Go, team, go! Fun-filled, active games that build classroom community, minimize competition, and enhance cooperation skills

Balloon Volleyball

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Volleyball indoors? Sure, with a few easy alterations to the rules! First, set up a center rope about five feet off the ground. Then, instead of having the students stand, set up chairs on either side of the rope in volleyball formation. As a replacement for a ball, blow up a balloon for students to toss and spike. The balloon needs to touch at least four students on one side before it crosses the center, or the other team gets a point. Remember to rotate the students' chair positions throughout the game and randomly switch students from one team to the other to minimize competition. This is a great game for students who might have a disability that keeps them off their feet.

Human Knot This group challenge gets students talking and working together right away. All you need is a four-foot long piece of rope or cloth, knotted on each end, for each student. Give one rope to each student. Have students stand in a circle; guide each student to reach across the circle and randomly grab the free end of another's rope. Make sure to really mix them up! Now the students must untangle the knot, not letting go of the ropes, by weaving themselves in, out, and around.

Trout Circle This energetic game is a lot of fishy fun! You need only one piece of equipment: a good-sized rubber fish. (You can make one by packing a rubber dishwashing glove with cloth stuffing, then duct-taping the end closed.) Assemble two teams in an open area. A member of Team A throws the trout as far as possible, while Team B chases after it. When they reach the fish. Team B forms a single-file line and passes the fish down it, alternating over the shoulders and through the legs. Team B chants: "Swim, trout, swim! Flap your fishy fins! Up the river, down the river, swim, trout swim!" Meanwhile, Team A bunches together into a tight circle, while one member runs around the circle as many times as possible. Team A chants: "Round and round the whirlpool swims the little trout. He'll [she'll] swim around until the other trout's out!" When the trout reaches the end of Team B's line, the last person hurls it as far as they can to a new spot. Team A now runs as quickly as they can to the trout and the teams' roles switch!

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Fairies, Trolls, and Dragons This game has a lot of different names and incarnations, but it's basically a game of rock, paper, scissors played on a larger scale. It's best suited for outdoors or a large indoor space. First, divide the class into two teams. Then, with the help of the students, create three different, easy-to-remember poses to represent the three magical beings. For example, fairies can wave magic wands, trolls can crouch and show their "horns" (kids point their index fingers on the sides of their heads), and dragons can flap their "wings." Next, set up a centerline for the playing field and a home baseline for each team. Explain to the students that fairies melt dragons, dragons eat trolls, and trolls scare fairies. Each team secretly chooses their identity and meets at the centerline. At the count of three, each team displays their identity, and the winning team chases the other to the home baseline. Any students who are tagged before they get to the home base switch teams. Although it may take them a few tries to remember which magical being trumps which, students love this game. To fend off chaos, stand nearby and "direct traffic." Play until all the students end up on one team.

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Team-Building Resources

For more team-building activities, check out the Project Adventure Organization (www.pa.org). Their books, such as Quicksilver and Silver Bullets, offer endless possibilities. The Responsive Classroom curriculum (www.responsiveclassroom.org), especially The Morning Meeting Book, is also a wonderful resource.

Rolling Across the Abyss

The object of this game is for students to get a ball across a certain distance without letting it ever touch the ground--or their bodies! If space is limited, use a small rubber ball. If you've got more room, try a beach ball or rubber gym ball. First, gather material to roll the ball through or along--old cardboard carpet tubes (cut into different lengths) work best. You can also use strips of cardboard, paper towel tubes, plastic tubs, and pieces of carpet. Ask the students to get the ball across a marked distance, by rolling (not throwing) the ball through the tubes. If the ball touches the ground or someone's hands, the students must start again. Making up a story that goes along with this challenge adds an element of fun. For example, the ball is actually the egg of a magical bird that holds the secret to world peace, and the students must safely deliver the egg across the River of Despair. Invite students to invent their own stories!

Lighthouse This game encourages communication on many levels. It's best suited for a classroom with some open space, and works better with a smaller group. (If you have a big class, divide it into two groups.) The players in this game are a boat, a lighthouse, and shore folk. First, create a small ocean full of soft obstacles (such as backpacks, foam blocks, stuffed animals, and pillows) and place a blindfolded student, the boat, on the far side. On the near side, place a student, the lighthouse, who cannot look back at the "ocean." In front of the lighthouse stand the shore folk, whose job it is to help the lighthouse lead the boat safely into harbor. Unfortunately, the shore folk have lost their voices, and may only use gestures and signals to direct the lighthouse! The lighthouse must then relay the information verbally to the boat. Remind the boat that he or she must move slowly, and more important, remind the shore folk that the boat's safety is in their hands! If the boat hits an obstacle, such as the Great Backpack Reef or White Wastepaper Basket Shark, he or she must start again.