose any of the mentioned brainstorming activities.

3. Generate Ideas: Whatever brainstorming activity you have chosen, the end result will remain the same -- generate as many ideas as possible. Encourage your students to come up with different ideas. Keep a note to yourself that at this stage, you do not want to neglect any idea; rather, every student should be heard correctly.

4. Refine: Once you have gathered enough ideas from your students, it's time to evaluate and refine them as per your objective. Try to choose the best ideas and then ask your students to put them into action.

Brainstorming Techniques for Teaching

Just like students, there are several brainstorming techniques for teachers that they can freely implement in their classrooms. Some brainstorming techniques would ensure equal participation, while others would imbibe a more creative approach in your students.

Some of the most common techniques are:

Group Techniques

6/3/5 Methods

Mind Mapping

Brainwriting

Think-Pair-Share

Storyboarding

Conclusion

In today's advanced, academically driven world, innovative strategies are vital. Brainstorming activities for students promote a healthy environment for all. Most of the activities mentioned in this guide enhance critical thinking, creativity, and overall collaboration. If you wish to give brainstorming in education a more dynamic perspective, we recommend checking out EdrawMind. This all-in-one mind mapping tool offers real-time collaboration and comes with free templates and layouts that help in starting different brainstorming activities for students.

EdrawMind Apps

EdrawMind Online

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10 Fun Brainstorming Activities For Students in 2024 - EdrawMind

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Check out fun and creative brainstorming activities for students. EdrawMind's guide also showcases different brainstorming methods for students and teachers.

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Explore additional sportsmanship stories and examples.

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Practice identifying fair play scenarios with an interactive worksheet.

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Instantly access Twinkl’s printable and digital K-12 teaching resources, including worksheets, eBooks, games, PowerPoints, Google Slides, and more!

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Observe and note students' collaboration and sportsmanship during group activities.

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A quiz on the values of sportsmanship and Highland Games.

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Sportsmanship: Quiz & Worksheet for Kids | Study.com

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You have most likely heard someone called a ‘sore loser’ after they behave badly following a loss in whatever game they play. This is an example of…

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Students will provide constructive feedback on their peers' new sports game designs.

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Write one thing you learned about sportsmanship and one thing you enjoyed about the lesson.

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Groups share their game designs and discuss how they promote sportsmanship.

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Create a poster in English highlighting the values of sportsmanship.

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Write the rules for your sports game. Be clear and fair.

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Play an online game about sportsmanship.

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Sportsmanship | Sportsmanship Antonio Daniels | General