How to Plan a Day of Social Team Building for Teenagers

Many teenagers are social by nature, but this doesn't mean that they always work well in teams. Organizing a day of social team building can help teens feel connected with their peers. When you're planning a team building day, the most important thing is for teens to have fun and feel comfortable around one another. If teens take away a positive experience from the day, they are more likely to have bonded with each other, which is the ultimate goal.

  1. Ice Breakers

    • Any day of team building for teens should start with ice breakers. These are activities that help teens get to know one another, while also setting a relaxed tone for the day. To get teens to learn more about each other, organize a game of human bingo. Instead of numbers on the bingo card, put characteristics, such as "wears glasses" or "has a sibling." Teens must mingle and get signatures of others in the group who have these characteristics.

    Outdoor Team Games

    • One of the best ways to teach teens about teamwork is have them work in teams toward a common goal. If you have a large space in your backyard, let teenagers have a water balloon fight, organized into two teams. They will be wet and laughing, and will be more comfortable around one another. If you live near a large park, take the group of teenagers and play capture the flag or organize a sack race.

    Meals

    • If you're planning a full day of team building for teens, you'll need to break for lunch at some point. However, you can make mealtime about team building as well. Instead of serving prepared food, organize a sandwich station, where teens have to build their own sandwiches with prepared ingredients. This forces them to interact while they prepare their plates. You can also organize teens into lunch "teams" and ask them to come up with a cheer. The team with the best and loudest cheer gets to eat first.

    Winding Down Activity

    • If the day of team building has gone successfully, teens will take memories with them of the friends they have made, or the bonds they have strengthened. Give teens a lasting memory of their day of team building by having them write short, meaningful notes to each other. Give teens small scraps of paper and pens or markers. Have them write whatever they feel to someone else in the group, addressed by name. Collect the notes at the end and distribute them to their intended recipients.

    2. Previous:

    Next: