TEAM BUILDING…FOR KIDS

Posted by Teambonders on Mar, 21, 2014

At many of our corporate events, we are often asked by participants (with children) of our opinion regarding an assortment of games & activities designed for child interaction and entertainment…or junior team building, if you will.  People are always picking our brains for exciting new ideas and suggestions – but more importantly, our professional thoughts on content, structure and suggested game parameters.  Our answer is always the same – and it’s the same approach we take with all of our own activities: FUN IS THE NAME OF THE GAME!  Always.  And for all participants.

Many of our facilitation team members (in previous lives) have been Camp Directors, Academic Educators & Mentors, Program Coordinators and Entertainment Staff at various family resorts, recreation facilities and cruise lines.  Something we’ve collectively noticed over the years, is that it’s all too common for group leaders and organizers to focus heavily on games that are competitive in nature…that are dictated by ‘winners & losers’…that depend on elimination and player exclusion to determine final outcomes.  And while we’re certainly not here to preach, vilify or paint these types of games in a negative light (as competition is certainly a very real part of everyday life for people of all ages), we are here to encourage a broader use of cooperative games, especially for children of younger ages.

Whether it’s the classroom, a birthday party, a new sports team, or a Camp cabin/group, children yearn to feel included…feel as though they ‘fit in’…feel as though they belong.  We believe that fostering a friendly, collaborative, interactive and caring environment is a terrific means of accomplishing this goal.  And a great way to start the journey towards achieving this goal is through a few short, engaging “ice breaker” games.  These not only set the overall ‘fun’ tone of the event, but also allow everyone to quickly become comfortable and acclimatized to a possible new or foreign environment.  The games should be all-inclusive, can be goal-oriented and usually last anywhere from 5-10 minutes.  There are many great online and textual resources available regarding ice breakers and other cooperative children’s games (geared for an assortment of ages) – and we certainly encourage people to search for & seek out wonderful, new & exciting activities that suit specific tastes, themes or group dynamics.  We wish your group all the best and much fun together in the future!

– Teambonders

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