“Children, you are now going to work in a group!”
Right? Not quite!

The fact that children are in the same class is by no means an indication that they actually know how to work together. If we think of the reasons why they are in the same class to start with, we realise that these are arbitrary. They are in the same class because they were born in the same year, happen to live in the same town or village and attend the same school! Being told to work in a group can actually be quite a challenge. Children do not necessarily have the necessary competences to do so.

This is why at Zabbar B we take building teams very seriously. Structured team building activities prepare the ground for active and meaningful learning. They also support the development of attitudes, skills and knowledge that our children need to work together effectively in class and eventually in society.

Visitors to our school often encounter children (and sometimes teachers) engaged in these “crazy” activities like building towers or making paper chains. Such activities help put the children in the right frame of mind to collaborate. They are fun and they also help set the scene for more “serious” work.

Following is an example of a team building activity from Mr Inguanez’s Year 6 class. The activity started with the students lining up in alphabetical order according to their first name. They had to do this without speaking, communicating only through gestures. From this line-up, small groups were formed. Forming groups in this way prevents the same children always sticking together while ensuring that no one is left behind.

Children sat in circles of 4 or 5 and they were asked to tie their hands to each other with a piece of cloth. They were then given some craft supplies and A4 papers and asked to create the longest paper chain possible in 10 minutes with their hands tied!

In the beginning students found it hard! It was evident that they had too many issues to handle at the same time, like planning the chain, who will be holding what and the best position to work comfortably. Eventually however, all the groups found their unique way to handle the challenge and at the end of the 10 minutes,  all the groups had their paper chain.

They then regrouped in one big circle to discuss what they had learned from the activity. The main points that the children came up with included:

• It was fun.
• We worked as a team.
• We had different opinions.
• We had to express ourselves, listen, tolerate and respect others.
• Discussion and planning were important.
• We worked collaboratively.
• “Small” jobs led to one “big” group result.
• We were multitasking.
• We learned that group effort is important in other real life situations.

The points above are clear evidence of the importance of team building activities, going beyond what the syllabi prescribe while nurturing transversal competences that our children need to become active citizens in the near future.

Check our running school blog for more team building news from our classes.

With special thanks to Mr Jason Inguanez.

For more information on the value of team building activities, check out Ice breaking, Team building, Energising… It is All about Framing Cooperation on Learn to Change.