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Teambuilding activity Chicken Baseball

Teambuilding Activity: Chicken Baseball

Chicken baseball is a fun game that provides a refreshing change and generates a lot of energy.

This activity promotes:
- Collaboration
- Fun
- And who knows what else

Below are the instructions:

Duration: 15 minutes
Participants: 8 to 40
Indoor and Outdoor
Active

Materials Needed:
Stuffed animal; chicken

Initial Setup:
Divide the group into two teams.

Framework:
Chicken baseball shares similarities with regular baseball, as there is a fielding team and a batting team. However, that's about the only resemblance.

Gameplay:

The batting team starts by tossing the chicken into the playing field.

Once the chicken is thrown, the fielding team rushes towards it and forms a line behind the chicken. The first person in line picks up the chicken and passes it over their head to the second person. The second person passes it between their legs to the third person, and so on. When the last person in line has the chicken, they shout "STOP."

Meanwhile, the batting team scores points. One point is scored when the batter completes a lap around the entire team.

When the fielding team shouts "STOP," the roles switch. The fielding team becomes the batting team, and the person holding the chicken starts at point 1 of the procedure.

Everyone should have a turn throwing the chicken.

Evaluation:
Did everyone execute the correct technique? If not, what do the referees on the sidelines think the consequences should be?
Did the teams play fairly?
Was it challenging to ensure everyone had a turn?
Was it difficult to come up with an order for everyone's turn?
Did everyone participate?
Did they do so because it was a competition or for another reason?

Points to Consider:
The chicken may cause some attention and commotion. You can address this in the evaluation or let it pass for now.

Teambuilding activity don't let the ball fall

Teambuilding Activity: Don’t Let The Ball Fall

Do not underestimate it; this game can reveal a lot about collaboration and communication patterns. You can announce this in advance.

This activity promotes:

- Collaboration
- Making agreements
- Focus
- And who knows what else

Below are the instructions:

Duration: 20 minutes
Participants: 8 to 16
Indoor and Outdoor
Active

Materials Needed:
Balls or other objects suitable for safe tossing.

Initial Setup:
Arrange the participants in a circle.

Framework:
This is a game that requires good concentration. Each round becomes more challenging to avoid dropping the ball, and it can be helpful to make agreements with each other.

Gameplay:
Start with 1 ball. One player throws the ball into the air, and another player must catch it. If this is achieved without the ball touching the ground, another ball is added.
Now, 2 players simultaneously throw a ball into the air. Each time all the balls in play are caught, another ball is added.
All balls must be thrown into the air simultaneously, and a ball must not be caught by the thrower.
If a ball is not caught, the group starts again with 1 ball. Unfortunately.

Further Differentiation:
Can the group perform better when they are allowed to set their own goal, for example?

Have the participants switch places when they are doing exceptionally well. Does it still work as smoothly?

Evaluation:
Are there people with good ideas?
Are they being listened to?
What ideas have you heard?
Have you held back any ideas?

Points to Consider:
Since this game can be somewhat frustrating, it is important for the group to have experienced some success beforehand.

Safety Check:
Be careful to avoid players trying to catch the same ball, potentially colliding with each other's heads.

the ultimate name game: Everyone is someone else.

“What was your name again?” is a question your hear all the time, especially during a training or at a meeting. The ultimate name game plays with this idea. The ultimate name game is, like the activities described above, a good way to get acquainted.
This activity promotes
     • acquaintance
     • contact
     • energy
     • fun
     • many more
Required material
     • name tags (to pin or put down and a marker)
Game sequence / instruction
You will see during trainings or seminars that after registration, you will receive a name tag that you can pin on your shirt. This also happens in training rooms in the form of a folded card on the table.
With this method you give each participant a card that is not his/her own. It is then the first task of that person to find and hand over the name card owner.
How you organize it exactly is up to you. Examples: you consciously pin the wrong card on arrival at the participant (or you let someone of your team do this) and tell them that they will soon be told why they did not receive their own card.
Or allow the participants to enter the room and they will find a ticket in their seat. But you ask them to pin it and then find the owner. Extra assignment: Let them discover why they have just received a card that belongs to somebody else (search for community).

“Guess the animal” The game

This way of working is, just like Human Bingo, a way to start before the training, workshop or meeting begins to get the participants to get to know each other.
This icebreaker promotes
Required material
  • two rolls (painters) of tape
  • good black highlighters.
Game sequence / instruction
The participants do not know each other. You want them to come into contact with each other in a easy-going way.
You start your explanation by saying that you tear off a piece of tape and write an animal name on it. You stick this tape to someone on his back without him knowing what animal name there is. This person must discover by asking closed questions which animal he ‘is’. In the meantime, others are also busy tearing down tapes and writing animal names on them and sticking these tapes to someone else’s back.
When the last participants have arrived, you can see if you can complete the game. Of course, there must be a few people who have guessed their name.
There is no need to evaluate. Look for yourself what kind of meat you have in the tub; which people are more easy-going and which are more quiet and introverted, so that you as a trainer also get to know the group.
Have you tried this game? Let us know what you think and leave a comment below!

 

Human Bingo: Bingo with a twist!

‘Human Bingo’ is a fun way to introduce participants to each other, at the start of the training, workshop or meeting. ‘Human Bingo’ is excellent for getting good energy. I always see hugely enthusiastic and happy faces. You hear everyone talking to each other, a lot of movement, laughing and finally there is someone calling “Bingo !!!”.

This activity promotes

• communication
• getting aquainted

Required materials

• pens.
• a bingo card with statements (for each participant a card).

Game sequence / instruction

The group is instructed to enter into a dialogue with each other and to enter the names of the participants on the bingo card.
After all the participants are in possession of a bingo card, the icebreaker starts. Then people start talking to each other and try to answer all the statements on the bingo card as quickly as possible. An example: “Are you in possession of a first aid diploma?” If the person to whom the question is asked “yes”, he writes his name on your bingo card.
The person who called “Bingo!” may come forward. Naturally, the card is checked. I do this by simply mentioning one of the questions: ‘Which of you is in possession of a first aid diploma?’

Differentiation

You can only ask one question at a time. Then you must first have been with someone else before you can ask a second question to the same person.

Goal of the game

Try to fill your bingo card with as many different names as possible.

Game sequence

Find a participant for whom the question is valid.
Have this person fill in his or her name in the box.
Only one name will appear in each box moreover, each name can be placed on the card only once.
Loudly call “BINGO” once you have filled all the boxes.

Human Bingo, Bingo with a twist! Bingo card

Have you tried this game? Let us know what you think and leave a comment below!

Making Connections

Mark Collard is the founder and director of playmeo and he has written many books on the subject of icebreakers.

He started playmeo as an innovative online platform to share fun and valuable group games. Besides having a website and many books on his name, he now also has a youtube channel. It is called Mark Collard and it gives a helpful guide on how to facilitate a great group activity. The channel also give a few examples of great teambuilding activities.

In this video he explains and shows a fun exercise you can do with a group of people that don’t know each other yet.

The Lunch Game

Hey everybody,

Check out this video from our new friend Herman Otten. He make video’s on teambuilding activities and icebreakers.

In this video he explains the icebreaker called The Lunch Game.

This is how it works:

First, you assemble all the participants in a circle, then you divide the group by three. As a result you get multiple groups of three. So for example if you are with a group of fifteen, you get five groups of three people. Secondly, you tell the groups to each come up with a assignment. This assignment can be anything they want it to be, as long as it can be done during lunch. Then each group passes their assignment on to the next group. (group 2 get their assignment from group 1, and 3 from 2, etc.). Lastly each group goes to lunch and does their assignment. Afterwards you show each other what you have accompliced.

On his Youtube channel you will find some variations.

 

Energizers!

Susan Lattanzi Roser

Content

Energizers! contains 88 energizers for children. The motto of the book is “To learn well, children need to move!” The idea behind the book is that children learn better when the exercise and let their energy out. In Energizers! you will find energizers that are easy to teach and learn. There are energizers for every age and include suggestions and variations to make sure that the fit the group. The activities are labeled by grade level. The energizers can help to calm the children down but also to stimulate them. And they can be done anywhere, Inside and Outside, in a circle, or waiting in line.

Appearance

Energizers! starts with 12 tips on how to use the energizer which is very convenient. Roser explains the energizers very good. On the side of the page is helpful information such as the pronounciation of certain words or for which grade the activity is suitable. The pictures in the book look really nice and match with the philosophy of the book. Energizers! uses music and rhythm to get the children engaged. A lot of the energizers involve singing or clapping. The writer has a lot of experience with chilren and learning and combines this with a love for piano.

If you want to order the book or read more about it, you can click here.

The Big Book of Team-Motivating Games

Mary & Edward Scannell

Content

In The big book of team-motivating games you will find games that improve cooperation, communication, and spirit. If you have difficulty trying to create a great atmosphere, this is the book for you. It will help promote interaction betweem team members and it encourages a culture of cooperation. It also improves atmosphere, it can help to motivate the team and make something fun out of a boring meeting. This collection of High-energy games will give you the tools to tackle problems suchs as low team spirit, bad communication, distrust.

Appearance

The big book of team-motivating games starts with an introduction. This intruction tells the basics of team-motivating. Then you get a page called ‘You Key To Succes’ which expains step by step the best way to motivate your team. The writers of the book use sometimes quotes to make a point more and this can be very clarifying. The games are high energy and can be played in or outside of the office. And best of all need no or very few props.

If you want to order the book or read more about it, you can click here.

 

 

The Big Book of Business Games

John W. Newstrom & Edward E. Scannell

Content

The Big Book of Business Games is a great book, if you are looking for icebreakers. It contains 75 activities and icebreakers adapted from the bestselling Games Trainers Play series. The icebreakers are shortened and changed to meet the needs of managers and teamleader. This make it great to use with staff, departments, committees, or other meetings. the icebreakers can bring light to a meeting, or help finding problems in a department and many more. The book covers a wide range of topics suchs as teambuilding, listening & feedback, and motivating the team. The icebreakers are a fun way to deal with important topics and can help to create a better environment at the workplace.

Appearance

The Big Book of Business Games is divided into section each section covers a topic. For example Motivating Your Group or Creative Problem Solving. All the sections have around six excersizes. The book start with an introduction to business games in which the writers explain how you can make sure that you have the right icebreaker. They also help you with determining in what your goal is. The book uses illustrations which can be both helpful and funny at times.

If you want to order the book or read more about it, you can click here.

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